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Galloway, N.J. – As we close out 2025, we reflect on a year of celebrations, milestones and expansion at ������Ƶ. Join us in counting down the days to 2026 by viewing highlights from the past 12 months. 

Sharing Our “Magic Grass” with CR Flamengo 

The university this summer as CR Flamengo, Brazil’s most beloved soccer team with an estimated fan base of 50 million, trained at the Stadium in preparation for the FIFA Club World Cup. 

���ٴdz���ٴDz�’s grama magica, or magic grass, field played a major role in the team selecting ������Ƶ. The Bermuda by Hammonton’s Tuckahoe Turf Farm, which also installed the grass at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia for the tournament.

Flamengo arrived on campus on June 12 and . Flamengo also used locker rooms, held team meetings and received physical therapy in the Sports Center. Several of the players also took advantage of the basketball court to shoot hoops before taking the field.

At least 20 media representatives, mostly from Brazil, attended the beginning of each day’s practice to report on the team’s training. Flamengo won its first two games of the tournament while practicing at ������Ƶ.

“They were very appreciative of all the time and effort that we gave to them. They wanted to go somewhere where they felt welcomed,” said Jeff Haines, associate director of Athletics and Recreation.  

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Soaring Forward: Strengthening Community, Advancing Excellence

This fall, President Joe Bertolino introduced ���ٴdz���ٴDz�’s new Strategic Plan that will guide the university forward over the next several years. The plan is a living framework created by the people who know ������Ƶ the best—the students, faculty, staff, alumni and partners across the region.

During the past year, the community supported this work through participation in working groups and subcommittees, at presentations and with feedback throughout the process. 

Built on ���ٴdz���ٴDz�’s Ethic of Care and commitment to academic excellence, this plan reflects where ������Ƶ is, its values and where the university needs to go.

Implementation Team leads developed and refined measurable and time-bound objectives for each of the plan’s five priorities. In December, the Board of Trustees reviewed the campuswide objectives and key performance indicators that will guide ������Ƶ's work for the next several years.

Further strategy development will continue in 2026 as the university begins prioritizing actions, aligning resources and preparing the first reporting cycle. 

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Class of 2025 Overcoming Challenges and Walking Across the Stage

More than 2,000 undergraduate and graduate students earned degrees this year, overcoming obstacles and achieving goals, and celebrated their accomplishments with their fellow graduates, families and friends.

Master’s and Doctoral graduates were honored with an on-campus ceremony that featured powerful remarks by ������Ƶ president Joe Bertolino and Master of Social Work graduate Fatima Khawaja. 

Undergraduate students were recognized in two ceremonies at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. Psychology graduate Olivia Bereza shared her story of growth and exploration with her peers during the morning ceremony, and Communication Studies graduate Courtney Combs encouraged the audience to reflect on the lessons they received before turning the tassel in the afternoon.

In both ceremonies, keynote speaker Dwight McBee, the chief patient experience officer at RWJBarnabas Health, reminded the graduates that through struggle comes progress. The 2015 graduate of the Master of Business program encouraged the audience to continue embodying resilience in times of hardship. 

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Supporting Student Success From Beginning to End

This year marks the first for Soar First, a new summer bridge program designed to provide first-year students with stronger foundational math skills prior to entering ���ٴdz���ٴDz�’s science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) academic programs.

Meanwhile, incoming first-year students in the Educational Opportunity Fund program participated in the Summer Academy, a five-week residential program that combines academic instruction, personal development and community building. The academy has proven itself to be effective both statistically, with a 4% higher retention rate, and anecdotally, through the success stories of students who felt the program was helping them create familial legacies.

The support doesn’t end after their first year on campus – initiatives like the Summer Experience: Live-Work-Learn Program allow students to stay on campus during the summer months while working in Atlantic City businesses and taking a series of career-readiness training modules.

