Growing From His Roots

Joe Bertolino first stepped onto Stockton’s Galloway campus in the 1970s. Long before interviewing for the open presidency, a young Bertolino accompanied his mother Eileen to her graduation.

Eileen, a nurse, balanced working and family life to earn her degree at night, becoming a Stockton alum some four decades before her son would become its sixth president.

“It became clear to me throughout the interview process and my first few months on the job that I was meant to be here,” Bertolino said at his inauguration in April 2024. “Returning to my roots in South Jersey and serving the very institution where my mother earned her degree as an adult student very much feels like a homecoming.”

Prior to joining the Osprey community, President Joe – as he’s known around campus – served as president at Southern Connecticut State University and Lyndon State College in Vermont. He’s held leadership roles in student affairs, enrollment management, community development and residential life across his 30-plus years in higher education.

His education at the University of Scranton is where he first learned of Cura Personalis, or care for the whole person. Through his vast and varied experience, and countless interactions with students, faculty, and staff, he developed his leadership style which he refers to as the Ethic of Care: treating every person with dignity, respect, kindness, compassion and civility.

That ethic now shapes how he’s leading Stockton: by building relationships that expand opportunity for students, employees and the region.

A Community of Opportunity

If there’s one concept that President Joe wants those in the Stockton community to remember, it’s the importance of building and maintaining relationships.

“Relationships matter,” he said. “Whether it’s a conversation with a student in the Campus Center or collaboration between faculty and staff — how we treat one another defines who we are.”

Since joining Stockton, Bertolino has made cultivating a positive campus culture a focus of his daily work. He’s focused on building a campus where care and connection are not just values, but daily practice — visible in the ways people communicate, listen and support one another. He regularly connects with students at community-building events, and he has expanded opportunities for employees and students to share feedback so the University can respond with transparency and purpose.

He has also implemented regular State of the University addresses and open town halls to create spaces for honest dialogue, transparency and shared problem-solving. These efforts not only foster a stronger sense of belonging, but invite every member of the campus community to be part of the conversation - strengthening relationships across Stockton and reinforcing a shared commitment to students.

It's this profound yet simple idea of relationship-building that sets the foundation for President Joe's vision for the University: building a community of opportunity.

President Joe envisions Stockton as a national model for what public regional universities can be: innovative, inclusive and deeply rooted in both liberal arts and career preparation. His focus is on preparing students to turn their passions into meaningful careers, while strengthening Stockton's role as South Jersey's anchor institution — a University whose impact reaches far beyond campus. For students, that means more hands-on learning, stronger pathways to internships and careers, and the support systems that help them persist to graduation.

With a strong commitment to equity, upward mobility, and student success, he aims to grow Stockton’s reach across the tri-state area, strengthen its alumni network, and position the University as a destination for first-generation students and a future Hispanic-Serving Institution. Half of Stockton’s students are the first in their families to attend college, and many of these first-generation students receive Pell Grants based on financial need.

Stockton also ranks among the Top 50 public universities nationally for its graduation rates of Pell-eligible students, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education. “Stockton is proving that a public education can unlock real opportunity and upward mobility,” Bertolino said.

Soaring Forward

A vision is one step, but an action plan brings it to life. Stockton’s new strategic plan — Soaring Forward: Strengthening Community, Advancing Excellence — is the roadmap for turning that vision into action. With his vision in mind, President Joe enlisted Michael Palladino, Stockton’s provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, and Ashlee Roberts, executive director of Student Affairs Strategic Planning and Initiatives, to co-chair the Strategic Planning Steering Committee. Together, they helped guide a yearlong process grounded in shared governance and broad participation.

Over the course of a full year, Stockton’s strategic planning process brought together voices from across the University and beyond, including faculty, staff, students, alumni, business leaders and community partners.

President Joe led an inclusive effort to shape a plan that reflects not just where Stockton is headed, but who Stockton is, and what the community believes is possible.

“This plan was not created in isolation,” Bertolino said. “We heard from more than 1,000 voices across our community, each contributing valuable perspectives that shaped the plan.”

The strategic plan is centered on five priorities that reflect Stockton’s values and aspirations. Together, they provide a guide for how Stockton will grow with purpose, stay rooted in its mission and expand opportunity for all.

“We are large enough to influence the region, yet small enough to know our students by name. And that balance — scale with personal connection — is one of Stockton’s greatest strengths,” Bertolino said when introducing the plan at his annual State of the University Address in the fall of 2025.

The Five Priorities

The plan begins with Cultivating a Community of Care, reinforcing the University’s ethic of empathy, connection, and belonging. Inspiring Minds highlights Stockton’s distinctive teacher-scholar model – faculty who teach, mentor, and involve students in meaningful, hands-on learning.

Empowering Student Success ensures that every student has the resources and support to thrive both during and after their time at Stockton. Anchoring in Purpose speaks to Stockton’s dedication to serving the region through collaboration, service, and civic engagement. Finally, Sustaining Tomorrow underscores the importance of financial stewardship, environmental sustainability, and long-term institutional resilience.

Each priority has a set of goals and objectives to guide the University forward with care and accountability, while remaining flexible enough to adapt to the changing landscape of higher education and maintain a commitment to student success.

“Our role as an anchor institution means that what happens here reaches far beyond the campus gates, beyond Atlantic County and beyond the state,” Bertolino said. “When we support students, we strengthen families. When we strengthen families, we lift communities. That is how Stockton fulfills its public mission — by creating opportunity that lasts for generations.”

For alumni and community members, the invitation is simple: stay connected. The relationships that shaped Stockton’s past are the same ones that will help it soar forward.