David L. Carr Provost and Executive Vice President

“This is an outstanding accomplishment for the College and statewide recognition of the excellence of our Social Work program,” Provost David Carr said. “It comes with serious responsibilities. New Jersey is working to provide upgrades to the child welfare system and has tasked Stockton with helping train the next generation of child welfare workers.”

In addition to Stockton, members of the consortium include Georgian Court University, Kean University, Monmouth University, Ramapo College of New Jersey, Rutgers University-Newark, and Seton Hall University.

Stockton and the Office of Children’s Services will use federal funds and state matching funds to support the program. Undergraduate social work students from the participating institutions will compete for a limited number of traineeships. Successful students will receive a $5,500 stipend and assistance in purchasing books needed for child welfare courses. Selected students must work a 400-hour internship for the Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS) and sign an agreement to work in DYFS for at least one year.

In the first year of operation, Stockton and the Office of Children’s Services will work together to make approximately $680,000 in federal and state funds available for support of the Baccalaureate Child Welfare Education Program. After the start-up year, about 75 percent of the funds will go directly to social work students.

Stockton Social Work Program faculty members will both administer and provide additional leadership for the program. Stockton will also provide training and consultation to the DYFS staff members who will supervise student trainees statewide.

Stockton faculty will track outcomes of the program and provide assistance to consortium members in developing curriculum in child welfare.

Stockton’s newest facility, the Parkway Building, located on Jim Leeds Road near the Service Plaza of the Garden State Parkway.

The offices of Administration and Finance, formerly located in J-Wing, have moved to the College’s newest facility, the Parkway Building, located less than a mile from the main campus, just off the Jim Leeds Road Service Plaza of the Garden State Parkway.

The former Verizon Building was acquired for $3.2 million to free up space for additional faculty and classrooms on the campus. Funds were saved by having the College’s skilled workforce perform the labor of converting the building for College use. More than 40 offices were relocated to the building over the summer months.

Fulvio Cesco-Cancian in his new office at the Parkway Building

Fulvio Cesco-Cancian, Assistant Director of Facility Planning and Construction, said the new building provided comfortable quarters for the administration and finance staff and eliminated many of the shared faculty offices that had existed in previous years.

“Things are not cramped anymore and faculty members have more time to have office hours to meet with their students,” he said. “It’s a win-win.”

President Herman J. Saatkamp, Jr. said the Parkway Building is an important step in the facilities master plan.

“With 10 additional faculty members coming next year to further reduce our student-teacher ratio, we need to keep pace with enrollment and program needs,” he said. “The Parkway Building gives us the flexibility to grow in a responsible way.”

College President Herman J. Saatkamp, Jr., (left) accepts $4,700 check for scholarships from Stephen Davis, President of the Stockton Council of Black Faculty and Staff.

Mr. Melvin Gregory, longtime Assistant Director of Admissions at the College, will receive the Council’s highest honor, the 2005 Merit Award.

Ms Robin Moore, Principal, Galloway Twp. Middle School, and Mr. Nicholas A. White, President, Richard Stockton College Alumni Association, will each receive 2005 Distinguished Alumni Achievement Awards.

Tickets for the event are just $65 per person with all proceeds supporting the Council’s Scholarship Endowment for deserving students.

At a recent meeting of the Stockton Board of Trustees, Council President Stephen Davis presented College President Herman J. Saatkamp, Jr. with a check in the amount of $4,700 to add to the Council’s over $104,000 endowment which was placed in the Richard Stockton College Foundation this past summer.

To purchase tickets to the event online, visit www.stockton.edu keywords: black council

Golfers in action at beautiful Blue Heron Pines

The Third Annual Stockton Golf Classic, held September 29 on the beautiful West Course of the Blue Heron Pines Golf Club, netted more than $30,000 for the general scholarship fund of the Richard Stockton College Foundation.

Honorary Chairperson for the event was Dr. James Yoh, President and CEO, Galaxy Technology, LLC and Stockton Trustee. Co-Chairpersons included Michelle Lenzmeier of Janney Montgomery Scott LLC, and Raymond Lee Wasman of Atlantic City Electric, Stockton’s new Foundation President.

Stockton Alumni Association President Nick White (left) shares a light moment with best-dressed golfer, fellow alum Joseph Avanti, following the recent 3rd Annual Richard Stockton College Golf Classic.

Despite threatening skies, rain held off for most of the day's activities, which included lunch, dinner and numerous special holes during the shotgun start, scramble format tournament: closest to the pin, longest drive, and three different opportunities to win cars with a hole-in-one. There was also a separate putting contest.

More than 120 golfers took part in the festivities. The winning foursome, representing AT&T was Mike Seigfried, Mike Angarone, Greg Thomas and Thomas Handabaka. Second Place was the team from the Burlington County Times including Stockton Trustee and Times Publisher Stan Ellis, Nelson Mallon, Ken Long and Ron Martin. Third Place was the Stockton Golf Team of John Murphy, Nate Mark, Tom Chisolm and Coach Barry Ross. The Stockton team donated the value of its prize, an outing for a foursome at a local golf club, back to the live auction, to add to the funds raised for scholarships.

A scholarship recipient, freshman Thea Golden of Delran, spoke about her gratitude in receving aid from the College.

“A lot of my friends who are middle-class students are finding it very difficult finding scholarship money,” she said. “As a result it presents problems in their ability to attend college. The fact that I was able to receive a scholarship from Stockton was one of the main reasons, along with strong academics, that I chose to attend.”

President Herman Saatkamp talks to participants in the SOAR program.

