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��˾�������� Included in 2023 U.S. News Top National Universities List

��˾�������� is among the Top 100 Public National Universities, according to the 2023 U.S. News & World Report College Rankings released in September 2022.

��˾�������� ranked 91 out of 227 public colleges and universities in the nation and No. 182 of 440 in the Best National Universities ranking. ��˾�������� is ranked among institutions like Princeton University, Temple University, Columbia University and Florida State University.

Previously, ��˾�������� ranked 7th in the Best Regional Universities-North but is now included in the national rankings for 2023 due to its broad range degree programs and increase in the number of doctoral degrees conferred.

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��˾�������� Named Great Value by Money Magazine

��˾�������� has been recognized as an excellent value for students in Money Magazine’s “Best Colleges for Your Money” 2022 edition.

��˾�������� jumped to #156 on the list of 671 colleges and universities selected from among 2,400 across the nation. The ranking combines educational quality, affordability and alumni success. It considers the cost of attendance, merit and need-based aid provided to students, and alumni earnings after graduation.

Former President Harvey Kesselman said the University prides itself on providing a quality education that is both affordable and accessible to a diverse population of students. He cited the new ��˾�������� Promise and Garden State Guarantee initiatives that provide free tuition and fees to lower-income students. 

“Our priority is to assure that every student has the opportunity to attend and successfully graduate from college,” Kesselman said. “The value of a ��˾�������� degree continues to grow because of our efforts to keep classes small and offer academic achievement programs that promote student success for all ��˾�������� students.”

Schools included in the “Best Colleges” list are ranked on 24 factors. The University has steadily increased its ranking from #483 in 2015. 

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��˾��������, MTHS Agreement Offers Credits in Esports

��˾�������� is offering college credit to Middle Township High School (MTHS) students interested in computer gaming through a new agreement.

The new dual credit offering, Introduction to Esports, introduces students to the history, development and current state of esports. Offered through ��˾��������’s School of Business, the course discusses the interconnectedness of esports with traditional hospitality centers, identifies the basic operational aspects of live esports tournaments and reviews career opportunities in the esports and hospitality industry.

“There’s a huge connection between esports and hospitality, tourism and event management. Students have to have the fundamentals of what does it mean to execute an event and at the same time what are some of the business management, computer skills and problem solving that are necessary in the emerging esports market and are transferable skills to many other jobs,” said Noel Criscione-Naylor, interim chair of the Hospitality, Tourism and Event Management program at ��˾��������.

��˾�������� has seen first-hand how quickly interest in esports has grown. The university’s esports team swelled from just 12 students in 2019 to nearly 800 today. In 2022, ��˾��������’s Rocket League team finished second in the world in a competition. MTHS currently has 25 students involved with its esports team.

��˾�������� and Middle Township School District both see an emerging need and opportunity to educate students about the expanding field. In fall 2022, the University debuted its first esports and event planning course. To date, there are 79 students enrolled in esports courses at MTHS, with many interested in pursuing esports at the collegiate level.

The mission of the Dual Credit Program at ��˾�������� is to provide a community service to college-bound high school students, giving them a jump-start on college by providing the opportunity to earn college credits and complete high school course requirements simultaneously.

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Latino Visitation Day Reaches New Heights

More than 800 students from all over New Jersey participated in the largest Latino Visitation Day on Nov. 17, 2022.

Students from 24 high schools around the state attended the program, which included an Admissions presentation, campus tours and an opportunity to meet with current students.

Heather Medina, the first Latina director of Admissions in ��˾��������’s history, shared the day’s journey from an idea by the student organization Los Latinos Unidos to what it is now, and its purpose.

“Why does this program exist?” Medina asked the crowd. “Because you all are changemakers. You are the folks that we want to see come through our doors and we want to make this possible for you. Querer es poder! If you want it, you can achieve it and you can attain it!”

Hearing Medina inspired Nancy Cruz-Chavez, a junior from Cumberland Regional High School interested in both the Nursing and Business fields. 

“She’s inspiring to so many because many don’t have the privilege to go to college,” Cruz-Chavez said. “It’s a privilege for us to come here and to see what college is like and how it’s welcoming.”

Program Gives High School Students In-person STEM Lab Time

The COVID-19 pandemic robbed many high school students of the chance to do hands-on science experiments.

But the Army Education Outreach Program (AEOP) at ��˾�������� filled that void for three local students as they worked closely with university professors this summer — and got paid to do it.

Tasmia Haque and Sadia Rahman, rising seniors at Egg Harbor Township High School, and Noor Elmasri, a rising senior at Atlantic City High School, were selected for the program, which provides research opportunities for underrepresented students in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields.

