Stockton News - Feb. 28, 2025 - University Relations & Marketing

Stockton News - Feb. 28, 2025

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

Conference Highlights Power of State Public Higher Education

How important are public colleges and universities in New Jersey?

They generate $6 billion in economic activity and contribute $220 million in tax revenue to the state each year.

For every $1 million invested in the seven public institutions of higher education, including Stockton, $16 million in economic activity is generated, supporting about 36,000 jobs in the Garden State, according to the New Jersey Association of State Colleges and Universities (NJASCU).

“These institutions not only shape the future of our workforce, but also act as a stabilizing influence, ensuring access to an affordable, high-quality education in the face of shifting national priorities,” said NJASCU Executive Director Jennifer Keyes-Maloney. “Now more than ever, they deserve the attention, resources and support to continue their essential mission.”

Keyes-Maloney was the keynote speaker at a conference titled “The Power of Public Colleges and Universities: Preserving and Advancing New Jersey’s Higher Education Landscape.” The event was held Feb. 26 at Stockton and attended by about 90 state legislators and community and higher education leaders. Among the legislators who participated in the panel discussions were State Senator Vince Polistina, Assemblywoman Claire Swift and Assemblyman Don Guardian.

Fraternity & Sorority Life Dominate Northeast Awards Ceremony

Stockton Fraternity & Sorority Life organizations were honored for their efforts and involvement both on and off campus during February’s Northeast Greek Leadership Association Conference in Baltimore.

Mat Greer ’15, associate director for Fraternity & Sorority Life (FSL), brought 10 student leaders representing various chapters to the conference in order to network with other chapters, participate in educational sessions, receive professional headshots and represent their chapters in a stroll/step competition.

For graduate student Juliana Gonzalez of Sigma Delta Tau (Delta Pi chapter), attending her first NGLA Conference and helping chaperone the younger Greek leaders was “a ton of fun.”

“It gave me the opportunity to connect with them a little more – I don’t know all of them as well as some other chapters, so it was nice to learn about them and what they do for the community,” said Gonzalez, who is currently studying in the Master of Science in Communication Disorders program.

Another highlight from her time at the conference was meeting brothers and sisters from Greek organizations and chapters across the state. Students were encouraged to meet with national representatives as well as peers from chapters outside of their respective colleges and universities during an affiliation lunch.

SPOTLIGHT ON: SCOTT BENCZE

Scott Bencze, Chartwells Senior Executive Chef at Stockton, had all the right ingredients to put the university on the map when he won Best Professional Chef for his entrée at Let's Get Cookin' 2025 earlier this month.

The event featured over 50 participating chef booths, with funds benefiting the Atlantic City Boys and Girls Club.

Bencze's award-winning dish, pulled brisket tacos, were infused with unique elements from Stockton's Maple Project and Sustainability Farm that set the dish apart. (How Stockton, seriously.)

Here, he talks about his interesting path to becoming a chef, what he enjoys about being a chef at a university, and his experience winning this recent award.

WHAT'S TRENDING @ #STOCKTONU

Facebook: Nadja Riggs ’18 first picked up a video camera to film one of her brother’s football games. Now, the Communication Studies graduate just worked her fifth Super Bowl with NFL Films.

Instagram: Remember to enjoy all of the little moments on campus this week, Ospreys 👏🏽

LinkedIn: We asked #StocktonU alumni what they'd tell their younger selves if they could go back in time.

FROM THE SIDELINES

Stockton Basketball Players Receive NJAC All-Conference Honors

Players from both the men’s and women’s basketball teams collected all-conference accolades as the New Jersey Athletic Conference announced its 2024-25 season honors.

From the men’s team, Junior EJ Matthews-Spratley was chosen NJAC First Team while sophomore Eriq Campbell was selected NJAC Honorable Mention.

Matthews-Spratley has put together one of the best seasons in Stockton history thus far. He leads the league in scoring (23.3 ppg) and free throw percentage (.890) and sits second with 3.4 three-pointers made per game. Matthews-Spratley's scoring average of 23.3 points per game is on pace to be the highest in school history (22.4 ppg, Carl Cochran 1995-96).

For the women, Junior Grace Speer was voted NJAC Second Team and Imene Fathi was selected NJAC Honorable Mention.

Speer earned her second consecutive all-conference nod after an NJAC Honorable Mention selection a year ago. Fathi received all-conference recognition for the first time in her career.

Speer had another excellent season, playing in 22 games overall and leading the Ospreys in scoring at 13.1 points per game and rebounds at 7.1 boards per game, ranking seventh and sixth in the league respectively. The forward also sits second in the NJAC in blocked shots (1.7 bpg) plus third in free throw percentage (.771) and offensive rebounds (3.4/game).

🏀 NCAA Basketball Selection Show March 3

The 2025 DIII men's basketball championship starts with a selection show at noon on Monday, March 3. Tune in here to see if Stockton is selected. Soar Higher, Go Ospreys!

