Look Back at 2024
2024 was a jam-packed year on Stockton University's campus.
Galloway, N.J. – As we close out 2024, we reflect on a year of celebrations, milestones and expansion at Stockton University. Join us in counting down the days to 2025 by viewing highlights from the past 12 months.
President Joe Welcomed Into the Stockton Community
Without the traditional pomp and circumstance of an inauguration ceremony, Joe Bertolino was formally installed as the sixth president of Stockton on April 12. The celebration of all things Stockton included a parade, confetti cannons and a taco bar, in keeping with the laid-back style of Bertolino, who welcomes being addressed as “President Joe.”
“My role, and my goal, here at Stockton is to build meaningful, impactful relationships. Relationships that strengthen our bond with the community; that enable our students to develop into engaged, effective citizens with a passion for lifelong learning; that bolster the positive development of New Jersey,” he said.
Students and community were a key focus of the day. The Osprey Parade, led by the Absegami High School drumline, kicked off the celebration, which included alumni from throughout Stockton’s 50 years and student leaders representing many diverse and engaged clubs and organizations on campus. Numerous student performances dotted the celebration, which culminated in Prez Fest, a community party in the Galloway Campus Center.
Delegates from 40 higher education institutions in New Jersey and beyond were represented. President emeriti Harvey Kesselman (2015-2023) and Herman J. Saatkamp Jr. (2003-2015) and the family of Vera King Farris (1983-2003) attended.
Inauguration week festivities included the Arts & Culture Summit with 150 local and state arts representatives convened at Stockton Atlantic City to discuss the potential for arts and cultural expression to bridge real and imagined divides in our neighborhoods and around the world.
An Inauguration Scholarship Dinner, hosted by the Stockton University Foundation, supported the Eileen M. Bertolino ’77 Memorial Endowed Scholarship set up by Bertolino for nursing students.
New Leaders Took the Helm
Following an extensive national search, Michael A. Palladino joined the university in May as provost and vice president for Academic Affairs.
Palladino is the chief academic officer at Stockton, providing leadership to the university’s more than 160 undergraduate and graduate programs and 700 faculty members. He previously was the vice chancellor for Academic Affairs at Bloomfield College of Montclair State University.
The university’s police force also went through a leadership change as longtime officer Tracy Stuart was promoted to police chief. She was sworn-in by President Joe Bertolino on Sept. 4. Stuart joined Stockton in 2007 and has brought national recognition to the university as an award-winning K-9 handler.
Three Stockton centers welcomed new leaders in 2024 — Tina Zappile as the executive director of the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy; Irvin Moreno-Rodriguez as the executive director of the Sara and Sam Schoffer Holocaust Resource Center; and Christine Ferri as the director of the Stockton Center on Successful Aging.
New Degrees Were Created and Offered
The university continued to expand its degree offerings to meet the needs of today’s students, especially in the School of Business, which unveiled three new degree programs.
This fall, Stockton became the first college or university in New Jersey to offer an undergraduate degree in cannabis studies when it debuted the Bachelor of Science in Hemp and Cannabis Business Management. The degree prepares students to join a booming industry that has seen a 66% increase in the number of jobs in New Jersey.
The School of Business also announced two other degree programs starting in the spring of 2025 — a Bachelor’s of Science in Entrepreneurship and a Master of Science in Accounting.
Stockton’s strong tradition of experiential learning is one of the cornerstones of a new undergraduate minor coming this spring — Archaeology. The minor places a strong emphasis on hands-on research opportunities and a focus on finding jobs in research science, protecting or preserving heritage sites or museum curation.
University Began Strategizing Upcoming Years
Stockton embarked on a new strategic planning process in 2024 to help chart the course for the university’s success in the coming years.
The collaborative process draws on the collective expertise and aspirations of all members of the Stockton community and kicked off in the spring semester. Campus-wide conversations were held in June and four working groups were established to focus on: Mission, Vision & Values; Review of Current Strategic Plan; Communications; and AASCU Framework.
Stockton is one of five institutions nationwide selected for the Strategic Plan Collaborative sponsored by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU). This unique opportunity allows Stockton to partner with AASCU to incorporate nationwide promising practices into our strategic planning process.
The working groups met throughout the fall, and the process will continue into 2025. Completion of the plan is expected in September 2025.
