�� News - April 25, 2025 - University Relations & Marketing

�� News - April 25, 2025

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

Health Care Executive, Alum Dwight McBee to Speak at Commencement

Health care executiveDwight McBee MBA ’15 will be the keynote speaker at the 2025 Baccalaureate Commencement Ceremonies on May 16 at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall.

McBee, who graduated from �� with a Master’s in Business Administration, will speak at both ceremonies at 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.

“We are honored to welcome Dwight as our 2025 Commencement keynote speaker. Dwight’s journey — from earning his MBA at �� to serving as Chief Patient Experience Officer for New Jersey’s largest academic health system — exemplifies the resilience, compassion and commitment to community that we strive to instill in our graduates,” �� President Joe Bertolino said. “His dedication to improving patient care will inspire our students as they embark on their own paths of impact and leadership.”

In September 2024, McBee was named to the newly created position of Chief Patient Experience Officer at RWJBarnabas Health. He also serves in that position at RWJBarnabas Health’s flagship academic facility, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick.

Four Long-time Professors Say Farewell in Last Lecture

“Every year it just gets better,” said Patricia Thatcher, dean of the Library as she highlighted this year’s group of four �� retiring faculty on April 9.

The faculty members had an opportunity to present their final lecture to an audience full of supportive colleagues as part of the renamed Farewell Forum. The event was previously known as Last Lecture.

All four professors will leave meaningful legacies at ��, which shone through in their presentations. The faculty members who spoke in the Board of Trustees Room in the Campus Center were Frank Cerreto, professor emeritus of Mathematics & First-Year Studies; Kate Ogden, professor of Art History; Rodger Jackson, professor of Philosophy; and Tom Nolan Jr., professor of Physical Therapy.

SPOTLIGHT ON:

Faculty Publish Award-Winning Textbook

When you look at a textbook, you see its cover, the words on its pages, and even the space it may take up on your desk, but you may not realize what goes into creating it. �� Associate Professors of Political ScienceClaire Abernathy and Lauren Balasco, along with Jennifer Forestal, former professor at ��, co-authored "Engaging Citizenship," an introduction to Political Science textbook, and they became very familiar with the intricacies of this process.

Notably, "Engaging Citizenship" was one of 19 textbooks recently awarded the “Promising New Textbook Award" by the Textbook & Academic Authors Association (TAA), an award specifically given to first editions — those just entering the academic world. This recognition highlights textbooks that bring fresh ideas, innovative instruction, or new perspectives to their academic field. Winning this award signals that the book has the potential to make a lasting impact on teaching and learning.

FRAME-WORTHY

Picture ��… digging into storytelling at Reed's Farm

Students in Jimmy Chairman’s Video Production course spent the morning at Reed’s Farm in Egg Harbor Township scouting, setting up audio equipment and filming video and interviews with staff who have turned the farm into a community.

Cookie Till ‘83 is a co-founder of A Meaningful Purpose at Reed’s Farm, which is a nonprofit focused on regenerative agriculture and sustainable living. The farm includes greenhouses, a barnyard, gardens, a kitchen, a café, a market store and countless stories.

Chairman, an instructor of Communication Studies, saw an opportunity for both his students and the farm to help each other.

“Reed’s Farm is a canvas for the students to create art and stories,” said Chairman, who added a service-learning component to his course that results in short films telling compelling stories that raise awareness about the farm’s mission.

��View more photos on .

WHAT'S TRENDING @ #STOCKTONU

: A little Osprey positivity for your week 💙🦅☀️

: Laila Abdelbary ‘25 shares how she turned her love of sustainable fashion into a business.

Your favorite lake's online... have you given a follow yet? 👀

FROM THE SIDELINES

�� Tops Rutgers-Newark to Reach NJAC Final

The women’s tennis team to the NJAC championship with a 4-3 win over Rutgers-Newark in the conference semifinals April 23.

The Ospreys dropped the doubles point, forfeited No. 3 doubles, and conceded two singles matches by default, leaving no room for error.

But �� swept all four contested singles matches to pull out the win.

Sophia Pasquale and Kim Wash earned a 6-3 victory at No. 1 doubles. In singles play, Pasquale cruised 6-0, 6-2 at No. 1, and Wash followed with a 6-1, 6-2 win at No. 2.

