Stockton News - April 11, 2025 - University Relations & Marketing

Stockton News - April 11, 2025

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

Ready, Set, Design a Video Game — in just a Week

Video game designer MeeNa Ko knows a lot of students find the word “coding” very intimidating.

“It’s an immediate turnoff for so many people, but the reality is there is no wrong way to approach video game design,” said the Stockton Digital Studies instructor. “There are so many things that go into games. We are at a really exciting point where you don’t really need to know how to code to make a game.”

Ko has worked in video game development and fine art for the past seven years for companies like Disney and Microsoft, specializing in creating pixel art often found in retro, 8-bit game systems. They recently contributed artwork to a game titled “Sweater Saga” for Weezer to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the rock band’s “Blue Album” and worked on a Netflix mobile game titled “Kid Cosmo” tied to the new movie “The Electric State.”

Ko brought the excitement of video game creation to Stockton’s campus with the university’s inaugural Game Jam this month. Students were tasked with designing a game around the theme “Prototype Gone Wrong” in just one week.

📸View more photos on flickr.

On-Campus Research to be Celebrated Throughout April

A campus-wide celebration, encompassing various academic programs and departments within Stockton, launched Monday, April 7 with a kickoff breakfast and an all-day event featuring live and poster presentations.

The Scholarship, Teaching and Research Symposium (STARS) includes five weeks of expos, symposiums, award ceremonies and other achievement events.

In his welcome remarks, Associate Provost for Academic Affairs Gerry Lorentz said the celebration affirms the concept that teaching and research are “deeply intertwined practices” on Stockton’s campus through the teacher-scholar model. Lorentz encouraged the campus community to learn more about the research being conducted by students, faculty and staff.

“Our greatest educators are also active researchers, and our best researchers remain dedicated teachers,” Lorentz said. “In this model, students are not passive recipients of knowledge, but co-investigators in a shared journey. Learning, at its best, is a process of ongoing discovery for all involved."

Stockton Again Top 10 in the Country in Military Friendly Rankings

For the second year in a row, Stockton has been recognized as a Top 10 school in the country for its outstanding outreach to military veterans.

Stockton was selected No. 10 among small public schools nationwide in the 2025-26 Military Friendly School survey. And for the first time, Stockton ranked No. 5 in the country among small public schools in the Military Spouse Friendly Survey. Stockton is the top-ranked small school in New Jersey in both categories. It’s the fourth year in a row that Stockton obtained a Military Friendly designation.

The survey is the longest-running and most comprehensive review of college and university investments in serving military and veteran students. It’s sent out by VIQTORY, a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business that connects the military community to civilian employment and educational and entrepreneurial opportunities.

“These designations highlight our unwavering commitment to the entire military community,” said Michael Barany, director of Stockton’s Military and Veterans Success Center (MVSC). “They are a testament to the strong partnerships across campus that help ensure our military-connected students thrive.”

Conference Continues to Empower Students

With a renewed energy for enriching student experience in higher education, the Cultural Engagement Osprey (CEO) program returned for its third annual Empowered Leadership Conference on Friday, April 4.

The conference, which included a panel discussion, keynote presentation, multiple concurrent workshops and an awards ceremony, was designed, marketed and executed by this year’s CEO interns, who were selected in an application process that required good academic standing and a commitment to professional development and service-learning activities.

According to Ana Edmondson, the founder of the CEO program, the conference was designed to empower the students in charge of leading the conference and the students, some from area institutions external to Stockton, participating in the day-long event.

The CEO interns develop their skills in problem-solving, critical thinking and team building, and learn about concepts like inclusion and equity through participating in weekly professional development and educational activities, collaborating in their committees and reflecting on their lessons weekly.

📸View more photos on flickr.

STOCKTON UNIVERSITY ATLANTIC CITY

'Second Saturdays - Natural Dyes April 12'

Celebrate AAPIH month!* Experiment with Japanese resist techniques and indigo dye in this introductory shibori workshop led by Sarah Lacyof the Noyes Museum of Art of Stockton University. All ages and abilities are welcome to attend this two-hour workshop from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 12, in the John F. Scarpa Academic Center of Stockton Atlantic City.

Learn about the history and famous patterns created with shibori techniques before experimenting with resist materials and indigo dye. All participants will walk away with their own bandana or canvas tote bag, as well as literature on the history of the Japanese craft.

It's recommended to wear paint clothes for this workshop - it can get messy! Small trash bags will be provided for participants to bring their wet bandanas or tote home safely without dripping.

*Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPIH) is nationally celebrated in May, but due to classes ending in early May, Stockton University celebrates AAPIH Month in April.

