Stockton University News - December 2016
Dear Alumni and Friends,
Greetings from Stockton University! This fall we announced plans for a major expansion of our Health Sciences program and facilities in southern Ocean County. Professor George Zimmermann’s work on Stockton’s forest management plan won the Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence. Nelida Valentin, a 1986 alumna, joined the Board of Trustees, and our students at the Model U.N. in Japan were recognized as a distinguished delegation. Here are just a few highlights of what has been happening at Stockton:
Stockton Graduates Celebrated at Fall Baccalaureate Commencement
Stockton University is a family – one that gives its members a lot of support and
expects them to do their best. This theme was repeated throughout the Fall Baccalaureate
Commencement on Dec. 18, as nearly 600 graduates celebrated their achievements along
with families, friends, university officials, faculty and staff.
Sonia Gonsalves, director of Academic Assessment and professor of Psychology, gave the keynote address in the Sports Center at what is expected to be the University’s final December Commencement.
“We’re living in a time of rapid, unprecedented and unpredictable change,” said Gonsalves. “When I attended my first Stockton commencement 25 years ago, human beings didn’t tweet and ‘Google’ wasn’t a verb.
“But amid the breakneck pace of constant change there are a few consequential constants, like the buoyant confidence of a Stockton commencement,” she said.
“One of those constant, timeless anchors is family,” Gonsalves said, noting that in a team-building exercise earlier this year, “family” was the one word used by faculty and staff to best describe Stockton.
“Today, I am speaking with you as one of the matriarchs of your Stockton family,” she continued.
“In this capacity, I want you to know that we are as proud of your achievements as we are of your hard work, your willingness to learn from your mistakes and of the ways in which you have helped one another throughout your time at Stockton. You have all contributed to the richness of Stockton. Thank you,” she said.
Gonsalves quoted writer Alex Haley as saying, “‘in every conceivable manner, the family is a link to our past, a bridge to our future.’
“Today, that bridge is more important than ever before. It is the bridge of family that can be counted on to withstand waves of change buffeting your life, your nation and your planet… A wonderful future is ahead of you. And your family, as always, is behind you every step of the way. Congratulations, graduates; you have made your Stockton family proud,” she concluded.
As president of the University, I told graduates that from the moment you decided to choose Stockton, you joined a group of people, a second family, if you will, who were and still are, committed to your success. At Stockton, we fully believe in these words, ‘plant yourself where you can grow,’ which to us is much more than a motto. It is a call to action. It is an expectation. But most important, it is a choice. It is a choice that landed you here today.
As you move toward the next phase of your life, whether it’s graduate school, pursuing volunteer service, establishing a career, and/or starting a family, you will face many life-altering choices…. When you are called to make those transformational choices, remember who you are and who you’ve become since your time here at Stockton University.
Let the spirit of Osprey pride help you to soar beyond the ordinary and to reach the heights of the extraordinary. Let it encourage and empower you to stake claim to your calling. Let all the knowledge, wisdom, civic mindfulness, and social consciousness that have been poured into you become the foundation that anchors your decisions.
Just remember, graduates: Making a dollar enriches you; making a difference enriches everyone.
Rabbi Aaron Krauss, who was instrumental in Stockton’s founding, received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree. Krauss worked with founder Elizabeth Alton in the late 1960s to convince political leaders that a four-year college was needed in the region, leading to the creation of Stockton State College. He is also a former trustee and adjunct faculty member in Jewish Studies.
Gonsalves was presented with a Distinguished Service Award in recognition of her outstanding leadership as professor of Psychology and director of Academic Assessment as well as for her role as educator, scholar and academic mentor, and her many professional contributions to Stockton University and to the State of New Jersey.
Stockton to Expand Health Science Degree Programs and Facilities in Ocean County
Stockton University’s School of Health Sciences will be expanding into new, larger
facilities in Ocean County, providing more students from central and southern New
Jersey with a convenient location to earn degrees in several fast-growing fields of
health care.
The University will be opening a 7,915-square-foot expansion adjacent to the existing Stockton at Manahawkin Location in 2017, with classroom space, teaching labs and a student lounge. The site has been occupied by Rothman Institute Orthopaedics, which will be moving to the new AtlantiCare Health Park, Manahawkin Campus on Route 72 West.
There is a great need for additional health care services in the region, and a strong demand from employers and prospective students for these programs. Stockton’s mission is to provide access to a distinctive higher education and develop programs that ultimately improve the quality of life for New Jersey’s residents.
The accelerated Nursing program, in which students holding baccalaureate degrees can complete all of the courses to earn a second bachelor’s degree in nursing in just four semesters, will be expanded from 13 students admitted in Fall 2016 to 24 in Fall 2017. Students are eligible for this program if they have a bachelor’s degree in any field and have completed all of the prerequisites.
Students are admitted in the fall and finish at the end of the following fall term. All classes and labs will be held in expanded Manahawkin location as of Fall 2017. Clinical rotations will be offered in Ocean, Monmouth and Atlantic counties.
The Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences – the university’s largest undergraduate major with over 1,100 students – also will be expanding into the new facilities in Manahawkin.
“We plan to make it more convenient for undergraduates living in central New Jersey to take advantage of this innovative degree in health care,” said Dean Theresa Bartolotta of the School of Health Sciences. “It provides a gateway for graduate school or prepares students for beginning positions in health care, such as health administration.
