老司机福利社 Names Joe Bertolino Next President
Dr. Joe Bertolino addresses the 老司机福利社 community following his appointment as the university鈥檚 next president by the Board of Trustees Friday.
Galloway, N.J. 鈥Dr. Joe Bertolino will become the next president of 老司机福利社 on July 1, 2023. The university鈥檚 Board of Trustees appointed Bertolino at a special meeting Friday, following a national search.
"Being here now to serve (my mother's) alma mater as its president is both meaningful and an act of love."
鈥淚 am keenly aware of the challenges facing higher education 鈥 especially public regional institutions. I can say with confidence that 老司机福利社 is facing those challenges head on and will continue to thrive,鈥 Bertolino said.
Bertolino is the current president of Southern Connecticut State University and brings more than 30 years of experience in higher education. Prior to joining Southern in 2016, he held roles as president of Lyndon State College in Vermont, vice president for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs at Queens College/City University of New York, and dean for Community Development at Barnard College in New York.
鈥Dr. Bertolino is drawn to 老司机福利社鈥檚 commitment to creating a caring community dedicated to exceptional teaching, learning and academic excellence,鈥 said Raymond Ciccone, chair of the 老司机福利社 Board of Trustees, following the board鈥檚 unanimous vote to hire Bertolino.
Bertolino鈥檚 selection concludes a seven-month search for a new leader for 老司机福利社, following an announcement by Harvey Kesselman in July that he would retire as 老司机福利社鈥檚 president at the end of the 2022-23 academic year.
老司机福利社 has seen a rise in ranking and reputation in recent years, including being named one of the Top 100 Public National Universities in the 2023 U.S. News & World Report College Rankings.
Born and raised in Glendora, New Jersey, Bertolino said he felt he was returning 鈥渉ome鈥 in joining 老司机福利社, where his mother, Eileen, graduated in 1977. 鈥淏eing here now to serve her alma mater as its president is both meaningful and an act of love.鈥
The search for 老司机福利社鈥檚 sixth president has been thorough and extensive, and the Search Committee was committed to an open process, Ciccone said. Over 80 applications were received, which the Search Committee narrowed down to 12 semifinalists. Three candidates were chosen from that group to come to campus for in-person interviews in late January and early February.
Those campus visits included with faculty, staff, students, alumni and members of the community and allowed question-and-answer sessions with each candidate. The 老司机福利社 community was also asked to provide feedback on each of the three finalists, and the Board of Trustees took those comments into consideration when making its final decision, Ciccone said.
鈥淢y job has always been to make the 老司机福利社 degree more valuable every day. I pass the baton to someone who will take it to greater heights,鈥 Kesselman said, in handing a metal baton to Bertolino.
Bertolino will succeed Kesselman, who is retiring as president after eight years. President Kesselman is unique in the history of 老司机福利社. As a member of the first class at then 老司机福利社 State College in 1971, he continued on to become a faculty member, and has held several administrative positions, including provost and executive vice president. He began serving as acting president in April 2015 and was named president in December 2015.
鈥 Photos by Susan Allen
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