Stockton News - April 26, 2024
WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
Renovation Project to Turn Library into Modern Student Hub
What does the library of the 21st century look like?
About two years from now, Stockton students will find out.
Shortly after the 2023-24 school year ends, the Bjork Library on the Galloway campus will close for a massive, two-year renovation that is badly needed, officials said.
The project, financed by a $19.5 million bond from the state, will transform the three-story, 100,000 square-foot space in the middle of campus into a library learning commons that will be a place for students to gather for meetings, participate in experiential learning opportunities, and work with archival materials and primary sources. Construction is expected to be completed by June 2026 with the renovated library opening in fall 2026.
“The role of the library is to be a community space. A gathering space. A commons where students have access,” said Patricia Thatcher, associate provost, library and learning commons, who has been spearheading the renovation planning for the last two years. “Students will have access to work-ready technology, and learn how to use and find credible information in multiple formats. That’s the library in the 21st century.”
Erin Gruwell on the Importance of Storytelling in Education
Almost 20 years ago, Erin Gruwell — a then-brand-new teacher assigned to a high-risk English class at a southern California high school — picked up a roll of electrical tape and told her students to form two separate groups.
She rolled out a line of green tape and told her students that they would play a game rather than continue their lesson. The game started with her asking them questions, and the students answered by either standing on the line in affirmation or staying where they were in rejection.
The rowdy students laughed when asked about buying Snoop Dogg’s album or seeing the movie “Boyz in the Hood,” but they grew quiet when the questions and statements hit closer to home.
As the students exchanged looks with each other across the tape, they realized that the simple game Gruwell created revealed the barriers and challenges that they each faced in their journey to academic success. This forced them to not only be kinder to each other but also to understand what Gruwell wanted them to understand all along: their stories are more alike than different, and they all deserve to be told.
Gruwell has since founded a foundation that tries to recreate the magic that sparked her students’ imaginations in classrooms across the nation through training, outreach, scholarship, and curriculum development. On Wednesday, April 24, she visited Stockton to learn more about the School of Education, meet with students in the Education program and tour the Sara and Sam Schoffer Holocaust Resource Center.
Student Leaders, Clubs Celebrated for On-Campus Engagement
Thanks to the tireless effortsof students, faculty and staff, Stockton can boast of having over 200 ways for students to get involved on campus. These efforts were rewarded with more than 15 different awards during the annual Student Involvement Awards ceremony on Friday, April 19, in the Campus Center Event Room.
Director of Student Development Jeff Wakemen mentioned that his office processed more than 1,700 student events this school year, including 195 tied to culturally themed celebrations. He added that there are 231 student-led organizations currently active on campus, of which 32 started this year.
“No matter what it is that you are doing, the most important thing you are doing is building a community,” Wakemen said. “We at Stockton need to create communities for the students to feel like this is their home and so that they feel like there are people here that care about them.”
PHOTO: Accepting the Unsung Hero Award on behalf of the Graphics Department are Ed Wuillermin, director of Creative Services; Karen Quinn, associate supervisor; with designers Jena Brignola and Gary Schenck.
📸 View more photos on Flickr.
Two Students Receive Arcuri Wharton Pre-Law Fund Awards
Two Stockton students receivedthe Arcuri Wharton Pre-Law Fund Award on April 19 during the annual Political Science Faculty Spring Reception.
Sophomore Ashley Ramirez, of Ventnor, is a Political Science major who is heavily involved on campus. She’s the vice president of Minorities in Law, an active member of Stockton’s Mock Trial team and is a student leader for the Center for Community Engagement and Service-Learning.
“Law school for me, is not just the next step in an academic journey, it’s the ignition switch for a lifelong mission,” Ramirez said. “With every case I champion, every law I illuminate, and every barrier I break, I inch closer to the dream of building a more just and equitable society.”
