A Great Time to be at Stockton

Posted: September 05, 2017

Dear Members of the Stockton Community,

Welcome back!

I hope you had a wonderful summer and are ready to embark on another successful academic year! I always look forward to this time of year when our Stockton community comes together, excited, invigorated, and looking forward to all the new semester will bring.  

The energy at Stockton is incredible as we welcome the largest incoming class in our history. We have increased our support for student aid, received additional state appropriations, and improved and expanded our facilities. Moreover, we continue to gain national recognition by highly respected organizations, winning awards in diversity, sustainability, and civic learning and engagement.

As we engage with our community and a rapidly changing world, we reaffirm our mission and values, holding fast to the principle of academic freedom. In a season when our nation struggles with the interpretation of the fundamental right of freedom of speech, we believe it is critical for the Stockton community to participate in civil discourse as we explore and educate on diverse point of views. At Stockton, we will not shrink from this responsibility.

We will continue the Stockton tradition of providing forums for students and the community to listen and learn about the perspectives of different and, sometimes controversial, scholars and public figures. We will continue to stimulate the minds of our students – that is our mission - but we will also denounce those who promote hate and violence – that is our responsibility as citizens. Further, we will continue to provide a wide range of service learning opportunities that support our commitment to “develop engaged and effective citizens.” I invite all of you to join me in participating in these experiences.

Let’s make this Stockton’s greatest year!

Dr. Harvey Kesselman
President