Veterans Week
Galloway, N.J. – The Military & Success Center (MVSC) will host a week of programming in commemoration of Stockton University's Veterans Week celebration from Monday, Nov. 4 to Saturday, Nov. 9.
Here is a full list of programming:
Faces of Stockton’s Military Community Photograph Project
Monday, Nov. 4 – Friday, Nov. 8 | All day, F-wing Lower Gallery Atrium
Not all veterans and service members are alike, and through this project, Stockton’s community will be able to see how some of its military-affiliated students, faculty and staff choose to represent themselves while highlighting the differences in their military affiliation and jobs, academic majors and/or positions on campus.
Military Gear Review and Layout
Monday, Nov. 4 and Tuesday, Nov. 5 | 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., F-wing Lower Gallery Atrium
Check out some gear and equipment utilized by our military-affiliated students.
Veterans Day Recognition Ceremony
Wednesday, Nov. 6 | 11 a.m., Campus Center Grand Hall and Zoom
Major Steven Mares (Ret.), senior Army instructor for Central Regional High School's JROTC program, will serve as this year’s guest speaker for the annual Veterans Day Recognition Ceremony.
Directly following the ceremony will be a reception in the F-wing Lower Gallery Atrium.
Public Observatory Viewing
Thursday, Nov. 7 | 7 p.m. – 9:30 p.m., Observatory & Intramural Fields
Community Resource Fair
Friday, Nov. 8 | 11 a.m. – 3 p.m., Campus Center Event Room
Hosted by the MVSC and Stockton’s Center for Community Engagement & Service Learning, the Community Resource Fair will feature resources and information from about 50 federal, state, county and nonprofit organizations, including AtlantiCare, AVANZAR, Center for Family Services, Habitat for Humanity, Jewish Family Services of Atlantic and Cape May Counties and NJ Departments of Health and Labor.
Bay Atlantic Symphony’s Veterans Day Concert
Saturday, Nov. 9 | 7:30 p.m., Stockton’s Performing Arts Center
The musical salute will include “Armed Forces: The Pride of America,” “Liberty Bell March and Stars and Stripes Forever,” James Kimo William’s “Fanfare for Life,” Antonin Dvorak’s “Symphony No. 9 From the New World Symphony, Finale Movement No. 4,” two rousing John Philip Sousa pieces and Aaron Copland’s “A Lincoln Portrait” with guest narrator, Stockton President Joe Bertolino.
The Veterans Day Concert is free to all, but advanced reservation tickets are required to attend.
Annual Veterans Day Ceremony Full of Gratitude, Honor
November 10, 2023
Galloway, N.J. – More than 100 years ago, following the tragedies and destruction of World War I, weapons were lowered in order to seek peace at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.
Today, we commemorate that crucial turning point in world history with celebrations like Nov. 10’s Veterans Day ceremony in the Campus Center Grand Hall, which included the singing of the National Anthem by Lynda Larkin, speeches and a reception that featured the Faces of Stockton’s Military Community Photograph Project.
Guest speaker Col. Yvonne L. Mays, deputy adjutant general for the New Jersey National Guard, discussed her journey from an 18-year-old fresh out of basic training for the Air Force to a proud member of the military community who is dedicated to helping others find opportunities to join what she considers a “thriving environment.”
“My time in uniform has been riddled with ups and downs, success and failure, love and loss, but, more than anything, my time in uniform has afforded me the opportunity to grow and learn, give and receive and lead and follow in a way that I would not have in any other profession,” Mays said, before telling the audience that she first joined the Air Force exclusively for the GI Bill, as college was considered a natural stepping stone. However, she was able to find such stepping stones in military life.
“What I found upon completion of basic military training in my first technical training school is that the Air Force offered me a step-by-step guide of what to do, when to do it, why and how to do it. If that wasn't enough, the reward for compliance or the consequence of failure written in regulation – now referred to as instruction – was a published guide on how to do everything that applied to everyone, regardless of where you came from, your socioeconomic status, race, color, creed, gender, etc. That was an environment that I could thrive in.”
