Engagement

Day of Service volunteers

Engagement

 

Stockton is committed to the positive development of southern New Jersey. Through research, teaching and community partnerships and service, the University actively seeks to address social and economic issues.

These efforts are supported by a variety of entities, including the Stockton Center for Community Engagement, the Office of Service-Learning, Stockton Center on Successful Aging, the Lloyd D. Levenson Institute of Gaming, Hospitality & Tourism and the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy.

Excellence in Civic Learning & Community Engagement

Stockton received the American Association of State Colleges and Universities’ first Civic Learning and Community Engagement Award in recognition of the work of the University’s American Democracy Project (ADP) and Political Engagement Project (PEP) in encouraging students to become civically active in their communities.

The William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy

In November 2017, Stockton hosted former Vice President Joe Biden, who presented the Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award to U.S. Ambassador William J. Hughes at the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy Honors ceremony. Biden, a long-term friend and colleague of Hughes from their time in Congress together, spoke of the need for civil discourse.

U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Neil M. Gorsuch reflected on his career as a judge during a visit to Stockton in January. Gorsuch told 500 Stockton students, staff, faculty and community members that it is up to the younger generation to understand and continue to uphold the ideas on which America was founded, while also emphasizing the importance of civic service and civility.

Unite Against Hate Day

Stockton hosted its inaugural Unite Against Hate Day in February to strengthen the community’s efforts toward inclusion and resisting discrimination of all forms. The theme for the day was “Studying and Deconstructing Hate and Terror” and featured 21 workshops and presentations by faculty, students and guest speakers.

Stockton Center on Successful Aging

In November 2017, the Stockton Center on Successful Aging (SCOSA) hosted its inaugural Fall Conference in conjunction with the Cape Atlantic Caregiver’s Coalition’s “We Care Because You Care” event. The day combined 20 local providers of care in Atlantic and Cape May counties with six educational sessions presented by professionals in the field of aging. The event featured engaging, energetic and educational speakers on topics relevant to professionals, providers and older adults.

Student Spotlights

Bryan Gonzalez MejiaBryan Gonzalez-Mejia, a Political Science major, was named a Newman Civic Fellow by Campus Compact in recognition of his work on campus promoting civic engagement and community involvement. In addition to his involvement in the Student Senate, Model UN and Stockton's Political Engagement Project and American Democracy Project, Gonzalez-Mejia served as a tutor in Stockton’s Center for Community Engagement’s after-school homework project in Atlantic City and Pleasantville, and assisted with the naturalization classes offered by Stockton.

Jodie Davis

Senior Jodie Davis, a Public Health major, was named a fellow by the Newman’s Own Foundation. Davis was the only student in the nation to be fully funded in this competitive educational scholarship opportunity. Davis is the former president of Stockton’s chapter of the NAACP, a C.A.R.E. peer mentor, a teacher’s assistant for Organic Chemistry, a member of Alternative Spring Break, MLK Day of Service Student Coordinator and a Bonner Leader for the Office of Service-Learning.

ACCOLADES

“Champion of Good Works” 
Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey & COMMERCE Magazine

Excellence in Innovation Award for Civic Learning and Community Engagement 
American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU)

2017 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award
INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine

2018 Institutional Excellence Award
The National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education

Stockton First Lady Lynne Kesselman, Former Vice President Joe Biden, Stockton President Harvey Kesselman, and Ambassador William J. Hughes at Stockton's Hughes Center Honors on Nov. 9, 2017.

William J. Hughes, Jr. welcomes his longtime friend, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, to Stockton on Jan. 23, 2018.

Hundreds of students, faculty and staff joined the Unite Against Hate gathering on Sept. 21, 2017 organized by Stockton Student Senate.

Merydawilda Colón, executive director of the Stockton Center for Community Engagement,  Daniel Fidalgo Tomé,
director of Service-Learning, and students at the Celebration of Service & Civic Engagement Showcase on April 24, where some 45 projects were presented.

Construction continued on the first of seven buildings planned at the National Aviation Research & Technology Park, an auxiliary of Stockton.

 

BY THE NUMBERS

Days of Service:
800+ volunteers - 2018 MLK Day of Service
430+ volunteers - 2017 Fall Day of Service

Alternative Spring Break:
15 students volunteered at Give Kids the World in Florida
51 students & staff volunteered for Habitat for Humanity

 

Shaun King
Social activist Shaun King gave the keynote address at the 14th annual Fannie Lou Hamer Human & Civil Rights Symposium on Oct. 10, 2017. The theme for this year’s symposium was “The New Civil Rights Movement in the Age of Social Media.”
Naturalization ceremony
Thirty-two people took the Oath of Allegiance as naturalized citizens of the United States in a ceremony at the Stockton University Campus Center. The Stockton Center for Community Engagement offers naturalization classes.
Students at Diversity Dinner
Stockton University held its first Diversity Celebration Dinner on March 16, where dozens of prospective students from across New Jersey heard from faculty, staff, students and alumni about their own experiences at Stockton.