Stockton Recieved Praise for Students, Programs
The university received several national awards and recognitions this year. It continued to soar higher in the 2025 U.S. News & World Report College Rankings to No. 81 out of 225 public colleges and universities in the nation. Stockton also climbed to No. 152 out of 436 on the Best National Universities list.
New this year, Stockton was being recognized as one of the top LGBTQ+ Friendly Colleges in the country by BestColleges.com. Stockton was listed at No. 10 in the website’s 2024 rankings.
Military Times again singled out Stockton as one of the top schools in the state and in the Mid-Atlantic for military service members and veterans. Stockton was ranked No. 3 in New Jersey and No. 17 in the Mid-Atlantic region.
The university’s Honors College was one of just 16 worldwide to be named a Partners in Peace institution as part of a new initiative between the Nobel Peace Center in Norway and the National Collegiate Honors Council.
Finally, for the third consecutive year, Stockton was named to the 2024 Transfer Honor Roll by Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society.
Worked Together to Support Student Success
The Stockton University Foundation supported students by providing resources to make higher education more attainable. The Foundation’s main fundraiser, Ospreys Give, raised more than $445,000 in October from over 1,150 donors in its seventh year. For a second year, Spencer’s and Spirit Halloween served as lead sponsor and committed $250,000.
The Foundation Golf Classic teed off in a new location — Renault Winery and Resort — and raised more than $95,000 with 175 golfers participating in September.
A new fundraiser — the Surfside Casual Furniture Summer Show House — debuted this summer with public tours of a 10,000-square-foot waterfront home in Linwood. The show house was presented by Surfside Casual Furniture of Somers Point and Manahawkin and 7Mile Design of Egg Harbor Township and Stone Harbor. Surfside Casual President and Owner Robert Himmelstein is a 1986 Stockton alumnus and donated the tour proceeds to the Foundation.
The Galantino Global Grant was established by Mary Lou Galantino, distinguished professor of Physical Therapy, to support opportunities to study abroad for health science students. Alex Kaganzev, a 1990 alumnus, continued to fund the Seeta Voorakkara Communications Disorders Memorial Scholarship to benefit Communication Disorders students.
Cheered on Our Ospreys
There were several firsts by Stockton’s athletics and club teams this past year. Sophomore volleyball player Nicole Palmer became the first Osprey to be selected the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Region 4 Player of the Year. Palmer was selected AVCA All-America Honorable Mention and the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Player of the Year.
Junior Kayla Kass became Stockton’s first female indoor All-American in a running event by finishing eighth in the 800 meters at the NCAA championships. She followed that up in the spring with a second-team All-American nod in the outdoor 800 meters by finishing ninth at the outdoor NCAA championships.
The baseball team made history by winning its first NJAC regular season title. Stockton won 22 games, one shy of the school record, and finished 22-18 overall and 12-6 in the conference.
Two club teams also had notable finishes. The Unified Team celebrated its 10th anniversary of being affiliated with the Special Olympics by winning the Unified Cup for basketball for the second year in a row. The men’s rowing team finished its fall season with a historic weekend — winning its first gold medal at the Philadelphia Frostbite Regatta followed by a gold-medal sweep of all four collegiate events at the Bill Braxton Memorial Regatta.
Reached New Heights in Enrollment Trends
The university saw growth in diversity and increased demand for graduate degrees in 2024, all while increasing access to a 4-year degree.
This fall, the university welcomed its most diverse class in Stockton history, with 48% of first-year students identifying as minority or mixed race. This increased the overall minority representation in the student population to 42%.
Interest in Stockton graduate degrees also reached record levels, with the largest fall class in school history leading to record graduate program enrollment.
A historic class of 441 new graduate students enrolled in the university’s 19 graduate programs — a 10% increase from 2023. That brings the university’s total graduate enrollment to a record 1,068 students.
“We realize that there is growing interest for advanced degrees from professionals in southern New Jersey. Stockton is ready to meet that demand with a wide variety of programs,” said Michael Palladino, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs.
Stockton also made it easier for students at Ocean County College to seamlessly transfer to Stockton as part of a series of new agreements between the schools.
New 3+1 pathway partnership for OCC majors in Accounting, Marketing, Hospitality and Business Administration to Stockton’s School of Business. A 2+2 pathway for OCC’s Social Work major to Stockton’s School of Social and Behavioral Sciences.
