Stockton News - Aug. 20, 2026
WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
Stockton Adds New Business Certificates, Transfer Options
Stockton announced this week that it will offer several new academic options beginning this fall, including new certificates in entrepreneurship and business management fundamentals in hospitality to meet the growing demand from students and the community.
Both certificates are in the School of Business but open to all students regardless of their major. The Entrepreneurship Certificate consists of four courses (16 credits), covering topics such as Market Discovery and Innovation, Venture Launch and Growth, Entrepreneurial Finance and Global Entrepreneurship.
“The skills Entrepreneurship students learn, such as go-to-market and growth strategies, formation, problem-solving, legal structure, finance and communication, are highly transferrable as business owners or industry leaders,” said Monica Amadio, assistant professor of Business Management.
The certificate is in addition to Stockton’s Entrepreneurship major in its School of Business, which debuted in Fall 2025. Both programs help students build, launch and scale regional and global businesses.
Students Make Waves on Florida Marine Science Cruise
Dylan Meier spent four years working on a fishing boat out of Point Pleasant. Tatiana Anderson served nine years aboard a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier. Both Stockton students have always been fascinated by the ocean but wanted to know more about what lies beneath.
“The ultimate dream is to do anything with cephalopods, you know, octopus and squid,” said Anderson, a senior from Riverside.
“I absolutely love being at sea,” said Meier, of Brick Township, who graduated in May.
That brought them to Stockton’s Marine Science program and a rare opportunity this summer to spend three nights on the R/V Hogarth, a 78-foot research vessel in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida.
The two Marine Science majors joined junior Hannah Elliott, of Bridgewater, and Stockton Assistant Professor of Biology Lauren Seyler as part of the Peerside program at the Florida Institute of Oceanography in St. Petersburg, Florida. The program is designed to train the next generation of marine scientists and technicians.
FRAME-WORTHY
Nest Cams Help Stockton Study Declining Osprey Nest Productivity
Melanie Schroer, an instructor of Biology at Stockton, monitors 27 osprey nests along the Mullica River and Great Bay and installed wildlife cameras on 10 of the nest platforms. She also works with the Stockton Marine Field Station to bring students to the nesting platforms to monitor with a long selfie stick that can peek into nests to document egg and chick activity.
In May, during the first nest survey, there were 54 eggs and three chicks. By the
end of June, there were 25 chicks and one egg that was unlikely to hatch. On July
17, there were 14 chicks. The final survey in August counted nine fledged chicks.
The 85 percent loss of chicks for the nest sites this season is sounding an alarm.
“The broader context here is that osprey nest productivity is declining. Nesting success has taken a huge hit, not only in my little part of the world, but also New Jersey, and much of the East Coast, and so, of course, everyone wants to figure out what's going on. This population has been recovering for 50 years, and it's been doing great, and then just the last handful of years, not so much anymore,” she said.
WHAT'S TRENDING @ #STOCKTONU
Instagram: Today might be the last new student orientation of the summer, but there’s still time to become a #StocktonU Osprey for the fall semester.
Facebook: What’s your major?
InstaFred: Meet some of my friends.🐢🪿🐿️🐦⬛
FROM THE SIDELINES
Stockton Athletics Announces 2026 Hall of Fame Class
Stockton selected four individuals for the 2026 class of the Stockton Athletics Hall of Fame: Abad Akhtar ’11 (cross country/track and field), Samantha Horner ’09 (softball/field hockey), Randy Wetzel ’03 (cross country/track and field) and Kevin Chandler (assistant track and field coach).
Akhtar (2007-11) was a two-time NCAA Championship qualifier in cross country (2009-10), as well as Stockton’s first NJAC individual cross country champion and the 2010 NJAC Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Year.
Wetzel (1999-2003) was Stockton’s first qualifier for the NCAA Cross Country Championships in 2000, as well as the first Stockton runner to qualify for the NCAA Championships twice (2000, 2002).
Horner (2005-09) was a four-year letter winner in softball and a three-year letter winner in field hockey. On the softball diamond, Horner earned NJAC all-conference honors twice, making the second team in 2008 and receiving honorable mention in 2009. She also earned NFCA East Region first-team honors in 2009.
Chandler is the first assistant coach in any sport to be elected to the Stockton Athletics Hall of Fame.
