The Ripple Effect: How Stockton University's Community Partnerships Strengthen South Jersey and beyond

By Donna Albano, Professor Hospitality, Tourism & Event Management, Stockton University School of Business

Higher education is increasingly being challenged to demonstrate its value beyond traditional measures of enrollment, degrees awarded and scholarly productivity. However, it is increasingly important to consider the measurable impact universities have on the communities they serve.

This broader view of a university’s success asks an important question: How is the knowledge, talent and capacity of a university being used to strengthen the communities it serves?

For Stockton University, that impact can be seen throughout the South Jersey region, in educational partnerships, workforce development, nonprofit collaborations, volunteerism, scholarships and the many connections between the University and the region it calls home.

Stockton’s educational partnerships, particularly K-12 initiatives, include dual credit opportunities, college readiness, STEM outreach and arts education. We also provide pathways to community college with transfer agreements and transfer pathways that make higher education more affordable for New Jersey students by a providing direct, cohesive route to a college degree with the ease of transfer credits.

Additional educational partnerships includes structured, for credit, internship programs, employer advisory boards, industry guest speakers, applied classroom projects and signature programs like Live, Work Learn. This partnership creates meaningful hands-on workforce experience with area businesses and includes a residential housing component to support students’ financial, professional and academic growth.  In return, employers benefit from our student talent pool at the peak and during their demand summer season.  Many participating employers invite students to continue working during the academic year and many students return for multiple summers providing a benefit to both the student and employer.

Stockton has always been responsive to the needs of our community and the most recent example is the establishment of the Stockton-Atlantic Care College of Community Health. This initiative expands career pathways and aligns education with workforce needs. Other workforce needs in our community include the hospitality industry, social work, criminal justice and environmental sustainability, each offering educational opportunities at Stockton University. 

Stockton’s impact on the community can also be seen across our many nonprofit collaborations.  We share our time, talent and resources by engaging in leadership initiatives, committing to prominent board positions, lending expertise in strategic planning, fund raising, value propositions, research and more. Our collaborations include the Boys and Girls Club of Atlantic City, Community Food Bank of New Jersey, Ducktown Neighborhood Community Development Corporation, Garden State Film Festival, Jewish Family Services Community Advisory Committee, New Jersey Travel Industry Association, United Way, Metropolitan Business & Citizens Association, Atlantic City Free Public Library Foundation, and more. It’s important to acknowledge this intellectual capital that often goes unrecognized. 

Stockton’s Strategic Plan reflects what we value and one of our priorities is anchored in serving the region and beyond.  The Office of Community Engagement’s mission is to provide opportunities for Stockton to engage with communities through service, volunteering, scholarship and fostering meaning relationships. There are entirely too many to include in this article, but examples include days of service, homework completion programs, community partners roundtables, service learning courses, faculty community engaged scholarship and more. 

Many view scholarships as financial aid, but at Stockton, I like to frame scholarship as investment in our regional talent. As a member of our Foundation Board and Scholarship Committee I can attest to the importance and impact of scholarships.  We maintain a robust merit-based award program of over 200 scholarships.  These are possible by generous donations from alumni, the business community, friends of the university and organizations.  Last year 700 students received more than 1,000 scholarships from the Stockton University Foundation. This reflects the spirit of community and generosity that we work to cultivate at Stockton. The result creates educational opportunities while strengthening the future workforce.

 Often overlooked is the economic engine that Stockton acts as in our region.  Students, faculty, staff and alumni “live, work and play” in our region.  Stockton can house more than 3,000 students. Student spending impacts local retail, dining and grocery businesses. Stockton University is a large regional employer, helps with neighborhood revitalization, hosts and contributes to many conferences, tourism initiatives, and cultural events. Stockton functions as a major economic engine that attracts talent, visitors, research, and investment to the region. 

Every internship, scholarship, volunteer hour, nonprofit partnership, faculty research project, and workforce initiative creates a ripple effect. Students gain experience. Organizations gain expertise. Employers develop talent. Communities become stronger. The success of Stockton University is inseparable from the success of South Jersey, because the University's greatest legacy is measured not only by the degrees it awards, but by the communities it helps transform.