Stockton University is getting a new nursing scholarship and help in addressing food and housing insecurity among students, courtesy of Johnson & Johnson.
The company $100,000 to the Stockton University Foundation with half going toward creation of the Johnson & Johnson Nursing Scholarship.
The rest will be split evenly between student housing essentials and funding the Stockton's food assistance program.
“When you invest in nursing scholarships, food security and housing stability, you are not supporting something on the margins. You are strengthening the very foundation of student success,” Stockton University President Joe Bertolino said. “We believe students cannot thrive academically without stability, dignity and a sense of belonging. Through Stockton Cares and other efforts, we work every day to ensure our students have what they need, not just to persist, but to succeed.”
He thanked Johnson & Johnson representatives for believing in the university’s students, about half of whom are first generation and Pell Grant recipients.
“Johnson & Johnson is proud to call New Jersey home, and this donation reflects our commitment to supporting communities and students in South Jersey,” said Adam Taliaferro, director of State and Community Engagement for the company based in New Brunswick, Middlesex County. “While ensuring that students have the stability they need to thrive both inside and outside the classroom, we are also providing innovative and critical resources for the next generation of nurses, leaders, and professionals, which is essential to growing the state’s future workforce.”
Taliaferro and several Johnson & Johnson executives toured the campus last month with Assemblywoman Maureen Rowan, D-Atlantic. They met with community stakeholders and students who will benefit from the donation and visited the food pantry and the nursing program’s simulation suites, which support experiential learning.
“It was my pleasure to recently attend the event at Stockton’s Galloway campus to celebrate Johnson & Johnson’s meaningful investments in Stockton students,” Rowan said. “These investments will support nursing scholarships, address food insecurity through the Osprey Food Pantry and provide students with access to basic housing essentials. As the assemblywoman representing the district where Stockton is located, I am grateful to Johnson & Johnson, not only for their generosity, but also for their continued presence, leadership and commitment to our community.”
From left, Ali Moradi, interim dean of Stockton University's School of Health Sciences; Chris Guiton, Johnson & Johnson Head of Home State Initiatives; Chloe Astin, nursing graduate; Stockton student Christian Bernabe-Estorque; Adam Taliaferro, Johnson & Johnson; Assemblywoman Maureen Rowan; Fizza Seehra, Johnson & Johnson, and Stockton alum John Kalmbach.First-year nursing student Christian Bernabe Estorque called the company's actions commendable.
“Paying for college can definitely be a difficulty for me," the Vineland resident said. "I’m really glad resources like this exist so that students who may not have as much money can get a helping hand.”
Johnson & Johnson’s donation will support initiatives like the Osprey Essentials Program, which provides care packages and other essential services to students in need.
Aury Franco, a senior, was one of the beneficiaries of the Essentials program when she started at Stockton in 2022, and received the care package.
“Honestly, it made a big difference to my journey at Stockton. It made me feel welcomed and supported,” said Franco, a social work major. “It made me feel like someone actually cared about me, even before I started my college journey.”
Taliaferro agreed that students today not only face financial pressures, but they must worry about how to afford groceries and where they are going to live.
“Stockton meets students where they are, and we’re pleased to support initiatives that both augment and remove barriers to student success,” Taliaferro said. “Above all, we want to help students succeed not only in the classroom, but in life.”
