Mary DeRose, Editor-in-Chief of The Argo, sat down for a sixty minute interview with President Joe Bertolino on Friday, September 12, just one day after Stockton’s nearly three hour shelter-in-place due to a road rage shooting in Galloway. In light of that event, a conversation that was initially intended to discuss the monetary and academic changes of Stockton began with a breakdown of the school’s safety measures.

Stockton’s protocol in the event of an active shooter

Bertolino first recounted the events that transpired on September 11, which according to Galloway Police Department’s statement, involved 46-year-old Port Republic native, Ernest W. Heinz’s, arrest for the attempted homicide of Maritza Arias-Galva. Heinz shot Arias-Galva in the face after an “isolated road rage incident,” but as he escaped north down Vera King Ferris Drive onto campus, Stockton Police put the school into a shelter-in-place.

“We did not have an active shooter […] and so I will acknowledge that I think we have some work to do in educating folks and giving people, moving forward, instructions,” Bertolino stated.

He highlighted that a shelter-in-place differs from a lockdown, as the former means that the incident is “not necessarily a threat to the members of the community as much as it is [a] ‘let’s stay where we are so the police can do what they need to do.'”

Bertolino revealed that Stockton Police assisted Galloway P.D. in the eventual seizing of Heinz in the Blue Heron Pines Development through the use of campus road cameras and license plate readers. “We actually have a pretty high tech system, so we were able to use our system to assist Galloway in identifying the perpetrator,” The president revealed.

Many students, however, took their concerns to social media and President Bertolino himself—a mass aggravation stemming from the lack of door locks both inside and outside the classroom doors. To this, Bertolino said the following: “The doors do lock. The first goal is to get everyone sheltered, right? If it elevates to a more dangerous situation, an active shooter for example, we would declare a lockdown. Now, lockdown doesn’t help unless we have people sheltered in place first […] as soon as we declare a lockdown, there is a red button that [Stockton PD] will push that locks every door on this campus. Every one. And [there will be] public announcements across the entire campus that we’re locking down, potential active shooter, stay where you are, duck, find cover, etcetera. All of that happens automatically.”

“I think folks were waiting for that,” Bertolino said, “and I understand why they may have been. And because that didn’t happen, they assumed we don’t have it. I get all of that, and in some ways this situation and the response provides us with an opportunity to say, first of all, yes, our top priority is everyone’s safety, and yes, we do have all of these things in place.”

Bertolino also addressed the questions pertaining to the Wi-Fi, communication systems, and speed in which the Stockton community was notified: “We’re doing the analytics on that now, because all of our communication systems worked. […] What I anticipate, and even though we have all of the information on our web page, what we will be doing next is reintroducing all of this information.”

He then disclosed that there were already plans to implement active shooter trainings later this semester, but given recent events, he will be “bumping those up to almost immediately.”

Stockton Police and local law enforcement are the ones in control of making the choice between a shelter-in-place and a lockdown, not Bertolino or his staff. According to the president, “[Stockton] has someone 24 hours a day, seven days a week in [a] room that monitors everything and all the emergency buttons in reach.”

A reflection of the 2024-25 academic year and looking ahead

Upon entering his third year as Stockton’s president, Bertolino warmly reflected on the previous academic year. Firstly, he commended the progress of the Richard E. Bjork Library renovation, stating that in a year when it opens, “people are going to be very, very happy with what they see there.”

Likewise, he revealed that there are developing conversations and strategies regarding beautifying residence halls like Housing 1, the academic spine, and Stockton’s other “dated” facilities.

Bertolino’s proudest news, though, was that Stockton ended last year with a “modest budget surplus.” In Fall of 2024, there was a projected $20 million deficit, but the year ended with a surplus of about $300,000. Cash on hand—or as Bertolino refers to it, the school’s “savings account”—also came in near $22 million when it was projected to be between $10 million and $15 million. This, alongside investments that did “substantially well,” mean that Stockton has “a cushion in case there are issues with our funding at the state.”

Stockton saw cuts that were “modest, but nothing of significance.” Throughout the course of last year, Bertolino went to and from Trenton, communicating with Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin to ensure that Stockton would retain most, if not all, of its state financing.

He also expressed new mediums to strengthen Stockton’s publicity, commending the Public Relations campaign for their work in acquiring billboards, bus and train wraps, and commercials on Philadelphia main networks, including Channel 6 and Channel 10.

Additionally, $5 million were raised for the university—$1 million over the initial goal set—and Bertolino expressed his gratitude and happiness with Dr. Palladino’s work in Academic Affairs during his first year as Provost. “We are hiring a whole new cadre of Deans, which I think is going to be significant for the academic enterprise here at the University,” said the president.

“So, lots of change going on,” Bertolino mused, rounding out his reflection, “I know that can be unsettling for people, but it can also be very exciting.”

How finances and the Strategic Plan will impact Stockton students

When asked what students need to know about university finances, specifically whether or not their scholarships or programs will be affected, Bertolino began by addressing the former of the two concerns.