The Stockton Athletics Hall of Fame banquet will be held at 6 p.m. Oct. 9 in the Stockton Campus Center Event Room as part of University Weekend. Tickets are $75 per person and $20 for children under 12 and can be purchased online.
Softball Team Earns NFCA Academic Honors
The Stockton softball team earned team and individual academic honors from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association for the 2025-26 academic year. The Ospreys tied for 35th in NCAA Division III with a 3.64 GPA.
Fourteen of the 23 members of the Stockton team earned NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete honors. The awards recognize players who achieved a minimum 3.50 GPA during the 2025-26 academic year.
The team also produced a historic 2026 season, winning the NJAC regular-season title, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament and entering the NFCA national rankings, all for the first time. The Ospreys won 30 games for the third time in program history and finished with a 30-9 record.
Stockton set team records for batting average (.344) and stolen bases (94). The Ospreys led the NJAC in batting average, slugging percentage (.462), runs per game (6.38), hit by pitch (31) and fielding percentage (.975). Stockton ranked second in the league in home runs (16) and RBIs (220).
SOARING FORWARD: IN ACTION
Strategic Plan Update: Action Owners Identified
As Stockton continues implementing its Strategic Plan, Soaring Forward: Strengthening Community, Advancing Excellence, the ClearPoint report has been updated to identify Action Owners.
Working with members of the Senior Leadership Team, Action Owners are responsible for helping ensure assigned actions are completed on schedule. They will coordinate across offices, divisions and schools as needed, monitor progress and help address obstacles.
Action Owners will also provide quarterly progress updates in ClearPoint, with the first update due Nov. 1. Automated reminders will be sent before each deadline, and Divisional Executives will provide specific information about assigned actions.
The updated report, including priorities, objectives, strategies, actions, timelines and Action Owners, is available in the ClearPoint report within the Strategic Plan area of the portal’s Employee tab.
As the fall semester nears, divisional goals and priorities should continue to align with the Strategic Plan, with guidance provided by each area’s Divisional Executive.
Thank you to the Action Owners, Priority Co-Leads, Action Teams, Divisional Executives and all faculty and staff contributing to this work.
Read previous Implementation Updates here.
FROM FACILITIES: CAMPUS IN PROGRESS
Smoking Pavilion Near Library to Be Removed
As part of the Library and Library Learning Commons renovation, Facilities & Operations will begin improvements to the exterior plaza between D Wing and E Wing along Lakeside Lane.
The existing smoking pavilion will be removed in August as the area is updated with new landscaping and walkways. Future phases may also explore adding parking spaces within the plaza.
During the work, signs will direct campus community members to nearby designated smoking areas at Lake Fred near the Arts & Sciences Building, between G Wing and I Wing and near N Wing.
Visit here to stay current on campus projects.
OSPREY NOTES
Digital Accessibility Tip: Check Before You Share
Before sharing a Word document, PowerPoint presentation or Outlook email, take a moment to run Microsoft 365’s Accessibility Checker. It can help identify and fix common accessibility issues, making your content easier for everyone to read and use.
Using the checker also supports Stockton’s compliance with upcoming Title II ADA digital accessibility requirements.
Learn how to run the Accessibility Checker in Microsoft 365.
Did You Know:Aug. 20 is National Radio Day, celebrating the medium that has connected listeners through news, music and entertainment for generations. Stockton has its own place on the dial with WLFR 91.7 FM, Lake Fred Radio, featuring an eclectic mix of music and programming from the Stockton community. Tune in and give it a listen. 📻
UPCOMING EVENTS
💻 Professional Development Opportunities
🖼️ Art Exhibits hosted by the Noyes Museum of Art
Aug. 21: 🤝 Summer Community Resource Fair
Sept. 1: Fall Faculty Conference
Sept. 4-7: New Student Welcome Programs
Sept. 8: Fall Semester Begins
Sept. 10: Board of Trustees meeting, Richard E. Bjork Library and Learning Commons Grand Opening
Sept. 15-16: 🦅 Get Involved Fair
Sept. 15-Oct. 15: Hispanic Heritage Month
Sept. 17: Communication Studies Fall 2026 Kick Off, ⛳ Stockton University Foundation Golf Classic
Sept. 29:Constitution Day