SPOTLIGHT ON: SHARON MUSHER

Sharon Musher "It's hard to believe that this is my eighteenth year at Stockton," Sharon Musher said, reflecting on the different classes she has taught at the university.

The history professor teaches a range of courses depending on the needs of the Historical Studies program and works with other programs including the M.A. in American Studies, Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and Jewish Studies.

Later this month, Musher's book, "Promised Lands," will be released, a coming-of-age story about her grandmother in the 1930s. During her interview, she talks about her inspiration for writing it and some gems she discovered along her archival journey.

💭 Read the full Q&A here.

FRAME-WORTHY

Monks Bring Compassion, Mindfulness to Campus Community

Stockton hosted a week-long cultural program featuring Tibetan monks from the Drepung Gomang Monastery, who constructed a traditional sand mandala as part of “Healing Through Mandala.” The event began Monday, April 7, with an opening ceremony in the Campus Center’s Great Hall and will conclude today, Friday, April 11, with a dismantling ritual at 2:30 p.m. to symbolize life’s impermanence, also in the Great Hall.

Jongbok Yi, associate professor of Asian philosophy, arranged the monks’ visit to expose students to a different way of life.

“This is important because students can see the presence of a very different culture here and then hopefully can appreciate the beauty of different cultures,” Yi said.

📸 View more photos from the monks’ visit on flickr.

WHAT'S TRENDING @ #STOCKTONU

LinkedIn: It's never too late to learn something new. The Stockton Center on Successful Aging offers programs for adults to nurture the body, mind, and spirit as well as an annual festival in May.

Instagram: The Ospreys met Elmer, an African penguin 🐧 from @jenkinsonsaquarium, whose egg was saved by Elmer’s glue.

Facebook: Ospreys are returning to nest, and a research team at Stockton University is ready to record the season. Melanie Schroer, instructor of Biology, and student Anthony Genovese installed cameras at osprey nesting platforms with the Stockton University Marine Field Station.

Your favorite lake's online... have you given @lakefred1969 a follow yet? 👀

FROM THE SIDELINES

Stockton Splits NJAC Doubleheader; Nitti Breaks Hit Record

The baseball team split a conference doubleheader against The College of New Jersey at Trenton Thunder Ballpark on Thursday, April 10, highlighted by senior Jordan Nitti becoming the program’s all-time hits leader.

The Ospreys won the opener 4-2 behind six scoreless innings from left-hander Antonio Sansone, who allowed just two hits and struck out nine. Stockton scored once in the first and fourth innings and added two more in the sixth. TCNJ answered with two runs in the eighth, but Reece Miller closed out the ninth for his 16th career save, tying the school record.

Austin Beard and Evan Bresnen each went 2-for-4 with an RBI, and Joe Gmitter added a double and an RBI.

In the nightcap, Nitti collected two hits to bring his career total to 193, surpassing the previous record of 192 set by Matt Allen (2007-10). He went 2-for-4 with an RBI.

Despite an early 1-0 lead, the Ospreys fell 12-4 as TCNJ plated four runs in the first, three in the fourth and five in the fifth. Gmitter drove in a run, and Michael Antonucci scored twice with a hit and two walks. Tim Welsh and Danny Snyder combined for 3.2 scoreless innings in relief with four strikeouts.

Stockton will travel to Montclair State for an NJAC doubleheader at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 12.

Ospreys Play in Ursinus Spring Awakening

Both Stockton women’s golfers competed in the Ursinus Spring Awakening at Turtle Creek Golf Club on April 10, where 28 golfers from seven NCAA Division III teams participated in the tournament.

Elenora Byrne continued her strong season by finishing third out of 28 players with an 81. Byrne made two birdies and four pars on the way to a 40 on the front nine. The junior then added one more birdie and three pars while shooting a 41 on the back nine.

Lexi Hughes shot a 138 for Stockton in a balanced round that saw the senior post a 69 on the front nine and another 69 on the back nine.

Stockton will finish the 2024–25 season by playing in the Ursinus Conquer the Island tournament at Shawnee Golf Club at noon on Tuesday, April 15.

🦅 For more athletics news and upcoming game information, visit here.🦅

STOCKTON SITES & CENTERS

Medical Informatics Students Present AI Technology to Older Adults

Stockton University at Manahawkin hosted an artificial intelligence workshop for older adults on March 24. Professor of Computer Science Helen Wei’s Medical Informatics students presented projects to introduce AI technologies in an accessible way. These presentations helped participants understand and use AI tools in their daily lives and offered hands-on guidance and user-friendly materials to empower older adults to confidently engage with AI and enhance their quality of life. The workshop was a collaboration between Wei and the Stockton Center on Successful Aging’s Stockton Institute for Lifelong Learning.

