When anyone speaks about Stockton University, you know that Harvey Kesselman’s name will be mentioned. It’s why, in acknowledgement of his lifelong dedication to the Galloway-based university, including its expansion in Atlantic City, the institution’s board of trustees recently approved naming a building in his honor.
Kesselman has spent more than four decades at Stockton, beginning as a student in the inaugural class in 1971 and continuing with roles as a teacher, administrator, and president since 2015. He will retire as president June 30.
The Atlantic City Residential Complex, located at 3701 Boardwalk, will be renamed Kesselman Hall, “in recognition of Dr. Kesselman’s unwavering commitment to the university’s mission and tireless advancement of the university’s values,” reads the resolution approved at the Feb. 22 board meeting.
“Dr. Kesselman is synonymous with Stockton University. His commitment to our students-first mission, dedication to inclusive student success and championing of equitable funding make Stockton what it is today,” Ray Ciccone, chair of the board of trustees, said.
Kesselman Hall will be dedicated at a ceremony in Atlantic City on May 3. The building opened in September 2018 with Phase I and is home to more than 500 students each year. In December, the Atlantic City Council designated a portion of Albany Avenue bordering the residential complex as Dr. Harvey Kesselman Way.
Under his leadership, Kesselman expanded the university’s regional footprint and, with New Jersey’s designation of Stockton as an Anchor Institution in Atlantic City, opened Phase I of a multimillion-dollar Atlantic City campus in 2018 with a monumental public-private partnership. Phase II, a 135,000-square-foot residence hall with 416 beds, is currently under construction and scheduled for completion this year.
The board of trustees also approved awarding honorary Doctor of Public Service degrees at the May 12 commencement ceremonies at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City to:
- Bart Blatstein, founder and CEO of Tower Investments Inc.;
- Christopher Paladino, president of New Brunswick Development Corp. and Atlantic City Development Corp.;
- Julio Mendez, retired New Jersey Superior Court judge;
- Louis Greenwald, Assembly majority leader;
- Dr. Manish Trivedi, director, Infectious Diseases Division of AtlantiCare;
- Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver, commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs; and
- Stephen Sweeney, former president of the New Jersey Senate and chair, advisory board of the Steve Sweeney Center for Public Policy.
An honorary degree for Arnold Schwarzenegger was also approved and will be presented when he addresses hate and antisemitism at a presentation March 6 at the Galloway campus.
Also at the meeting, the board approved a new Bachelor of Science in esports management, which will now be reviewed by the New Jersey Presidents’ Council and the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education. The program will prepare students to work in a variety of business fields, settings and industries that support the growth of esports.
