From the President

Stockton University is a vibrant community that continues to rise to meet the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, social justice and political unrest.

Driven by our mission of putting Students First, we reimagined Commencement to host a delayed celebration for the Class of 2020 in October. This May, we were able to host our students, their families and friends on campus to celebrate our graduates across 12 commencement ceremonies.

It had not been an easy journey to get us back to hosting events on campus. The past 18 months have been a challenge for all of us in the Stockton community, but we have weathered the storm together.

I am so appreciative of our community members for their willingness to adapt to change, find creative solutions, and persevere through a global pandemic, political unrest and social injustice.

Some changes to campus are obvious - plexiglass dividers, six-foot distance markers, extra hand sanitizing stations - but much of the work to get us back on campus was done behind the scenes, like working with State and local officials to stay up to date on regulations and capacity limits and implementing testing and contact tracing to get our students back in our residence halls and our student-athletes back on the field, courts, track and water. It was a monumental undertaking that continued through the summer to bring us normal campus operations this fall.

Our return to campus this fall is made even more special as we celebrate Stockton’s 50th anniversary of teaching. As a student of that very first class in 1971, I have such a strong connection to Stockton and have witnessed and helped play a role in the transformation of our “college in the pines” into the vibrant University it is today.

Stockton is a special place of very special people who have embraced the mission of putting students first and making a quality education available to all. I can’t wait to share their stories.

The Annual Report has an updated layout that aligns with our new Strategic Plan 2025: Choosing Our Path. I invite you to read more about the 2020-2021 academic year and witness all our students, faculty and staff have accomplished in spite of numerous challenges and obstacles. Every day, they make me proud to be an Osprey for life.

Dr. Harvey Kesselman
President
Stockton University