Stockton News - Oct. 3, 2025 - University Relations & Marketing

Stockton News - Oct. 3, 2025

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

Constitution Day Speaker Talks Rule of Law

The rule of law as a core democratic principle was the focus of Stockton’s annual Constitution Day lecture Sept. 29 featuring writer and scholar Mary McCord.

For two decades, Stockton has commemorated the signing of the United States Constitution with a keynote address each fall featuring prominent legal scholars, practitioners, or journalists.

“Each year, we gather to reflect on the enduring principles of our Constitution, and to examine some of the challenges facing our democracy. Because democracy is not a spectator sport,” said Alyssa Maurice, assistant director of the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton.

“We are gathered just 55 miles from where it all began, Independence Hall in Philadelphia, where on Sept.17, 1787, a group of delegates signed the United States Constitution,” Stockton President Joe Bertolino said. “That moment marked the start of a grand and still unfinished project. The effort to form a more perfect union."

📸View more photos on flickr.

Panel of Guggenheim Fellows Dazzles, Inspires Art Students

Few people can say they’ve shared the stage with a photographer whose work inspired their own path to a coveted Guggenheim Fellowship.

Ron Tarver, a Philadelphia-based photographer, can say it without hesitation.

On Sept. 24, Tarver told the audience how his first encounter with Donald E. Camp – the second African American ever awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship in photography – left him “awestruck.”

“I have always been in awe of your work. Not many photojournalists come out of that field and go on and do artistic work,” Tarver, who was a photojournalist for over 30 years, said of Camp. “I just felt honored being in the room with him, but over time, we became friends, and, over some more time, I realized he was just as goofy as I am.”

Camp beamed at the memory and returned Tarver’s praise, saying, “I remember having the honor of being invited to look at a project of yours, and we spent a couple of hours going over what you want to propose. I remember thinking, ‘I hope he gets it (the fellowship).’”

Ospreys Give Campaign Aims to Expand Giving, Opportunities

The Stockton University Foundation will host its eighth annual Ospreys Give Oct. 8-9.

The 24-hour celebration of giving and gratitude embraces the theme “One Day, One Stockton,” uniting the Stockton community in support of students, programs and the future of the university.

The goal for the 2025 campaign is to inspire 1,300 donors to make a difference by giving to the areas of Stockton they care about most. More than 300 designations are available, including scholarships, academic programs, athletics, emergency relief, food security programs and more.

For the third consecutive year, Spencer’s and Spirit Halloween return as the event’s lead sponsor, committing $250,000 to be unlocked as donor milestones are reached throughout the campaign. Additional matches and challenges will amplify the impact of giving, including a $20,000 challenge gift from Senator William and Ginny Gormley and a $50,000 challenge gift from Tom Kinsella, director of South Jersey Culture and History Center and distinguished professor of Literature at Stockton.

STOCKTON UNIVERSITY ATLANTIC CITY

Stockton Pantries Receive 600-Pound Food Donation

OceanFirst Bank and the Community FoodBank of New Jersey Southern Branch donated more than 600 pounds of food to Stockton’s pantries in Galloway, Atlantic City and Manahawkin.

About 50 volunteers from the two organizations packed meal kits on Sept. 25 in the Fannie Lou Hamer Event Room at Stockton Atlantic City. Interim Vice President for Student Affairs William Latham represented the university and thanked the volunteers. The kits included fruit cups, granola bars, cereal and oatmeal.

Stockton’s Food Assistance Program is open to all students. They can enroll online to gain access to the pantries.

Active Shooter Awareness Workshop Oct. 9

An educational workshop will be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 9, in Room 312 of the Scarpa Academic Center on the Atlantic City campus. The session will focus on increasing situational awareness, understanding proactive and reactive response strategies, and building confidence in emergency situations.

FRAME-WORTHY

LGBTQ+ History Month Launched with Annual Flag Raising

“The flag we raise today is more than fabric and color: it is a powerful symbol of visibility, of belonging and of hope. Each stripe represents lives, stories and identities that deserve to be seen, respected and celebrated. When we fly this flag, we send the message that everyone deserves the freedom to live authentically and with pride.”

Inspirational messages like Communication Studies major Jecce Harriott’s were on display during the annual LGBTQ+ History Month Flag Raising Ceremony, an enduring tradition on Stockton’s campus that launched the start of a month-long campus celebration on Thursday, Oct. 2.

Prior to the rainbow flag being raised, several Stockton students, staff and alumni shared remarks encouraging students to amplify their voices and express their pride while honoring and acknowledging the trailblazers of the past.