Stockton Rolls to 12-2 Victory; Ford Makes 100th Career Hit

The baseball team secured its first victory of the season with a dominant 12-2 win over Alvernia University (2-1) in a game that was stopped after seven innings on Feb. 26. The Ospreys broke the game open with six runs in the sixth frame.

Tony Gatti accounted for half of Stockton's eight hits by going 4-5 with two runs, two RBI, one double and one stolen base. Jordan Nitti was 2-3 with two runs, a double and an RBI.

Gatti led off the game with a double and scored the first Stockton run. In the second inning, Robbie Ford rapped an RBI double that was his 100th career hit and gave the Ospreys a 2-0 lead.

Stockton Qualifies for NFHCA Academic Team Award

The field hockey team qualified for an NFHCA Division III National Academic Team Award from the National Field Hockey Coaches Association. In order to be recognized teams must have produced a grade point average of 3.50 or higher during the Fall 2024 semester.

Stockton earned the NFHCA National Academic Team Award for the 17th time. The Ospreys were one of 69 NCAA Division III teams in the nation to qualify for the distinction. Three NJAC teams made the list, with Montclair State and Rowan University joining Stockton.

The National Academic Team Award follows several NFHCA individual academic honors that were announced earlier this month. Sixteen players qualified for the NFHCA Division III National Academic Squad by attaining cumulative grade point averages of 3.50 or higher through the Fall 2024 semester, six of whom earned NFHCA Scholar of Distinction recognition with GPAs of 3.90 or higher.

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

OSPREY NOTES

New Lifelong Learning Courses Explore Holocaust and Novel ‘James’

The Stockton Institute for Lifelong Learning is offering several classes on a variety of subjects in March, including, Why Study the Holocaust?, American Criminal Justice System: An Insider’s View and (Re)Reading Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn through Percival Everett’s James. Learn more about the courses here.

Annual Tuition Hearing Set for March 4

Prior to determining tuition and fees for the upcoming year, the Finance and Professional Services Committee of the Board of Trustees will hold a public hearing as required by New Jersey statute. The University’s Annual Tuition Hearing will be held on Tuesday, March 4 at 4:45 p.m. in the Campus Center Event Room. This is an opportunity for the views of the Stockton community to be shared with members of the Board of Trustees.

University leadership has prepared several tuition and fee scenarios for your consideration. You can view these scenarios in the Portal. You will have the opportunity to comment on the proposed FY 2026 tuition and fee increases during the March 4 meeting. If you would like to make a public comment, either by appearing in-person, or by having your comment read during the meeting, please register in advance to ensure time is allotted for your comment. Registration to attend the meeting is not required. The hearing will also be available via a Zoom webinar, but please refer to the above instructions should you wish to make a public comment. Comments will not be accepted via Zoom.

Reminder: President Joe's Town Hall March 6

Please join us for a University update and discussion at our Spring Town Hall event 4:30-6 p.m., Thursday, March 6, in the Campus Center Theatre. This is a time for us to gather, share updates from around the University, celebrate our achievements and discuss challenges and opportunities. There will be plenty of time for questions and discussion with President Joe and the Senior Leadership Team. A Zoom webinar option is also available.

2025-26 FAFSA is Available Now

Attention faculty & staff! The 2025-26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is available now at fafsa.gov! We ask that you please encourage your students and their families to not only complete the 2025-2026 FAFSA by the below deadlines, but also utilize the resources and helpful information listed at stockton.edu/fafsa before they complete the application.

March 1 is the priority date for students to complete the FAFSA to be considered for aid programs with limited funding for the fall 2025 and spring 2026 semesters.

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 NJ Alternative Application for Financial Aid (NJ Dreamers only) at hesaa.org to be considered for state aid as well as the Stockton Promise in the 2025-26 academic year. Students who miss this deadline could miss out on thousands of dollars in grant funding!

Any student or family member who needs assistance completing their section of the FAFSA is invited to attend an evening FAFSA Completion event hosted by the Office of Financial Aid on Tuesday, March 25! Students and their family members will receive in-person assistance in completing their sections of the FAFSA during this event. Register for March 25 here!

One-on-one FAFSA Completion Appointments are also available every Wednesday and Friday in March and April. Students can register at stockton.edu/contactfinaid.

Please feel free to share the information on how to register. We want to assist as many students as possible.

Fun Fact Friday: 🍮 Today is National Chocolate Soufflé Day. Yum! The word soufflé is the past participle of the French verb souffler, which means “to blow up,” or more loosely, “puff up,” which perfectly describes a soufflé. It is a lightly baked cake made with egg yolks and beaten egg whites that are combined with other ingredients to make the dish either a savory main dish or a sweet dessert. Here’s an easy recipe to celebrate the day. It also happens to be National Tooth Fairy Day. Tell me that’s not a coincidence.