Stockton 2025: A Look Ahead
We look forward to seeing Ospreys enjoying more sunshine between classes in the new year.
Galloway, N.J. – The upcoming year promises growth, celebrations and new beginnings. Take a look at what’s ahead for Stockton University in 2025:
Marking 10 Years as Stockton University
Following a vote by the Stockton Board of Trustees on Feb. 18, 2015, nearly 2,000 students, faculty, staff and community members gathered in the Campus Center and collectively looked up to the balcony in hushed anticipation.
Soon, the crowd erupted in cheers as rainbow confetti rained down from the seal bearing Stockton’s new name. No longer were they gathered at The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey but at the state’s newest institution of higher learning—Stockton University.
“Since its founding in 1969, Stockton has had many names, but one consistent mission: excellence in teaching, dedication to learning, and a tradition of community service,” said then-President Herman Saatkamp. “In becoming a university, we honor those values while continuing our journey as an environment for excellence and a partner in New Jersey’s social and economic development.”
Stockton has been known at various times as Richard Stockton State College, Stockton State and The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey.
The name change had some students lamenting the loss of Stockton’s beloved nickname, “Stoco.”
However, as then-alumni and now coordinator for the Writing Center, Edward Horan, said back then in the Argo: “‘Stoco,’ thankfully, isn’t just a name; it’s a culture. And I think that that culture will thrive at Stockton University.”
Building a Library Learning Commons
Renovations to the Bjork Library on the Galloway campus will get underway this year as part of a massive, two-year project that is financed by a $19.5 million bond from the state.
The project will transform the three-story, 100,000-square-foot space in the middle of camps into a library learning commons where students can gather for meetings, participate in experiential learning opportunities and work with archival materials and primary sources.
The library closed in summer 2024 to relocate all services in advance of the project start. Construction is expected to be completed by June 2026, and the renovated library will open in fall 2026.
Check out the library’s website for more information and the facilities website to view the concept plans and read more about the timeline.
Class of 2025 Walking Across the Stage
The month of May is full of celebration as Ospreys eagerly await their turn to soar higher. In addition to individual academic program ceremonies and send-offs, graduating students will be a part of Stockton’s official Commencement Ceremonies.
Graduate students earning their master’s and doctoral degrees will walk across the stage for their diplomas on Tuesday, May 13, at 2 p.m. in the Sports Center on Galloway’s campus. Undergraduate students earning their baccalaureate degrees will walk in ceremonies on Friday, May 16, in Atlantic City’s Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall.
The morning ceremony, beginning at 9:30 a.m., will be for graduates of the William T. Daly School of General Studies and Schools of Education, Natural Sciences & Mathematics and Social & Behavioral Sciences. The afternoon ceremony, beginning at 2:30 p.m., will be for the graduates of the Schools of Arts & Humanities, Business and Health Sciences.
Developing a New Strategic Plan
The university is actively shaping its next Strategic Plan through a transparent and collaborative process that began in spring 2024. So far, four working groups have laid the groundwork for bold, strategic actions that will shape Stockton’s future.
In 2025, the process is moving from gathering input to drafting the plan that will align with Stockton’s mission, values and aspirations. Completion of the plan is expected in September 2025.
Welcoming the Scholarship Benefit Gala Back to Campus
The Stockton University Foundation’s annual Scholarship Benefit Gala is moving back to the Galloway campus in 2025 for the first time in 20 years and will be held in the Campus Center on Saturday, April 26.
In 2024, more than 500 community members and Stockton alumni, students, faculty and staff raised nearly $400,000 to support the foundation’s Scholarship Benefit Gala Endowed Scholarship, which now totals more than $5 million and provides more than $175,000 in student aid annually.
Being a Good Neighbor and Lending a Hand
Stockton prides itself on being a part of the local community, which means giving back through the various community engagement and service-learning opportunities that the university provides.
One of those opportunities, the annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service, is considered a signature Stockton tradition. The 21st MLK Day of Service will begin at 9 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 20, and will feature more than 20 different projects on the Galloway, Atlantic City, Woodbine and Hammonton campuses. Registration is open.
On Oct. 18, the fourth annual Community Day Clean Up & Party in the Park will be held in O’Donnell Park, just steps away from the Stockton Atlantic City campus. The community engagement event gives students the opportunity to beautify the city with a city-wide street and beach clean-up, as well as the chance to support local small businesses and restaurants that will hawk their wares during the party.
– Story by Stacey Clapp, Mark Melhorn and Loukaia Taylor
– Photos by Susan Allen, Lizzie Nealis and Stockton staff