Stockton President Joe Bertolino reaffirmed that the university will continue to provide spaces in which the LGBTQ+ community is “not just welcomed but celebrated.”

📸 View more photos on flickr.

WHAT'S TRENDING @ #STOCKTONU

Facebook: If you've got first-year nerves, take a minute to pause and notice all the smiling faces around you. Remember, we are here to help you reach your full potential as Ospreys !

TikTok: You always have a second home at Stockton💙🦅 How far is your hometown?

Instagram: In just a month, you’ve moved to campus, dove into classes, joined clubs, made new friends, celebrated fall with President Joeand attended events.

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

FROM THE SIDELINES

Louer Reaches 1,000-Kill Mark in Stockton Victory

The volleyball team swept Rutgers-Newark 3-0 for its first conference victory of the season on Oct. 2. Senior Kate Louer reached 1,000 kills for her career, becoming the 15th Osprey in program history to achieve that milestone.

Louer entered the match with 984 kills and finished with 16 kills after hitting 1,000 late in the third set with her final kill of the night.

Nicole Palmer totaled nine kills plus match highs of 11 digs and nine aces. Palmer's nine aces tied the second highest total in Stockton history.

Rileigh Wilson contributed eight kills for the Ospreys. Regan Mendick dished 21 assists and Kristen Burton added 12 assists.

Stockton's next match will be at Kean University at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 7.

Stockton Shuts Out TCNJ 3-0

The men’s soccer team scored all three goals in a six-minute span of the second half and downed The College of New Jersey by a score of 3-0 on Oct. 1. Uche Wokocha led the Ospreys with a pair of goals in the match, helping Stockton extend their unbeaten streak to five straight games.

After a tight first half, the Ospreys took control of the match. In the 75th minute, Wokocha blasted a free kick from 20 yards out to the low left corner for the 1-0 lead. Less than four minutes later, Wokocha netted his third goal of the season, again to the low left corner, off a pass from freshman Derek Tindall to make it 2-0. It was the first career point for Tindall.

Stockton will play their second straight home match on Saturday, Oct. 3, when the Ospreys will take on New Jersey City University. Game time is scheduled for 1 p.m. at G. Larry James Stadium.

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

STOCKTON SITES & CENTERS

Holocaust Resource Center to Host Weekly Lecture Series at JCC in Margate

The Sara and Sam Schoffer Holocaust Resource Center at Stockton University will present “From Darkness to Light,” a weekly lecture series at the Marjorie and Lewis Katz Jewish Community Center starting on Oct. 15.

Irvin Moreno-Rodriguez, the director of the Holocaust Resource Center, kicks off the series with “Introduction to the Holocaust and Holocaust Education in New Jersey.” The lectures will be held on five consecutive Wednesdays and begin at noon.

On Oct. 22, Stockton History Professor Michael Hayse will present “Beware the Beginnings: The Role of Antisemitism in the Nazi Rise to Power.” Hayse holds the Wally and Lutz Hammerschlag Chair in Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Stockton and is one of the project leaders of the Holocaust Survivors of South Jersey project.

Dienke Hondius, assistant professor of Contemporary History at VU University in Amsterdam and an advisor and staff member at the Anne Frank House, is the featured speaker on Oct. 29. She has conducted extensive research on contemporary antisemitism, Holocaust studies and racism in the Netherlands. Her lecture is titled “Hiding Places in Europe: The Role of Rescue and Bystanders during the Holocaust.”

Stockton Poll: Most NJ Voters Think Country Headed in Wrong Direction

More than two-thirds of New Jersey voters are dissatisfied with the current state of the economy and 39% say their family’s financial situation is worse than it was one year ago, according to a Stockton Poll released Oct. 3.

Most (58%) New Jersey voters think the country is headed in the wrong direction while one-third think it is on the right track. These rates mirror what a Stockton Poll found this time last year, though partisan sentiment has flipped.

Last fall under former President Joe Biden, it was Republican discontent driving the findings with 91% saying the country was headed in the wrong direction and this year with President Donald Trump at the helm about the same rate (89%) of Democrats say the country is off course.

When it comes to the trajectory of New Jersey, voters are not quite as pessimistic. A plurality of 48% said the state is going in the wrong direction, the same rate as last fall. The rate of voters who said the state is on the right track did drop by 8 percentage points from 38% last September to 30% in this poll.

OSPREY NOTES

President Joe's State of the University Address Oct. 6

Reminder: President Joe’s State of the University Address will be held this Monday, Oct. 6, from 2-3:30 p.m. in the Campus Center Theatre. A Zoom option is also available for those unable to attend in person.