Lamott Moore, who coordinated the program, deemed it a success, as all of the attendees are thriving in their first year experience at Stockton and the participants and parents all gave it universally good reviews.

The retreat took place at the YMCA Camp Ockanickon in Medford, Burlington County. Activities included a challenge course, earth education program, sessions on study skills, campus safety, and health and fitness among others.

“This proved to be a great way for some of these young people to transition into college life,” said Moore. “Many had never been away from home before and some came from as far away as Rhode Island and Central Pennsylvania. They came in having no friends, but left ready to begin college in a much more prepared and self-confident manner.”
President Herman J. Saatkamp, Jr. addressed the group and provided insight regarding the College’s national reputation, what the students could expect once classes began, and the many opportunities that awaited them.

A participant of the SOAR retreat tries horseback riding.

Moore thanked the professional volunteer staff who helped operate the program including Jennifer Forman, Sara Gendlek, Dianne Hill, John Smith, Linda Kenny, Nelson Morales and Chris Connors.

There was also a SOAR student mentor staff which helped the freshmen make the transition and create the community bond Stockton is so famous for. Among those were Lauren Karbowski, Thomas Sunchuck, Diana Ksepko, Rhiannon Napoli, Christine Cairoli, John Genovese, Steven Couras, Mary Lehr, Christine Pascucci, Lee Smith, Michael McManus, and Jennifer Coyne.

“Any time you start a new program like this it is hard work, but we had a lot of help,” Moore said. “It’s very rewarding to see the students who went through the SOAR program doing so well now that they are a part of the student body.”

In last month’s newsletter we told you about Josie Stalling, a Stockton employee who began with $200 of her own money and started a water drive for the victims of the devastation in the Gulf Coast. Josie’s campaign caught on with Stockton students, faculty and staff, and eventually raised enough money for more than 3,000 cases of water, airlifted directly to the people most in need. The campaign was then expanded to include food and cash donations to aid the New Orleans church attended by family members of a Stockton employee.

Since then, there have been numerous other acts of kindness and charity by Stockton Community members toward the Gulf Coast victims.

Stockton Police Officers Carlton Fernanders and Maria Parziale were deployed to assist the law enforcement effort in New Orleans. Thanks to the support of President Saatkamp and the Board of Trustees’ commitment to help our fellow Americans in the Gulf region, these courageous officers were enabled to take part in a volunteer effort under the command of the New Jersey State Police. During their two-week deployment, Officers Fernanders and Parziale took part in many difficult search and recovery efforts during 12-hour shifts.

Following are exerpts from Officer Fernanders’ and Parziale’s e-mails to Chief Glenn Miller during the deployment:

Parziale: “Another long day. We worked patrol and went into the ghettoes of New Orleans. Carlton and I made approximately 35 citizen contacts and provided (people) with water, gloves and masks. We met some residents who stayed in the Superdome and heard horror stories. People went three days without food and the flood waters were so high around the Superdome they saw bodies floating by them.”

Fernanders: “The citizens are very, very nice. Generally in good spirits considering what happened. (Officers) stop and speak with the residents while they are hauling pieces of their houses to the curb and they are very friendly toward the officers.

We went out to St. Bernard’s Parish…a woman came to my partner and I and expressed concern for her neighbors that lived in an apartment over a shop in Chalmette, just past St. Bernard’s Parish. We passed the information to the command post who notified the local sheriff’s department. When we were working the morgue detail my partner asked them about the address of the store. They did confirm two bodies were removed from the residence the day we reported the information.

Baby Girl, AKA “Bruiser”

Christine Tartaro, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice, worked with local shelters, animal groups and veterinarians to coordinate several trips to the Gulf Coast to rescue orphaned pets. She collected funds, pet food, water, cat litter, crates, leashes, collars and towels from community members. She and the rescue group drove a van to Slidell, LA. on two occasions, and were successful in bringing back pets and placing them in loving homes. The pets were quarantined for a time to make sure the animals were not carrying illnesses.

Dottie Munro of the President’s Office adopted “Baby Girl,” AKA “Bruiser”, a miniature pinscher she describes as having a sweet disposition.

“The group of people who are running Pet Adoption services in Slidell are grateful,” Tartaro said. “We talked to them recently and they asked us to hold off on our next transport until they can rebuild their much-needed garage.”

Stockton student Gene Glembocki (right) donated 300 umbrellas to the Greek Council, which in turn sold them to students, raising more than $325 to date to aid victims in the Gulf Coast.

Gene Glembocki, a Stockton student, donated 300 umbrellas he had purchased from a store that was going out of business to the Greek Council. The Council in turn sold the umbrellas and donated the profits to the victims.

According to Tom O’Donnel of the Office of Student Development, the Greek Council had raised and donated more than $325 through the sale of the umbrellas.

Cheryle Eisele and Linda Aaronson, faculty members of the Nursing program were on the front lines of the devastation.

“It was the hardest thing I ever did in my life and the most rewarding at the same time,” Aaronson said. “We were client advocates and the clients were grateful for the care we were providing and we were privileged to be providing the care.”

They worked in a shelter called the River Center in Baton Rouge, which served 1, 200 clients with 12 nurses in two clinics around the clock.

“To say we were on the short side was putting it mildly,” Aaronson said. We saw a lot of diabetics. It seemed like a blood pressure of 250 was ‘normal.’ We had to dress a lot of nasty spider bites. And we had to deal with infections and complications of those people trudging through that toxic water.”

Aaronson said she decided to put her nursing skills to use when looking into the faces of the victims.

“I have to thank Dean Marc Lowenstein for being so supportive of this and helping to make this happen. I think it was a great life experience for us, but it’s also a good example for our students.”