Stockton Receives Record $42.18 Million from State Budget

It was announced in July 2023 that Stockton would receive a record $42.18 million in state aid from the fiscal year 2024 budget approved by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Phil Murphy.

The funding is a 17.7% increase from 2023’s $35.8 million and a 129% increase over the amount Stockton received five years ago, $18.4 million.

“This additional funding will go a long way toward helping Stockton continue to fulfill its students-first mission of developing engaged and effective citizens,” said President Joe Bertolino. “It will allow us to mitigate the cost of higher education and provide more opportunities for first-generation and economically disadvantaged students.”

The funding included $4.6 million for Stockton’s Atlantic City campus, $250,000 for the newly renamed Dr. Elizabeth Elmore Center for Economic Development and Financial Literacy, and $1 million to support continuing planning for the future of the Atlantic City campus.

The budget also included Stockton’s outcomes-based allocation of $7.9 million — a $5.1 million increase over last year, positively reflecting upon the University’s initiatives to improve outcomes for underrepresented and economically disadvantaged students, among other criteria.

Renovation Project to Turn Library into Modern Student Hub

What does the library of the 21st century look like?

About two years from now, Stockton students will find out.

Shortly after the 2023-24 school year ended, the Bjork Library on the Galloway campus closed for a massive, two-year renovation that is badly needed, officials said.

The project, financed by a $19.5 million bond from the state, will transform the three-story, 100,000-square-foot space in the middle of campus into a library learning commons where students can gather for meetings, participate in experiential learning opportunities, and work with archival materials and primary sources. Construction is expected to be completed by June 2026, and the renovated library will open in fall 2026.

“The role of the library is to be a community space. A gathering space. A commons where students have access,” said Patricia Thatcher, associate provost, library and learning commons, who spearheaded the renovation planning for the last two years. “Students will have access to work-ready technology and learn how to use and find credible information in multiple formats. That’s the library in the 21st century.”