Message From the Dean

Welcome to the William T. Daly School of General Studies (GENS) at the University of Stockton! Stockton has a vibrant and inclusive teaching and learning community – you are welcome here – and GENS is at the heart of that community. Our program helps Stockton students become thoughtful and engaged citizens, graduates who possess sophisticated competencies that employers want such as critical thinking, communication, teamwork, and problem solving.  Stockton is the only university with a School like this!

The committed and award-winning faculty of the School of General Studies are some of the first you will meet in the classroom as a student at Stockton. In our First-Year Studies program, we work with students to ensure that they have the academic skills – critical thinking, writing, and mathematics – needed to get the most out of college. GENS is also the home of the First Year Seminar, which includes multiple seminar options taught by faculty across the University, a Common Reading, and year-long activities to help students connect with each other and the larger teaching and learning community at Stockton.

Since the founding of Stockton in 1969, the School of General Studies has carried out its mission to provide an exceptional Liberal Arts education within an accessible, public institution setting. Unlike most colleges and universities, where students are required to take a handful of survey and introductory courses from across the majors (think: Psychology 101 or Biology 101), Stockton students take General Studies courses specifically designed by faculty to cultivate students’ intellectual curiosity, higher-order thinking, and interpersonal skills. Many of these interdisciplinary courses incorporate high-impact practices shown to promote deep learning. At Stockton, you benefit from our excellent academic major programs as well as our unique General Studies program: in your major you master the specific content and technical skills necessary to be eligible for employment in your career of choice, while your General Studies education will give you the tools to land the job, and the flexibility to adapt through any career changes in the future.

Within the School of General Studies, you will also find academic support from our Tutoring Center. Additionally, GENS is the place where students can engage in Service Learning, design a unique major in our LIBA program, or complete an interdisciplinary minor. Students of all majors can apply to the Honors College, which challenges students to launch extraordinary lives. GENS is here to support you at any stage of your intellectual development.

Finally, the School of General Studies is honored to house the Sara and Sam Schoffer Holocaust Resource Center (HRC). As a designated Holocaust Center of Excellence, the HRC preserves and shares the history of the Holocaust and life stories of Holocaust Survivors of South Jersey. These resources are available to students, community members, and visiting scholars. They are an invaluable record of not only the darkest moments of the Twentieth Century, but also the resilience of the survivors and resisters. The HRC brings world-renowned Holocaust scholars to Stockton, where students, faculty, and the larger community can benefit from their knowledge and expertise. Students have opportunities to take General Studies courses in Holocaust and Genocide Studies, and those who wish to go further can opt to complete our minor in Holocaust and Genocide Studies. Notably, our Master’s degree in Holocaust and Genocide Studies attracts graduate students from many nations and backgrounds.

I invite you to explore our website, and to visit Stockton and the School of General Studies by scheduling a tour or attending one of our many open-house events. We look forward to seeing you soon.