The bond issue was the culmination of years of intense political wrangling over proposed sites for the new institution of higher education. Elizabeth Barstow Alton, a member of the original Board of Trustees, and powerful State Senator, Frank S. Farley were among the most influential supporters for bringing a new four-year college to the Southern end of the state.

Ultimately, legislation establishing the school was passed in 1969. A 1,600-acre tract in the heart of the Pinelands in the Pomona section of Galloway Township, Atlantic County was selected for the site. In June of that year Dr. Richard E. Bjork was named as the first President of the College.

The Trustees originally voted to name the school South Jersey State College. At the urging of the Board of Higher Education, which opted not to act on the proposed name, the Trustees reconsidered and named the institution Richard Stockton State College. It had been thought the original name would confuse the school with Rutgers' College of South Jersey. The new name, commonly referred to as Stockton State, honored the memory of New Jersey's signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Ground was officially broken on the new College campus on December 9, 1970, near the site of what is now A-Wing. When it became clear the new buildings would not be ready for the September 1971 admission of students, the Trustees selected the Mayflower Hotel in Atlantic City as the temporary campus.

Classes began on schedule with the commencement of the first academic year in September of 1971. The College officially took shape as 1,000 students, 50 of whom were Educational Opportunity Fund students, 97 staff and 60 full-time faculty took over the former resort hotel. By December, occupancy of the first phase of the new campus construction took place, with the transfer of classes and offices to Pomona during the winter holiday period.

The following September marked the first full academic year at the new campus, as well as the initial occupancy of the A-Court in the campus student housing apartments by 128 students. By February of 1973, the opening of the Phase II of the campus buildings (F-H Wings) took place.

On June 3, 1973, Stockton's first graduating class took part in ceremonies as 290 students received their diplomas. The first four-year class followed on June 8, 1975, with 475 receiving their degrees. Stockton alumni now totaled 1,106. The following month, completion of Phase III, (through L Wing) took place.

Accreditation of Stockton State College by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools was granted in December of 1975.

In October of the following year, the 550-seat Performing Arts Center opened, bringing cultural opportunities and entertainment previously unavailable in the region. Audiences have been thrilled by world-class concerts, lectures, and productions ever since.

Peter M. Mitchell, the second President of the College, was appointed in June of 1979.

Additional buildings and wings were added as the College enrollment climbed past 5,000 students. Housing II opened in November 1981, N-Wing College Center in February 1983. Housing III, which made Stockton the most residential of the state colleges, opened in 1986, and the Residential Life Center - later named for Ann F. Townsend - opened in April of 1987, and the Lakeside Center in 1988

In the midst of this growth, Vera King Farris was named third President of the College, on May 25, 1983.

In 1990, The College opened one of the nation's first Holocaust Resource Centers hosted by a public college in the United States. The Resource Center, including a library and archive of video and audio taped histories of Holocaust survivors and artifacts from the Holocaust, became the hub for the school's pioneering role in Holocaust and Genocide education. This role would grow to include offering the nation's first Master of Arts program in Holocaust and Genocide Studies (1999) and conducting teacher training in Holocaust Education for thousands of teachers.

In July of 1991, Stockton College was reaccredited unconditionally for another 10 years by the Middle States Association Commission on Higher Education, with a special commendation for achieving social and intellectual diversity. Two years later, the College name was explicated to The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey.

By December of 1993, all the buildings comprising the academic complex went on line with a new environmentally friendly, state-of-the-art, geothermal heating and cooling system, which saved more than $300,000 each year in fuel costs.

The campus continued to grow. In October of 1995, the newly expanded and renovated Library was dedicated. In April of 1996, a new $9.6 million, Arts and Sciences Building, designed by renowned architect Michael Graves, opened and a resolution was passed for the construction of a new multi-purpose Sports Center. The $17 million Center opened in May 2000. The project also included upgrades to athletic fields, lighting of the fields, a new running track and other amenities for sports and recreational purposes.

Stockton's activities and accomplishments in the sporting world kept pace with its new facilities. In 1994, the school was selected as training site for the World Cup soccer team from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which advanced to the second round of the tournament for the first time in the nation's history. An international soccer match was staged here with Trinidad and Tobago. The Saudis returned in 1996 for their Olympic Games training camp and exhibition matches vs. the United States and eventual gold medalists, Nigeria.

Stockton also hosted a training camp for the United States national youth soccer team, the United States Women's Olympic Basketball team, and a youth team from Argentina. In November of 1995 Stockton's women's soccer team advanced to the NCAA Division III Final Four and the College was selected to host the tournament.

In 2002, Men's soccer coach Jeff Haines was named NCAA Coach of the Year for Division III for guiding the Ospreys to a 25-1-1 record and the national championship. It is the most wins in school history and a record number of soccer wins in the NCAA in any division.

Many exciting changes took place at the College in 1997. The State Commission on Higher Education approved changes in the programmatic mission, authorizing additional graduate programs on an incremental basis. Also in 1997, a $450,000 grant was awarded Stockton by Atlantic County to start an education Technology Training Center. The Center opened later in the year, providing teachers in kindergarten through 12th grade school districts with professional development opportunities to infuse technology into the classroom.

Researchers from Stockton and Rutgers University joined forces in 1997 to establish the Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve on the Mullica River.

In January 1999, Stockton awarded its first graduate degrees in the Masters of Business Studies program. Today, the College offers six nationally accredited graduate degree programs in Business (M.B.A.), Holocaust and Genocide Studies (M.A.), Instructional Technology (M.A., Nursing (M.S.N.), Physical Therapy (M.P.T.), and Occupational Therapy (M.S.O.T.).

Stockton was also recognized by the Templeton Foundation in 1999 for outstanding leadership in the field of character development. The foundation lauded Stockton for the CHEER (Civility, Harmony, Education, Environment, and Respect) Conference to reduce prejudice, violence and bigotry in schools while championing cultural diversity and for the College's leadership role in Holocaust education. In December of that year, President Farris spoke at the Stockholm International Forum on the Holocaust, hosted by the Prime Minister of Sweden and attended by 44 national heads of state.

In April, 2001, Stephen E. Dunn, Distinguished Professor of Creative Writing, received the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for "Different Hours," a collection of poems.

Stockton entered into a partnership with the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority in August of 2002, to transform the historic Carnegie Library building in Atlantic City into a satellite campus. CRDA invested more than $6 million in renovations and improvements, and Stockton will pay just $1 in rent on the building for the first five years. Then the College will pay fair market value for an educational facility with options to renew the lease or purchase the property. As a result of the agreement, the historic Beau-Arts-style building, an Atlantic City landmark since 1904 - was saved from the wrecker's ball and continues to be utilized for educational purposes.

The Middle States Commission on Higher Education reaffirmed the accreditation of Richard Stockton College in June 2002. The action did not ask for follow-up reporting prior to 2007, signaling the Commission’s confidence in Stockton’s ongoing self-assessment and planning activities.

Dr. Herman J. Saatkamp, Jr. was named fourth President of the College in June of 2003. The former Dean, School of Liberal Arts, and Professor of Philosophy, Medical and Molecular Genetics, American Studies and Philanthropic Studies at Indiana University and Purdue University at Indianapolis, Dr. Saatkamp was selected following a nationwide search. He is a world-renowned scholar and educator and a man of proven leadership ability. Dr. Saatkamp is also a world-class academician, philosopher and author and one of the world's foremost experts on the works of philosopher George Santayana.

In October 2003, U.S. News and World Report, one of the best-known rankings of colleges and universities, listed The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey among the top five national public liberal arts colleges in the country. It was the second time in four years Stockton made the top five.