Finally, as students prepare for post-graduate networking and career opportunities, they no longer have to worry about finding professional attire, thanks to ���ٴdz���ٴDz�’s Career Education and Development’s new suit closet. Suit jackets, slacks and skirts are available to students who have booked an appointment to browse the racks through Ospreys Navigate. 

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Receiving Generous Grants for Pivotal Programs and Centers

Several new grants received by professors and instructors in 2025 demonstrated why ������Ƶ emphasizes research opportunities for its faculty and students. 

The ������Ƶ Maple Project from the United States Department of Agriculture toward improving the marketing of domestic-made maple syrup both in New Jersey and in Vermont.

A $500,000 grant from the National Science Foundation allowed Assistant Professor of Biology Lauren Seyler to take a group of students into the Pine Barrens to where huge collections of bacteria grow that either use iron as an energy source or respire it in the same way humans do oxygen.

Thanks to a nearly $300,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Professor of Literature Deborah Gussman has been able to work with co-editors and a group of ������Ƶ graduate and undergraduate students on an Catharine Maria Sedgwick letters.

The nonprofit Parkinson Voice Project provided $50,000 to the university’s Speech and Hearing Clinic to provide free therapy to people with Parkinson’s Disease, the world’s fastest growing neurological disorder. As part of the commitment, as New Jersey’s SPEAK OUT! Therapy and Research Center.

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Expanding Pathways to Degree Completion Through New Partnerships

The university worked to increase access to a four-year degree through a series of agreements with other institutions throughout the state and nearby. 

������Ƶ joined the New Jersey Prior Learning Assessment Network (NJ PLAN) powered by Thomas Edison State University, which helps students earn college credit for what they already know. Through NJ PLAN, students can be assessed for college-level knowledge acquired outside the traditional classroom – whether through work, military training, community service, independent study or other life experiences. The results are faster degree completion, reduced tuition costs and less student debt.

A new partnership with Northeast College of Health Sciences in New York provides opportunities for ������Ƶ students interested in pursuing careers in chiropractic care or nutrition science. The agreement offers multiple ways for ������Ƶ students to save time and money by completing a health-related bachelor’s degree at ������Ƶ and then enrolling in Northeast’s Doctor of Chiropractic or Master of Science in Applied Clinical Nutrition programs.

Agreements with Ocean County College, Brookdale Community College and Bucks County Community College (Pa.) introduced or extended dual admission and Transfer Pathways that will help students make a smooth transition from the two-year college to ���ٴdz���ٴDz�’s bachelor’s degree programs.

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Celebrating Philanthropic Support for Our Campus

������Ƶ students cotinue to benefit from generous donors through campaigns organized by the ������Ƶ Foundation, includingwhich raised more than $600,000 in October. In all, 1,446 donors contributed $608,852, benefiting 140 initiatives across the university. Both the number of donors and the amount raised at ������Ƶ. 

The annual Scholarship Benefit Gala for the first time in 20 years on April 26. Nearly 500 attendees pledged support, raising more than $330,000 toward student scholarships.

For the fourth straight year, Spencer’s and Spirit donated $250,000 to the ������Ƶ Foundation, bringing the company’s total giving to $1 million.

Additionally, longtime Atlantic City residents and business owners Anthony and Rita Mack for undergraduates through their A&R Mack Foundation.

Other major gifts this year include a by Senator Bill and Ginny Gormley and Lee and Sandra Levine to support the Master of Social Work program, and a $100,000 gift from the to create an endowed scholarship for undergraduates interested in studying privacy law, cybersecurity and criminal justice.

Distinguished Professor of Literature Tom Kinsella donated $50,000 to to support the Special Collections at ������Ƶ.

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Standing Out in National Rankings

������Ƶ was included in multiple collegiate rankings this year for its high graduation rates and support for transfer and veteran students.

U.S. News & World Report ranked ������Ƶ No. 84 out of 225 public colleges and universities in the nation and No. 158 out of 434 on the Best National Universities list. ������Ƶ was also listed as a top 40 national university for social mobility based on enrolling and graduating low-income students.