SCOSA Hosts Celebration of Aging Research

The Stockton Center on Successful Aging (SCOSA) hosted the Celebration of Aging Research on April 4 in the TRLC. Jessica Fleck, professor of Psychology and assistant director of the center described it as “a vibrant, intergenerational event that connected community members and student researchers.”

The event drew 50 students, faculty and community members to review poster presentations and listen to Associate Professor of Psychology Christine Gayda’s keynote, “The Prevention of Cognitive Decline: Updated Research from the Biopsychosocial Perspective.”

“It was a wonderful opportunity to share some of the current research on brain health that is featured in a textbook I have written with Rebecca Mannel, assistant professor of Occupational Therapy,” Gayda said. “Students, community members, and faculty asked many great questions and offered insightful comments.”

OSPREY NOTES

Africana Studies Students Present Research at National Event

Six Stockton students in the Africana Studies program attended the 49th annual National Council for Black Studies Conference in Cincinnati last month.

Stockton’s Africana Studies program, which celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2024, is affiliated with the National Council for Black Studies, Inc. This partnership provides students in the Africana Studies program opportunities such as attending the March 19-22 conference as a part of their continued partnership with the university.

The students in attendance explored the themes of solidarity, power and Pan-Africanism in the 21st century, networked with other students and presented their research on topics such as the impact of the foster care system on Black children, Black hair and environmental racism.

“It is a great networking opportunity,” said Donnetrice Allison, chair of Stockton’s Africana Studies program, which includes major and minor options. “It gives them scholarly presentation experience, and it also exposes them to great scholars and other students across the country.”

Stockton Students, Alumni and Faculty Attend Public Health Symposium

Stockton undergraduate and graduate students, alumna and faculty attended the 30th Annual Public Health Symposium — The Work Ahead: Practical Strategies for Long-Term Impact — on Monday, April 7, at the College Avenue Student Center of Rutgers University in New Brunswick.

Graduate students David Docherty and Melissa Ortiz (Master of Public Health), as well as Fallon Duelly (Dual BS/MPH Degree Program in Public Health), were among those in attendance. Undergraduate Public Health students included Jodie Dioses, Shayna Achamizo, Alyssa Carroll, andKelly Capps.

Faculty represented were Tara Crowell, professor of Public Health; Sreelekha Prakash, associate professor of Health Sciences; andLaura Taylor, adjunct instructor of Public Health. Also in attendance was alumna Amanda Hartman.

"Bringing students to such events is critical to bridging classroom learning with 'real-world' applications. In addition, attendance at these events not only contributes to their cognitive and behavior learning but also fosters students' affective learning - which in many ways is the most important type of learning," Crowell noted. "Finally, these events allow students to engage in much-needed networking skills. As a result, students begin to realize that the New Jersey Public Health community is small but mighty; thus, they begin to identify as new members of this community and their possible future roles within it."

Financial Aid Deadline Approaching

Attention faculty and staff: April 15 is the deadline for students who received the State Tuition Aid Grant (TAG) and/or the Stockton Promise in the 2024-25 academic year to complete the 2025-26 FAFSA at fafsa.gov or the New Jersey Alternative Application for Financial Aid (for NJ Dreamers only) at hesaa.org. Completing these applications ensures students are considered for state aid and the Stockton Promise for the 2025-26 academic year.

Students who miss this deadline could lose out on thousands of dollars in grant funding. In addition to outreach efforts across campus, please encourage students to apply for financial aid by April 15.

One-on-one FAFSA completion appointments are available every Wednesday and Friday in April for students and families who need assistance. Students can register at stockton.edu/contactfinaid.

Fun Fact Friday: Every year on April 11, we celebrate National Pet Day, a special occasion to recognize the joy, companionship and unconditional love our pets bring into our lives. Whether you have a playful pup, a cuddly cat, a chirpy bird or a curious reptile, today is all about showing appreciation for your furry (or scaly or feathery) friend. National Pet Day is also a reminder to support animals in shelters and rescues. Thousands of pets are still waiting for loving homes—consider donating, volunteering or adopting if you’re able. Celebrate today by spending extra time with your pet, treating them to a new toy or just giving them some extra cuddles. Share your favorite pet photos online with the hashtag #NationalPetDay to spread the love and encourage others to celebrate their animal besties, too! 🐾

POLLING ALL OSPREYS

In the spirit of celebrating our pets, we have a pet poll to learn a little more about our fellow Ospreys and their pet preferences. We’re asking the age old questions, but with some modifications added! Are you ...

A cat person, A dog person, A scaly, cold-blooded person, a feathered person, a tiny critters person, A no-thank you, no animals for me person