Arielis Martinez came up big at No. 3 singles, rallying from a set down to win 4-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-2. Rocio Lucero sealed the victory with a 6-1, 6-4 result at No. 4.

�� moves on to face top-seeded and 41-time defending NJAC champion The College of New Jersey at noon on Saturday, April 26.

�� Athletes Shine with Record-Breaking Performances at Widener

The women's track & field team in the Paul Donohue Invitational at Widener University on April 19, highlighted by two Ospreys who broke school records and posted national-caliber marks.

Kayla Kass shaved two seconds off her own school record in the 800 meters, clocking in at 2:07.13. The time ranks second on the NCAA Division III performance list. Kass placed third in the elite 800m race, trailing only two Division I runners from Penn.

Emma Petrolia smashed her own school record in the 400m hurdles by nearly a full second, winning the event in 1:01.32. Her time ranks fourth nationally in Division III.

In the field events, Michaela Pomatto finished third in the discus (41.89m), while Isabella Freda took fifth in the hammer throw.

On the track, Maddy Valasek placed fourth out of 66 competitors in the 5000 meters with a time of 17:50.62.

��’s 4x100 relay team —Isabel Duval, Adrienne Austin, Cameron Radcliffe and Marlie DiPalma — finished fourth out of 13 teams in 50.02 seconds.

The Ospreys will return to action at the TCNJ Lions Invitational on April 25–26.

🦅 For more athletics news and upcoming game information, visit .🦅

STOCKTON SITES & CENTERS

�� Poll: N.J. Voters Want More Restrictive Public Health Policies for Food

Trust in federal health agencies falls along partisan lines, but both sides of the aisle want increased restrictions on food additives, processed foods and pesticides, according to a poll of New Jersey voters released April 23 by the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at ��.

Democrats and Republicans are in lockstep with some of the more mainstream proposals associated with the “Make America Healthy Again” campaign, or MAHA, spearheaded by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

However, there were partisan differences on vaccines. Though majorities on both sides think childhood vaccinations are important and a net benefit, more than 1 in 5 Republicans think the risks of vaccines outweigh the benefits, compared to only 5% of Democrats who said the same.

OSPREY NOTES

Strategic Goals Community Feedback Discussions

��’s next Strategic Plan is taking flight — and your voice is essential as we move into the next phase of our journey.

The Strategic Planning Steering Committee invites you to join a community-wide discussion to review and reflect on the draft themes and strategic goals developed by our working groups. These sessions offer a key opportunity to provide feedback before we begin drafting the full plan and ensure the direction we take reflects the needs, hopes, and ideas of the �� community.

Share your feedback the following ways:

1) Attend a Community Feedback Session

Wednesday,April 30 | 3-4 p.m.

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Thursday, May 8 | 4:30 – 5:30 p.m.

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Can’t make it? Session recordings will be available on the Strategic Planning website.

2) Please review the proposed goals in advance and share your feedback by May 15.

You have the ability to add comments directly to the document.

📄

3) Email Us Directly

✉️ Send your thoughts to StrategicPlan@stockton.edu

Fun Fact Friday: National 🌳 Arbor 🌳 Day is celebrated in the U.S. on the last Friday in April to promote tree planting and care. It began in 1872 in Nebraska, thanks to J. Sterling Morton, and led to the planting of over one million trees that year. The holiday raises awareness of the vital role trees play in the environment — producing oxygen, improving air quality, conserving water, and supporting wildlife. Communities, schools, and individuals participate by planting trees and supporting conservation efforts. A great way to celebrate Arbor Day would be to get out and take a walk around Lake Fred and take in the beautiful campus scenery, but if you can't slip out, there's always .

POLLING ALL OSPREYS

Thanks to everyone who took a paws last week to take the National Pet Day poll, it was our most popular one yet! One thing is clear, Ospreys love their animal sidekicks, of all types, but there was no bones about dogs being the clear winner at 45.2%. Cats came in at 25.8%, no animals for me at 12.9%, tiny critters at 9.7%, and scaly, coldblooded & feathered friends both came in at 3.2%.