A Message from President Harvey Kesselman

It takes a community, a group of individuals with a common goal, to create change, solve issues and enhance the quality of life for all who call the community home. For Leo Ullman, his community saved his life.

Ullman was just three years old when his family went into hiding in an attic in the Netherlands during the Holocaust. Ullman was taken in by the Schimmel family, who would raise him as their own child for 796 days.

The Ullman family story, and the stories of the families in the community that took a stand to help others during the Holocaust, is now a permanent, interactive exhibit in the Sara & Sam Schoffer Holocaust Resource Center, created through a collaborative effort between Stockton faculty, staff and students.

This issue of Stockton Now applauds the efforts of Stockton community members who exhibit the importance of being actively engaged in a community, and not just in it. Leaders like Merydawilda Colón, executive director of the Stockton Center for Community Engagement, and her student fellows working with Atlantic City and Pleasantville youth in the Homework Completion program, and alumni like Peggy Sloan ’87 and Roxanna Passarella ’00 working hard to give a voice to the voiceless and empower the next generation of leaders.

In this edition, you’ll also read about physics students working together to bring the campus observatory back to life, the impact a local World War II veteran is making by sharing his story with Stockton students and the journey of Stockton's radio station, WLFR, throughout its 35 years on air.

At Stockton, we are committed to the positive development of southern New Jersey – but we know the community engagement our students experience here will impact communities beyond our region.

I hope you enjoy reading this issue of Stockton Now, as we get ready to give thanks for our own communities – be it family, friends, colleagues and the like.