Harvey Kesselman has served as Stockton’s president since 2015. But his relationship with the college goes back to its beginnings.
Kesselman was in the first class of then-Stockton State College when it began in 1971.
A photo the Mayflower in Atlantic City, where he had his first classes, still hangs in Kesselman’s office.
“There are no words to accurately express how I feel about my beloved alma mater,” Kesselman said after making his announcement at the Board of Trustees meeting Wednesday.
“My time and tenure with Stockton have been nothing short of amazing, exceeding all of my expectations as a career and a community,” he said.
The couple has seen the school go through lots of changes, from a small college in the Pinelands National Reserve to a sprawling university with locations in Galloway Township, Hammonton, Manahawkin, Woodbine and, in coming full circle, Atlantic City.
Kesselman almost left in 2015, when he was provost and executive vice president.
But the Kesselmans canceled a move Maine, where he would have served as president of the University of Southern Maine, to answer the call for him to takeover leadership of his alma mater.
His career parallels the institution’s growth, from a small college in the Pinelands National Reserve to a world-class university with locations in Galloway, Atlantic City, Hammonton, Manahawkin and Woodbine.
“More than seven years ago, I began my presidency with the guiding principle of students first,” he said. “Together, our dedicated faculty, staff and administrators worked tirelessly with me to deliver on the promise of making a Stockton degree more valuable each and every day.”
Stockton has thrived under President Kesselman’s leadership, the university said in a statement. He shepherded the university through its expansion to Atlantic City and successfully championed equitable funding for public colleges and universities in New Jersey.
“More than 50 years ago, I made a life-changing decision,” Kesselman said. “A decision to explore something new and different, something with promise and possibility, something I knew would be challenging but also transformative. It has proven to be one of the best decisions of my life.”
During his tenure, the university has received INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine’s Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2021, and the 2018 Inclusive Excellence Awards from the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education.
Stockton has earned national recognition as a front-runner in civic learning, community engagement and sustainability, receiving the American Association of State Colleges and Universities’ Excellence in Innovation Award for Sustainability and Sustainable Development in 2016, for Civic Learning and Community Engagement in 2017 and for Regional and Economic Development in 2021.
Kesselman is regarded for his advocacy for higher education and has served on multiple statewide boards, including as chair of the New Jersey Presidents Council, chair of New Jersey Campus Compact, chair of the New Jersey Association of State Colleges and Universities, and co-chair of the Student Success Working Group for the New Jersey Strategic Plan for Higher Education.
Highlights from his presidential tenure include:
Raymond Ciccone, chair of Stockton’s Board of Trustees, thanked Kesselman for his commitment to the university and its 60,000 alumni.
“Stockton would not be the nationally ranked, thriving institution it is today if not for the dedication and hard work of Harvey Kesselman for nearly five decades,” Ciccone said. “He is an extraordinary, strong leader who not only planted himself where he could grow but did the same for this once small college in the Pines.”
Ciccone said the university will initiate a national presidential search in the coming months, and Kesselman will remain at Stockton as President Emeritus and Tenured Professor of Education after the new president is selected.
Kesselman was the first in his family to go to college.
He and his wife raised their children Megan and Aaron in Mays Landing, and he was integral in starting Oakcrest’s crew team.
Kesselman also has a daughter, Danielle Buckley, who recently retired from the Atlantic Count Prosecutor’s Office, where she made state history in her prosecution of human trafficking and help in expunging the records of its victims.