The 3+1 model allows students to earn their associate degree and complete an extra year at OCC taking Stockton-level courses at the county college tuition rate. They would transfer three years of coursework and complete their final year at Stockton to earn a baccalaureate degree.
The social work pathway partnership allows OCC students to earn an associate degree and transfer to Stockton to complete a Bachelor of Science in Social Work degree in two years.
Class of 2024 Graduated and Learned Valuable Lessons
The May 10 ceremonies at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall graduated 2,000 undergraduate students and included speeches by Stockton President Joe Bertolino and graduates Maya Vaughn (Bachelor of Science in Psychology) and Elizabeth Myers (Bachelor of Arts in Literature).
The morning ceremony featured “Golden Ospreys” – members of the Stockton Class of 1974 – leading in the Class of 2024.
Keynote speaker Dave Scholler ’06 talked about his childhood, which he described as fraught with “poverty, drug addiction, alcoholism, mental illness and trauma.”
However, Scholler triumphed, rising through the ranks working in public relations before landing his dream job with the Philadelphia 76ers and Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment.
“I stand before the Class of 2024, living proof that odds are made to be defied, that generational cycles are meant to be broken, and that while statistics may help predict future outcomes, they don’t predict all of them.”
The Doctoral and Master’s Ceremony honored 326 graduates in a ceremony in the Sports Center May 7 on the Galloway Campus. Student speakers included Casey Berchtold (B.A./M.A. in Criminal Justice) and Elizabeth Rivera (B.A. in Communication Studies/ M.A. in American Studies).
Stockton Art Gallery Honored Indigenous Culture & Identity
A shared vision by Associate Professor of Art Mariana Smith and Ryann Casey, Art Gallery exhibition coordinator, inspired a series of events highlighting indigenous culture and a two-floor art exhibition “Indigenous Approaches, Sustainable Futures.” The show featured the artwork and photography of more than 25 different Indigenous artists throughout the fall semester.
Over 700 community members joined the campus in commemorating Oct. 14’s Indigenous Peoples’ Day, which included workshops on gourd art and natural fabric dying, panel discussions, a documentary screening and lessons on traditional dances by the Lenapehoking Reestablishment Project’s (LRP) Indigenous Youth Program.
Nov. 12’s closing reception gave participants the opportunity to hear a traditional honor song performed by Ty “Dancing Wolf” Ellis of the LRP and meet some of the artists featured in the gallery, such as Brittany Johnson ‘17, a Visual Arts alumna.
“If you’re thinking about reconnecting with your culture, go ahead and do it. Don’t let anyone stop you. If you don’t know where you came from, learn and find out. It is never too late to do that,” Johnson said.
Casey curated the exhibition with support from Smith, students Allie Wilson and Amanda Cantillon; alumna Heather McCarty ’23/M.A. '24; and featured artist Tyrese “Bright Flower” Gould Jacinto of the Nanticoke/Lenni Lenape Tribal Nation.
Prolific Speakers Visited Stockton and Inspired Students
Throughout the year, students heard from guest speakers at Stockton who shared unique perspectives from their own life experiences, including:
We enjoyed a really intimate couple of hours with future educators... I’m so excited that many of the folks in this room right now want to and plan to become teachers.
Educator and Founder of the Freedom Writers Foundation
To honor Juneteenth, we must do more and deliver justice... Restorative justice requires all of us.
Keynote speaker for Stockton’s Juneteenth Celebration
The principles of journalism, which is independent, fact-driven, context-driven and fairness-driven, don’t change on who the president is.
Chief White House Correspondent for the New York Times
We should not revere the Constitution as a dead document that can never be changed. We should instead ask, 'How can this document be improved so that all Americans’ lives can be better?'
Author and keynote speaker for 2024’s Constitution Day
How is a diamond created? Through the exertion of pressure, right? We are diamonds, and our parents want us to shine. They want us to be a beacon of hope to others because they know that we are capable of creating and doing much more than we think we can.
Co-founder and chairman of the Mandela Institute for Humanity
Your business plan of your life is driven by your values and how you want to grow as a human being. How do you want to be a member of this community and this society at a time when we really need a generation to get us to a better place?
CEO of Consumer Reports
– Story by Stacey Clapp, Mark Melhorn and Loukaia Taylor
– Photos by Susan Allen, Lizzie Nealis and Stockton staff