“We’ve actually invested more money in scholarships. Last year, we provided additional dollars for housing incentives. We increased our internal financial aid budget outside of what someone gets from the state of federal government. When I came here, it was at $24 million. This year it’s at $30 million.”

In regards to classes, Bertolino stated that “the scheduling process will become a lot easier” with the implementation of a new software entitled Coursedog. He also chalked course cuts and changes up to “consolidation,” where instead of having multiple classes with fewer students, there will be less classes but with larger enrollment. Student data is heavily utilized, as he mentioned the importance of utilizing all campuses, not just Galloway, for academic accessibility.

“We have about 500 students that drive past Kramer Hall in Hammonton to come here to take their classes. So the question was, ‘well, what classes are those students taking?’ And will it make sense for us to offer a couple of those classes in Hammonton? […] The same holds true for Atlantic City, so students are always going to come to Galloway, but if there’s an opportunity to make the travel options lighter, then I think that’s something we want to do,” Bertolino explained.

He harped on expansion being a priority for Stockton programs and classes, as well as expressing a desire for students to have the ability to plan out their entire academic years at once, rather than one semester at a time. The January and summer terms can also expect to see growth in order to benefit the time of students.

Preserving academic freedom and free speech at Stockton

Last spring, Bertolino signed the public statement “A Call for Constructive Engagement” in the wake of Executive Orders targeted towards higher education. When asked what this action meant to preserving campus identity and course structure, Bertolino revolved his answer around one statement: “I am not going to dictate curriculum.”

He broke down the jobs of him, Dr. Terricita Sass, and Dr. Palladino: “[Palladino] runs the academic enterprise. Dr Sass is the Chief Operating Officer, and my job is finding resources, raising money, talking to legislators, being the public face of the institution, and building relationships so that folks will invest.” Curriculum will always be controlled by the faculty, and he vows to never veer from Stockton’s mission and values.

However, as Stockton is a public institution, federal orders may result in changes to preserve the ability to educate. “But,” Bertolino said, “a lot of the changes that come through the Executive Orders were not and are not law. Most of them are being challenged in court anyway.”

Stockton’s position requires them to answer to the attorney general and governor for guidance, and Bertolino said the school will not alter its course of action, “until the attorney general says to me, ‘Joe, I’m sorry, you’re going to have to make some changes.’ If that time comes, then what will happen is I will assemble the leadership of the university, our faculty leadership, our student leadership, our staff leadership, and I’ll say, ‘here’s the directive we have received.'”

While some community members are avid believers in protest and rejection, Bertolino “needs folks to understand what [protesting] means. Because it’s more than just ‘I’m standing up for something.’ It is far more complex.” To support this, he referenced the $70 million in federal funding the school receives each year, all of which go to student financial aid.

“My question becomes ‘what are we willing to sacrifice for that?’ My goal is to both stand by our values, find a way to continue to stand by our values even in the midst of change, but ensure that our students get the support of the resources they need and are safe,” He said.

Bertolino also commented that the Stockton community is politically diverse, with some being left of center and others right of center. “I do not want to put us in a situation where a target is put on our back that jeopardizes the safety and well being of our students, period. […] Does that mean that I always agree with everything? Of course it doesn’t, but I don’t have the luxury of being able to say ‘this is what I believe, therefore.’ As long as I am sticking to the values of our institution, I am communicating and working with the members of our community.”

He also highlighted one of the pillars of academic freedom being the ability to fight for each other’s freedom of speech despite difference in opinion: “I teach a leadership class and folks always say, ‘oh, you’re going to let a controversial speaker [in].’ I said, ‘first of all, who is a controversial speaker? Depending on your belief system, right?’ […] So if I can’t allow that here on this campus, then where is it going to be?”

Bertolino believes in the importance of speech, truth, and debate on campus. “I tell students in my class […] you can listen, hear the other person’s perspective, then debate. You can choose not to listen and hold another event that provides a different perspective, but my ideal world? I’d love to have an unbiased moderator in the middle and both folks share their perspective and people go up and ask questions and there’s respectful dialogue. That’s why universities exist.”

He expressed that consistency matters when it comes to academic freedom and freedom of speech, and that when it comes down to a protest or demonstration request, no side should be pandered to. “They need to have equal opportunity and the parameters need to be the same,” Bertolino concluded.

Bertolino’s take on the woes of Stockton dining

Stockton’s new dining initiative, including the use of kiosks and mobile ordering on the Boost Mobile app rather than ordering at the counter, did not get off to a smooth start this fall semester. Students often were late to class due to their order wait time or unable to eat for long hours of the day. Bertolino plainly admitted this start “was not a particularly good moment for us.”

After the backlash, Bertolino took meetings with Student Senate and Dining Services about how to make dining easier for students, “so [students] will notice some changes and some clean outs.” However, he confessed the changes were initially made to solve the problem of lines bottlenecking at the popular venues of Chick-Fil-A and Dunkin’ Donuts.