“Stockton partners with AtlantiCare and Rothman to offer innovative, cutting-edge academic and clinical experiences so our students are well-prepared to meet the demands of the competitive health care marketplace,” Bartolotta said. “This expansion and our partnerships will offer additional opportunities for clinical placements of Nursing, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Communication Disorders students in Ocean and Monmouth counties.”
Bartolotta said the expansion will enable the school to expand its speech and hearing services, and eventually to offer an inter-professional clinic where students will serve patients with various health care needs.
Professor of Environmental Studies George Zimmermann Receives Governor’s Environmental Award
George Zimmermann, a professor of Environmental Studies at Stockton University, was
honored with the 2016 Governor’s Environmental Excellence Award (GEEA) in the Healthy
Ecosystems category.
Zimmermann was the lead campus proponent for the University’s Forest Management Plan, passed by New Jersey Pineland’s Commission in 2013, the first comprehensive forest management plan for public land within the Pinelands region. The plan is a model of forestland management for the state.
“This award is not just for me – it’s really on behalf the whole University and the community,” said Zimmermann. “It takes more than one person to do all this – the administration, the students who have been working tirelessly, the N.J. Department of Environmental Protection, the Forest Fire Service which has given us a grant, and recently Fish and Wildlife gave us money to put in fences to keep deer out of some areas. That’s just part of a series of experiments we’re doing. There are a lot of people for whom I am really accepting this award.”
The plan was initiated to bring together over 40 years of research and management initiatives by the Environmental Sciences program and the office of Facilities and Construction at Stockton. In addition to a blueprint for wise use of the Stockton forests, the plan is a working document to transform the forests into a living and learning laboratory and demonstration site for development and implementation of sound, sustainable forestry practices in the Pinelands.
Dr. Zimmermann, an expert on the Atlantic white cedar, has been a statewide advocate of healthy ecosystems and ecological forest management for over 30 years of teaching and research on the New Jersey Pine Barrens. He has served on the Pinelands Forestry Advisory committee and regularly contributes expert guidance to the N.J. Pinelands Commission and to the N.J. Department of Environmental Protection.
We are extremely pleased that his valuable work has been recognized by the Governor’s Award.
Nelida Valentin Joins Stockton University Board of Trustees
Stockton University recently welcomed Nelida Valentin as the newest member of the
Board of Trustees. Valentin, who graduated with honors in 1986, first came to Stockton
through the Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) and went on to a career that includes
leadership positions with the Princeton Area Community Foundation, NJIT’s Innovation
Institute and the Newark Workforce Investment Board.
Valentin has a unique perspective as an alumna with expertise in grants, community service, Hispanic affairs, social and economic development initiatives, and programs connecting students to the workforce. We welcome her home to Stockton, and we intend to take full advantage of her exceptional skills and experience on behalf of our students and the entire community.
Valentin, a resident of Trenton, is currently vice president of Grants and Programs for the Princeton Area Community Foundation. She holds a master’s degree in Political Science/Public Policy from Rutgers University, and a B.A. in Business Studies from Stockton. She has taught several master’s level courses on Leadership and Diversity as an adjunct faculty member at Rutgers-Newark.
“I am extremely honored to serve on the Board of Trustees of my alma mater, Stockton University,” Valentin said. “National data trends show that higher education, including the attainment of a degree and high quality credentials, is key to our national and international competitiveness.
“Personally, I would not have achieved a career trajectory full of such challenging and positive experiences as I have enjoyed without a college degree,” she continued. “Stockton provided an environment for me to grow and experience education with as wide a lens as possible; to project a future of unlimited possibilities. The Educational Opportunity Program, led then by Dr. Harvey Kesselman, gave me an opportunity to feel included on a college campus. It made an extraordinary difference, providing financial and emotional supports that made college a real possibility for me.
“I am pleased to serve and to have an opportunity to give back to Stockton, and to support the commitment Dr. Kesselman has toward high-quality education and inclusiveness,” Valentin said. “I trust campus students see the value in their education, and the supportive environment that I am certain is endemic of Stockton’s culture.”
Stockton Students Named Distinguished Delegation in Model United Nations Program in Japan
Stockton University students recently represented the United Kingdom at the National
Model United Nations (NMUN) program in Japan. The group was named a Distinguished
Delegation by a vote of their peers, while four team members received awards for outstanding
position papers and two were named best delegates.
Stockton represented the U.K. on four U.N. committees: the Security Council, Economic and Social Council, the U.N. Refugee Agency, and General Assembly at Kobe City University.
The groups grappled with topics including: eliminating weapons of mass destruction, and preventing and combating the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in the Asia-Pacific region; meeting sustainable development goals for all nations and segments of society, and building a resilient world through disaster risk reduction; protecting children in crisis and conflict, and addressing and adapting to the effects of climate change on the environment; the situation in North Korea and conflict prevention and the empowerment of women and girls.
About 20 percent of the delegates to the international event, run by the non-profit National Collegiate Conference Association, receive awards each year. Delegations were judged on how well they remained in character, participated on committees and properly used procedures.
The students were accompanied by Tina Zappile, assistant professor of Political Science, who said: “Our team’s approach is centered on student empowerment and I am thrilled that their hard work was recognized. Model U.N. exemplifies experiential learning at its best and is well-known by professionals for providing students the opportunity to gain skills that are vital in today’s workplace. Most importantly, it builds confidence in their power to make a difference as they engage with complex issues that threaten a peaceful world order.”
The trip also included cultural experiences at temples in Kyoto and at the Hiroshima Memorial Park museum where the horror of nuclear weapons for humanity is communicated through photos, stories, physical items and live testimonials from survivors.