Sophomore Tatiana Shukovsky, of Estell Manor, is an Economics and Pre-Law major who recently started an internship with the New Jersey Energy Coalition. She’s a member of Stockton Action Volunteers for the Environment and the Pre-Law Club.
STOCKTON UNIVERSITY ATLANTIC CITY
Volunteer at Community Day Clean Up and Party in the Park
Stockton and the City of Atlantic City will host the third annual Community Day Clean Up and Party in the Park from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 27 (rain date Sunday).
Walk-up registration to volunteer for the cleanup is still available at 8:30 a.m. the day of the event. Just choose a location from the list on the website.
This year, there will be 10 clean-up sites throughout the city as volunteers will work from 9 a.m. to noon. After the cleanup, all volunteers and the public are invited to attend the Party in the Park from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at O’Donnell Park near Stockton’s Atlantic City campus.
Trash-pickers and bags will be provided on site, and volunteers are asked to bring their own gloves. Boots and sneakers are preferred. No open-toed shoes. Each volunteer will receive a food truck meal voucher that can be redeemed at the Party in the Park.
Last year’s event included more than 700 volunteers representing more than 70 community groups and organizations participating in clean-up and beautification projects in Atlantic City. More than 275 bags of trash totaling over 10 tons were removed from the streets and beaches throughout all six city wards.
The Party in the Park will feature more than 35 different vendors and community organizations along with a DJ and live band, food trucks, outdoor games, face painting and more.
For more information, call 609-626-3846 or check out the website.
FRAME-WORTHY
First-Gen Graduates Honored in Special Send-Off
Nearly half of Stockton students identify as first-generation students.
This population of students – whose parents or immediate family members don’t currently hold a four-year college/university degree – faces a unique set of challenges when applying for and pursuing their own degrees.
In acknowledgment of these hurdles and the strength it took to be able to complete their university journey, graduating first-generation students were honoredwith gifts, dinner and more in a send-off celebration on Thursday, April 18, in the Multicultural Center.
The send-off was an opportunity for students to reflect on their achievements before walking across the stage in May. Before the program began, students reminisced on their favorite on-campus memories, which included completing the Educational Opportunity Fund Summer Academy, creating new student clubs like the Mexican Student Association and First Ospreys, and attending the Deeper SPACES retreat.
WHAT'S TRENDING @ #STOCKTONU
Facebook: #Classof2028 got a taste of what being an Osprey is all about at Experience Stockton
Day this morning!
Instagram: 1960's ☮️🎶🌻 pop culture took over the coffeehouse this morning!
X: Excited to be the featured guest on the latest episode of Greetings From the Garden State with Mike Hamm.
FROM THE SIDELINES
Pasquale & Fenimore Voted NJAC All-Conference
Two Stockton tennis teammates received accolades in women's tennis for the 2024 season. Juniors Sophia Pasquale and Kierstyn Fenimore were voted NJAC All-Conference in singles and doubles. Both Ospreys received the honors for the first time.
Pasquale and Fenimore occupy the first two spots of the singles ladder and join forces to be the top doubles tandem for a Stockton team that is 7-3 overall. The Ospreys went 3-2 in conference play and advancedto the NJAC championship match, which will be at The College of New Jersey on April 27.
Stockton Splits with Widener
The softball team split a home non-conference doubleheader on April 25 with Widener University (13-17). The Ospreys held on for a 3-2 victory in the first game but came up short 3-0 in the second game.
Megan Sears, Emily Spencer and Alexa Panagopoylos stroked two hits apiece in the opener. Sears and Spencer each added an RBI while Panagopoylos scored once. ⚾ Read entire game coverage here.
🦅 Read more coverage of spring sports here 🦅
OSPREY NOTES
Intergenerational Project Brings Together Students, Older Adults
In 2021, Sky Bergman's film "Lives Well Lived" aired on PBS. Her project began with an interview with her grandmother and culminated in interviews with "40 older adults with 3,000 years of collective life experience" in a one-hour film. After conversations and emails with Bergman and SCOSA's purchase of the rights to show the film in an educational setting, the Lives Well Lived with Therapeutic Arts with Older Adults intergenerational project was born.