“In theory, students are used to going to kiosks, doing the mobile app, [so] can we institute that? That sounds like a great idea, terrific! But I will say that I don’t think our food service vendor was prepared. I don’t think the staff was ready for the bombardment that they would receive.”

Bertolino confessed that Jennifer Potter would have better answers than him, but overall, hopes that students can adapt to the mobile app, that there can be more staff delegated to the venues, and that the kiosks will become user friendly and quicker with time.

Shortly after the interview wrapped, Dining Services announced via email that the Chick-Fil-A Grab-n-Go system has been reinstated, eliminating the kiosk there through Spring of 2026.

The new Chartwells contract also allows for a refresh and expansion of both Chick-Fil-A and Dunkin’ Donuts. This change, Bertolino predicts, will be put off until the summer since the refurbishment would require the food services to close for approximately 10 weeks.

Meal plans also saw a change this year, the reason being that the food service department was hemorrhaging money. While it is typical for colleges to break even on their food investments, Stockton—by the time the third party vendors were paid—was short $2 million at Bertolino’s arrival.

Student Senate was helpful in negotiating the plans to try and benefit the students, leading Bertolino to remind students of the importance of communicating any and all issues with the Student Senators, as they work directly with the school administrations.

Academic accessibility and the price of campus construction

Part of Bertolino’s Strategic Plan relies not just on renovating the campus, but serving a diverse class of students. 55% of the incoming Fall 2025 class are first generation college students, and for students who are Pell eligible, Stockton is ranked in the top 50 nationally.

“We do serve a particular demographic of student, so the strategic plan focuses on, again, our financial stability. And so my focus is not only our relationship with state and federal government and funding sources there, but also our philanthropic efforts,” Bertolino said.

He disclosed that he knows the majority of Stockton is made up of students who come from working-class Atlantic County families, so he believes “that as a result, we have a moral responsibility to the community in which we reside.” This moral responsibility comes in the form of assessing and reassessing the modalities of academics, the quality of course work, and affordability.

On the other hand, infrastructure and refurbishment are expensive concerns that make or break a campus community. Bertolino is aware of the changes needed, but he laments the following: “If I wanted to fix everything we needed to fix on this campus tomorrow, I would probably need $250 million, if not more.”

He inferred that redoing all of Housing 1 would take around $70-$80 million, where as the floors of the academic spine would come in around $5 million. He disclosed that recent state funding has gone to behind-the-scenes maintenance such as roofing, boilers, and a new water tank. Until it can be financially possible to undertake large projects, the campus will utilize aesthetic touch ups like framed artwork, murals, and furniture to clean up the spaces.

A comprehensive campaign hopes to be the answer for this money, however the students currently enrolled at Stockton seemingly won’t reap the benefits. Four years from now in 2029, Stockton will be celebrating its 60th anniversary, so Bertolino’s goal is to see what can be accomplished by then when looking at long-term, massive projects.

“My hope is that folks will come back as alumni and be proud of what they see,” Bertolino said.

The support of alumni and concluding thoughts

Alumni have been a driving force in off setting the debt of the university, and Bertolino utilized time last year to travel around the country and connect with successful graduates.

Bertolino traveled to California, New York, Chicago, Houston, and Florida, meeting alumni at various conferences and meetings. His trip to Florida over the 2025 spring break, however, resulted in one alumni donating $1.5 million back to the university. “I think we would be amazed at the number of folks who are highly successful, who just haven’t been in touch, or who we haven’t been in touch with,” he confessed.

To round out the interview, Bertolino was asked to provide advice for students trying to navigate themselves amidst a world teeming with bad news. He cited the following: “I would remind students that one, you’re not alone, two, surround yourself with people you care about and who care about you. The greatest gift that you can give people is your time. And so there are a lot of things that you can’t control, but take responsibility for what you can control.”

“How you treat others, how you act, how you react […] there’s a lot going on in the world, and it can be overwhelming and upsetting. Look, I sit down and I’ll watch the videos or television or listen to serious radio, and thank goodness there isn’t a camera in my car because I react, and that’s natural, that’s human nature. The question is: what do I do with all of that? When I step out of the car and when I’m with others, does what I do or what I say make people’s lives better? Add to the discourse? Does it hurt others?”

Bertolino relies heavily on the support and love from his husband of 32 years, son, and three grandchildren. He urged students to take care of themselves and the people that matter to them; highlighting the importance of not taking love for granted, Bertolino traced all of his sentiments back to Stockton’s Ethic of Care.

“I think it takes a lot of strength and courage to treat people with dignity, respect, kindness, compassion, and civility, especially people you don’t particularly agree with and that you are not particularly fond of,” Bertolino concluded. “When you do that […] you are keeping your power. When you don’t do those things, you are giving that power to somebody else.”

Be sure to attend President Bertolino’s State of the University Address on October 6 at 2 p.m., either in the Campus Center Theater or on Zoom. There, he will discuss more of the Strategic Plan and field questions from the community.