“Virtual chemistry was kind of dull,” Rahman said. “The labs were not nearly as fun as they should have been. I knew they would been fun in person. It was really cool to experience what I missed out on that year.”

Students are selected based on their GPA, essays and interests in STEM. This is the fourth year ��˾�������� has participated, said Barry Pemberton, assistant professor of Chemistry and the AEOP coordinator. Each student received a $3,000 stipend to do 200 hours of research, while professors received $1,000 per student to cover costs and act as mentors. This year’s students presented their findings at a symposium on Aug. 5.

“The benefit of the program for the student is to give them a lab experience,” said Pemberton, who added that ��˾�������� received more applications for the program this year than in previous years. “Every year, the students love it. When there is a need to get into a lab and develop those wet lab skills, that’s far more important than doing it on a computer.”

“Experience trumps reading about it or seeing someone else do it.”

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Maple Project Expands Outreach to Local Schools

Growing up in Absecon, Debby Sommers loved being outside.

“I loved nature as a kid, but we didn’t call it that. It was just going outside,” said the retired Galloway Township Middle School science teacher. “We fished and crabbed and watched turtles lay their eggs and ducks bring their babies up so we could feed them Cheerios.”

But she said she wasn’t taught about the Pine Barrens or environmental science until she went to college.

“It wasn’t until I went to ��˾�������� that I fell in love with environmental science and learned to appreciate the unique ecosystems we live in,” said the 1977 graduate.

Part of that unique ecosystem is the ��˾�������� Maple Project. The program began three years ago and is funded by two United States Department of Agriculture grants totaling more than $900,000 to promote maple sugaring in South Jersey.

Now as the education specialist for the project, Sommers can give back to her alma mater. She was hired in September and has used her extensive contacts from 31 years of teaching science in sixth through eighth grades to establish a flourishing outreach program with at least 15 southern New Jersey schools.

Sommers said she has done several classroom presentations from pre-kindergarten to high school. She not only focuses on the syrup-making process from the trees’ sap, but also discusses the types of trees and how they fit into the Pine Barrens. She said students are routinely amazed at the entire process.

“It’s my pet peeve that kids know about elephants, tigers and lions, but they know nothing about what’s in their own backyard,” she said. “When you learn uniqueness and nature and all the cool things about it, it makes you appreciate it. Then, moving forward in your life, you’ll take care of it because you know why it’s so important.” 

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Criminal Justice Program Endorsed by International Group 

��˾��������’s undergraduate Criminal Justice program recently became the first in the country to earn the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS) Endorsement for academic quality.

“It demonstrates that our academics have met a standard that many other schools have not met,” said Marissa Levy, dean of the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences. “Students can now feel more confident knowing that an outside organization has reviewed our curriculum and structure and finds it to meet the standards of the field.”

The Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences is an international association established in 1963 to foster professional and scholarly activities in the field of criminal justice. To receive the endorsement, the ACJS conducted an external review of ��˾��������’s bachelor’s degree program and assessed it in relation to the ACJS Academic Quality Standards. 

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Nearly $1 Million Grant Will Expand JOBS Program

For the past five years, ��˾�������� has been one of the primary institutions in New Jersey helping recovery court graduates get scholarships, training and jobs after being placed on probation.

Now thanks to a new, nearly $1 million grant from the state Department of Labor (DOL), ��˾�������� can expand on that work.

“We’ve been the lead institution,” said Marissa Levy, ��˾��������’s dean of the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences. “We were the only ones shepherding this work for a while.”

During the last few years, Levy worked with now-retired state Judge Mark Sandson, the New Jersey Judiciary and then-��˾�������� President Harvey Kesselman to create Judiciary Opportunities for Building Success (JOBS), which helped probationers find jobs at state colleges and universities.

With the new $947,100 grant, ��˾�������� is spearheading the creation of a one-year pilot program called SJ-JOBS for 200 probationers in Atlantic and Cape May counties. Kean and Rutgers-Camden universities and three other nonprofits also received money to create programs in other parts of the state as part of the DOL grant totaling $6 million.

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��˾�������� Receives Distinction for Assisting Transfer Students

For the second year in a row, ��˾�������� was named to the 2023 Transfer Honor Roll by Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, which recognizes the achievements of students at associated-degree and community colleges.

��˾�������� is one of 208 colleges and universities recognized for the “dynamic pathways they have created to support community college transfer students.” The honor roll is determined by 40 key metrics related to the support and success of transfer students, including college cost and financial aid, campus life for transfer, admission practices and bachelor’s degree completion.

“��˾�������� is proud to be recognized for the second consecutive year by Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society as a transfer-friendly institution, which we pride ourselves on,” said Robert Heinrich, ��˾��������’s vice president for Enrollment Management. “We look forward to continuing to provide pathways for students to complete their college degree at ��˾��������.”