In early Spring 2024, older adults were invited to apply as community elders to be paired with students in SCOSA staffer Gina Maguire's Therapeutic Arts with Older Adults course (GERO 2620). Throughout the semester, the student and elder pairs met five times.
"During the first meeting, the group watched the Lives Well Lived film and were introduced to the project," Maguire shared. “Students were then tasked with meeting three times with their chosen/assigned community elder to get to know each other, ask questions about life, and discuss food and celebrations. They also engaged in a creative endeavor of the elder’s choice.”
The project culminated in a final breakfast meeting on Monday, April 15, when the students surprised their partners with an anthology of their advice (with some recipes), a 37-minute video sharing what was learned, and a lively discussion. The project was funded by SCOSA and Older Americans Act Funds through the Atlantic County Area Agency on Aging.
State Deadline for Students to Apply for Aid Extended
It’s FAFSA time! The state deadline for students to file their 2024-2025 FAFSA has been extended from May 15 to June 1! Please encourage your students to complete their FAFSA today!
Students can file by logging into fafsa.gov with their FSA ID. Anyone with questions can contact the Office of Financial Aid at stockton.edu/contactfinaid to email or schedule a phone appointment. Anyone who has already filed, but needs assistance making a correction to their FAFSA can sign up for one-on-one sessions with the Office of Financial Aid throughout May by visiting stockton.edu/contactfinaid.
For more information on the updates to the 2024-2025 FAFSA as well as helpful tips and tricks, visit stockton.edu/fafsa.
April 2024 Issue of Celebrate Diversity Digest Released
April's issue of Celebrate Diversity reflects Stockton's bustling campus — from impactful and educational trips to Washington, D.C. and New Haven, C.T. to celebrating the faculty that work to make our communities inclusive and welcoming both on and beyond our campus, there's something for everybody to enjoy in the digest.
In addition to articles by valued contributors and their staple Committee on Campus Diversity & Inclusive Excellence (CCDIE) member highlight on student Andrea Sandoval is a featured report on the recent anti-DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) movement that Valerie Hayes, chief officer of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, describes as a fundamental misunderstanding of critical race theory and how it is taught in schools across the nation. Access the full report through Valerie's Library, her collection of resources and opportunities available in every issue of the Digest.
Read the SCOSA May Newsletter
Read the Stockton Center on Successful Aging (SCOSA)'s May newsletter for interesting upcoming events and newly added programming.
Fun Fact Friday: 🌲🌳🌳🍃 Today is National Arbor Day! Did you know – Arbor Day was almost called Sylvan Day, coming from the Latin word “Silva,” meaning
“of the forest” or “woodland.” J. Sterling Morton (who proposed the holiday to the Nebraska
Board of Agriculture in 1872) decided against this name because he wanted to include
all types of trees, not just forest trees.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Spring 2024 Professional Development Opportunities
🎭 Spring Programming at the PAC
🎨🖼️ Spring Art Gallery exhibits
Spring Noyes Arts Garage exhibits
April 26: Puebla - The Story of Cinco de Mayo by Calpulli Mexican Dance Company, 🥂 Grad Toast
April 27:Community Day and Party in the Park
April 29: 🎶 From Robert Ray to ABBA: A Choral Shuffle Concert
May 1:Board of Trustees meeting
May 2: Employee Recognition Breakfast
May 7: 🎓 Commencement - Doctoral and Master's Ceremony
May 8: 16th Annual New Jersey Shorecast
May 10: 🎓 Commencement - Baccalaureate Ceremonies
May 11: 🍁 Mother's Day Maple Festival, Second Saturdays - Make Your Own Ice Cream
May 14-15: 🖋️ FAWN Writing Retreat