Getting to Know New Faculty: Part 2

Each week, we’ll highlight new faculty members who have joined the campus community, sharing details about their on-campus work and off-campus life. Today, we spotlight the School of Social & Behavioral Sciences Ricardo Gabriel (at right), assistant professor of Sociology; Zan Haggerty (at lower left), assistant professor of Social Work (MSW); and Simone Snyder (at lower right), teaching specialist, Social Work.

What courses or subjects will you be teaching at Stockton?

Gabriel: Introduction to Sociology; Environmental Sociology; Social Movements; Field Methods; Sociology of Education, Sociology of Empire and Colonialism, and Latinos in New Jersey.

Haggerty: Advanced social work practice, cultural competency and humility, and social justice and advocacy and other courses in the Master of Social Work department.

Snyder: Race, Ethnicity, and Diversity for undergraduates, Race, Ethnicity, and Diversity: Implications for Practice for MSW students, and Advanced Cultural Competency and Humility in the MSW program.

What is your area of research or professional specialty?

Gabriel: Puerto Rican politics and social movements in the United States, anticolonial education, and movements for environmental and climate justice.

Haggerty: Gender affirming care from an interdisciplinary lens and anti-oppressive clinical practice, supervision, and program development. I spent the last 10 years as a clinical social worker where I worked with LGBTQ+ communities and members of the global majority. Most recently I was the director of a clinical program that served college students with acute mental health concerns.

Snyder: My work centers on reproductive justice and gender-based violence, with a focus on transformative justice movements and abolitionist social work.

What drew you to Stockton?

Gabriel: I believe strongly in the importance of making quality public higher education accessible to working-class people. So, I was attracted to Stockton’s commitment to teaching and learning, cultural diversity, inclusivity, and community engagement. Also, as someone who cares deeply about protecting and honoring the land and the natural world, I love being able to work in the Pinelands National Reserve, and I am proud of the fact that sustainability and environmental stewardship are important parts of the University’s mission.

Haggerty: The culture of the school, the student population, and my passion for teaching. I understand Stockton is a university that prides itself on effective teaching practices and being an institution that advocates for students and the local communities as well. My values align really well with the values that Stockton stands for.

Snyder: I was drawn to Stockton’s strong commitment to student centered learning, community engagement, and teaching excellence. I was especially excited about the opportunity to teach courses that align so closely with my passions and to contribute to preparing the next generation of social workers to engage in equity-focused and anti-oppressive practice.

What’s on your Kindle or nightstand right now?

Gabriel: "The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917–2017," by Rashid Khalidi.

Haggerty: I am on the third book of a young adult trilogy called "Renegades" by Marissa Meyer. It’s been a page turner for me!

Snyder: Too many books to count! For my rides down to Stockton, I’m listening to "The Revolution Will Not Be Funded: Beyond the Non-Profit Industrial Complex by Incite! Women of Color Against Violence." On my nightstand is "The Last Heir to the Blackwood Library" by Hester Fox. And on my Kindle - because I always need options - I’m reading "Angela Davis: An Autobiography."

What’s one fun fact about you that students or colleagues might be surprised to learn?

Gabriel: I am a student and practitioner of bomba puertorriqueña, an Afro-Puerto Rican musical tradition dating back to the 1600s.

Haggerty: I speak Thai fairly proficiently and lived there for a couple of years as a community organizer for an NGO.

Snyder: I’m obsessed with archery. I started about two years ago, joined a local club, and have even competed in a few competitions.

It’s FAFSA time!

The 2026-2027 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is available now atfafsa.gov.

The FAFSA is a student’s application for all federal, state and institutional need-based financial aid programs. All students are encouraged to complete the FAFSA each year.

Please encourage your students to file their 2026-2027 FAFSA early to avoid missing any deadlines! Learn more atstockton.edu/fafsa.

Students who identify as anNJ Dreamer will not complete the FAFSA. They will complete the NJ Alternative Application for Financial Aid athesaa.org.

Financial Aid is here to help. Anyone who needs assistance with their application for financial aid can schedule a FAFSA Completion appointment with our office. Appointments are offered on Fridays and select Wednesdays throughout the fall and spring semesters. Students can make an appointment for the fall atstockton.edu/contactfinaid.

Did you know Oct. 3 is National Soft Taco Day? 🎉 Whether you like yours piled high with cheese, packed with veggies, or stuffed with spicy chicken, it’s the perfect excuse to celebrate the end of the week with tacos. ➡️ Soft taco recipe inspo