Additionally, The Chronicle of Higher Education ranked ������Ƶ among the top 50 public universities nationally for its graduation rates of Pell Grant-eligible students. Pell Grants are a federal indicator of financial need. ���ٴdz���ٴDz�’s 72% six-year graduation rate for Pell recipients is nearly double the national average of 39.1%.

Washington Monthly selected ������Ƶ No. 57 (out of 369) in its Best Bang for the Buck rankings in the Northeast and No. 117 (out of 1,421) for Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars. Money magazine listed ������Ƶ as one of its Best Colleges, and Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society named the university to the Transfer Honor Roll for its transfer-friendly policies for community college students.

U.S. Veterans Magazine listed ������Ƶ as a , and the university in the country among small public schools in the 2025-26 Military Friendly School survey. 

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Cheering On Our Ospreys

The past year was very successful for ������Ƶ athletics, both on and off the field. A school-record 143 student-athletes qualified for the 2024-25 New Jersey Athletic Conference All-Academic Team for their work in the classroom. 

Senior softball player Nerina Tramp made history by becoming ���ٴdz���ٴDz�’s when she was named to the third team.

Senior baseball player Jordan Nitti and the first to top 200 hits as his finished his career with 208.

In track and field, senior Kayla Kass in the 800 meters, becoming the fourth ������Ƶ woman with at least three All-American honors in track and field and the first to do so solely in running events.

The men’s basketball team finished the season 19-9 and played in the NCAA tournament for the fourth straight year, tying the longest streak in program history. Alum DJ Campbell signed a professional contract to play with KB Apolonia of the Albanian Basketball Superliga, the highest level of basketball in the country. Campbell finished his career as the university’s all-time leading scorer with 2,178 points.

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Being an Anchor Institution and Beautifying Atlantic City

For four years, the ������Ƶ community has come together to enjoy a day of community service, support small local businesses and engage in fellowship.  

This year’s Community Day Clean Up and Party in the Park was held in October, allowing participants to enjoy a crisp breeze and the scenic fall foliage of Atlantic City’s O’Donnell Park.

Volunteers, ranging from students, faculty and staff members to alumni and local community members, worked on all 48 blocks of Atlantic City, picking up litter in neighborhoods and on beaches.

Following the cleanup, over 60 vendors and food trucks set up in O’Donnell Park. Throughout the party, attendees were serenaded by the ������Ƶ Music Union.

Attendees participated in family activities such as pumpkin and face painting, cornhole and a petting zoo complete with sheep and lambs. 

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Honoring the Legacies of Anne Frank and Gail Rosenthal

Gail Rosenthal, the former director of ���ٴdz���ٴDz�’s Sara and Sam Schoffer Holocaust Resource Center, was with the planting of a chestnut tree on campus. 

“I had heard of the work of the Anne Frank Center USA and their Sapling Project, and I just thought a tree grown from the chestnut tree Anne saw outside a window of the Secret Annex and mentioned in her diary would be perfect,” said current center director Irvin Moreno-Rodriguez.

The Sapling Project began in 2009 as an effort to preserve the original tree in Amsterdam by gathering and germinating chestnuts and donating the saplings to organizations dedicated to Frank’s memory. Earlier this year, Anne Frank Center USA approved ������Ƶ as only the 18th location of a sapling in the United States, and the tree was planted in a courtyard on campus during a May 20 ceremony.

More than 200 people attended the ceremony, including Holocaust survivors, Egg Harbor Township elementary school students and members of Rosenthal’s family.

The tree at ������Ƶ will be the centerpiece of a proposed new outside courtyard for students to gather to study or take a break from classes. 

– Story by Stacey Clapp, Mark Melhorn and Loukaia Taylor

– Photos by Susan Allen, Lizzie Nealis and ������Ƶ staff 

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