Office of Public Relations

Pomona, NJ 08240

 

Stockton Board Chair Weinstein to Pass Gavel to Dr. Clarence Hoover

 

For Immediate Release

Thursday, September 14, 2006

Contact: Tim Kelly

Stockton Public Relations

(609) 652-4950

 

 

Galloway Township, NJ The Richard Stockton College of New Jerseys Board of Trustees will transition to a new era on Wednesday, Sept. 13 when the Honorable Gerald Weinstein steps down as Chairperson and prepares to leave the Board after years of dedicated service. Judge Weinstein, an active, vocal and productive board member for over eight years, serving the last two years as Chair, will hand the gavel over to current Vice Chairperson, Dr. Clarence Hoover.

 

It is with mixed feelings that we mark this transition in the Chairpersons position on the Board of Trustees, Stockton President Herman J. Saatkamp, Jr. said. Judge Weinstein approached his duties on the board with the same enthusiasm and dedication that served him so well as a New Jersey Superior Court Judge. We will miss his strong leadership and involvement on the board. At the same time, we are quite pleased, too, given that Dr. Hoover, a man who has exceptional skills and experience in education, will be his successor and make the transition a seamless one.

 

Judge Weinsteins many contributions to Stockton included an open policy for communicating and performing the public business of the College. He referred to the policy as CAT, an acronym for Candor, Accountability and Transparency. The policy has served the College exceedingly well and was far-sighted as it arrived several years prior to the states more stringent ethical standards for all agencies, including public institutions of higher education.

 

We were much better prepared to adhere to the new state standards when they were implemented because we were already applying most, if not all of them, Dr. Saatkamp said. We can thank the fine example and ethical standards set by Judge Weinstein for this, and it is but one of his legacies here at the College.

 

Judge Weinstein, a resident of Margate, also served as chair of the Executive Committee of the Board and sat in on each and every committee and board during his tenure, either as a formal member or in his role as Chair. It was also common for Judge Weinstein to visit the College on a regular basis and call on faculty and staff, to better understand the inner workings of the College and to provide whatever help he could.

 

During his tenure the College made significant advancements in academics, enrollment and facilities. He presided over the Board at a time when the College was named among the top five public liberal arts colleges in the nation by U.S. News and World Report for two years and the top six two other years, including the current rankings. Stocktons West Quad Academic Building, F-Wing expansion and Housing Four Apartments opened during his tenure, and he collaborated with President Saatkamp and the board to adopt the Facilities Master Plan that will transform the campus and soon add a College Center building and a 250-bed new housing complex.

 

Even before joining the College as a Trustee, Judge Weinstein was an active member of the Stockton community, when he served as the first chairman on the Holocaust Resource Centers Advisory Council. In the summer of 2003, he accompanied students and faculty on a Study Tour of Holocaust sites in Poland.

 

As an involved and engaged Trustee, Judge Weinstein set a standard for College Trustees not just in New Jersey, but throughout the nation, Dr. Saatkamp added.

 

Although Judge Weinsteins shoes would be difficult to fill for many, Dr. Clarence Hoover is certainly equal to the task.

 

A member of the Board since 2002, Dr. Hoover served as Vice Chair in 2005, presiding in Judge Weinsteins absence. Dr. Hoover, a Vineland resident, also serves the Board as Chair of its Academic Affairs and Planning Committee and as a member of the Executive Committee.

 

Dr. Hoover served as Superintendent of the Vineland Public School System for five years, beginning in 2001, and currently serves as Superintendent for the East Orange Public School District.

 

He is a member of numerous boards, including the American Red Cross, one of the Planned Parenthood Affiliates of NJ, the Montclair branch of the NAACP and the Minority Advancement Council of the American Cancer Society. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Montclair Branch NAACP Thurgood Marshall Award and the Philadelphia Liberty Bell Award.

 

A holder of a BA degree in Social Studies from Cheyney University, he also holds a Master of Science degree in Secondary Education from the University of Pennsylvania and a Doctor of Education degree in Urban Education from Temple University.

 

Dr. Hoovers experience includes years of developing policies and shaping lives in a positive way, Dr. Saatkamp said. The role of Superintendent of a school district is sometimes thankless and Dr. Hoover has performed his duties with efficiency and success for two of the largest and most diverse school districts in the state. We are very fortunate to have such a talented and accomplished educator presiding over the Board of Trustees.

 

 

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