Stockton News - July 21, 2023

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

Board of Trustees Approves Budget, Welcomes New President

The Board of Trustees approved the 2023-24 operating budget and welcomed President Joe Bertolino at a meeting July 19.

“It is very important to build strong relationships with members of this community and, most importantly, to listen to the many voices this University serves. I’m encouraged by what I’ve heard, and I look forward to continuing these conversations,” said Bertolino, who became the University’s sixth president on July 1. 

“As we turn the page on Stockton’s future, we are committed to our mission-driven value of putting students first and creating an environment of belonging for all. Let’s not forget our priority is to ensure every student earns a degree.”

One of the ways Bertolino proposed doing this is launching new academic programs and offerings, including graduate programs like a new Master of Science in Accounting approved at the meeting at Stockton Atlantic City’s John F. Scarpa Academic Center.

Additionally, Dr. Fotios Tjoumakaris was sworn in as a new board member. Tjoumakaris is a 1996 Stockton graduate and sports medicine and shoulder surgeon at the Rothman Orthopaedic Institute and serves as director of Orthopaedic Surgery for AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center.

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National Science Foundation Grant Helps Stockton Study Inlets

Anna Pfeiffer-Herbert, associate professor of Marine Science, studies the exchange of water between the ocean and the bay through inlets. This summer, she and a team of research interns are looking at the two inlets flanking the 18-mile stretch of Long Beach Island with funding from a $155,000 grant from the National Science Foundation.

Pfeiffer-Herbert, who grew up in Acme, WA and now resides in Galloway, uses a simple analogy to explain the importance of understanding how long it takes water to exit the bay through an inlet.

The flushing rate in the bay impacts the health of the ecosystem that wildlife and humans depend on for habitat, recreation, commercial fishing and ecotourism.

The combination of a data set that describes water quality and a data set that describes how fast water flushes out of the bay at two different inlet types allows researchers to better understand how inlets work.    

The research team is working with the Stockton Marine Field Station to collect water velocity and water quality data at both inlets.

STOCKTON UNIVERSITY ATLANTIC CITY

A.C. Summer Experience Offers Invaluable Hands-on Jobs

The Stockton Atlantic City Summer Experience gave Michael Mora a chance to live on the beach, work at a casino and take a class.

But that’s not all the junior business management major got out of the program. It also changed his life.

“I was originally a social work major,” said the Mount Olive native. “Then I started working last summer at the Borgata, and I liked the business and management aspect of this, so I switched (his major) over to that.”

Mora is a returning student to the program, which debuted last summer with about 140 students and has grown to about 245 this year. The program partners with 15 businesses in the Atlantic City area to provide summer employment.

📰 In the News: NJBIZ

SPOTLIGHT ON: RANIA ALMAJID

Rania Almajid, assistant professor of Physical Therapy, presented at the World Physiotherapy Conference held June 2-4 in Dubai.

Almajid delivered a poster presentation titled “Clinical Characteristics of Saudi Men and Women Living with a Stroke: Influence of Gender and Fall Self-Efficacy.” The research entailed a focused investigation into the factors influencing the fear of falling among Saudi Arabian men and women who have suffered a stroke and was a collaborative effort with Mary Lou Galantino, distinguished professor of Physical Therapy at Stockton; Nuha Alharbi of Prince Sultan Military Medical City, and Zainab Sharahili and Dalal Alqahtani from King Fahad Medical Military Complex in Saudi Arabia.

“It was great to represent Stockton at the largest international meeting for the profession,” Almajid said. “This experience provided a unique opportunity to establish connections and network with experts from various corners of the world."

FRAME-WORTHY

Snakes, frogs and birds ... oh my!

Corn snakes visited Guy Barbato's Genetics lab to help illustrate a lesson on color morphs.

John Rokita, Lester Block and Adrianna McGinty, of the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics brought the snakes, goldfish and an African clawed frog over from the vivarium as well as starlings from the taxidermy collection.

The light-colored snake coiled around Barbato's wrist is amelanistic, a recessive mutation that results in a lack of melanin or dark brown/black pigment.

📸 View more photos on Flickr. 

WHAT'S TRENDING @ #STOCKTONU

UPCOMING EVENTS

Events for Alumni & Friends

📚 Summer 2023 Professional Development Opportunities   

Now-July 26: Ireland at Home and In America

Now-July 28: 👟 Atlantic City Walking Tours 

Now-Sept. 24:  The Souls Shot Portrait Project

Now-Sept. 29: Fred Staloff: Origins of a Modernist

Aug. 2-23: America & Vietnam: 1955-1975

Aug. 5-6: Black Alumni Reunion Weekend 

Aug. 6: 🎡Stockton Day at Morey’s Piers 

Aug. 13: Stockton Summer Splash at Wonder Bar 

Aug. 16: ✈️Sky’s the Limit