- Now, joining us for the first time, it will not be the last, is Joe Bertolino, President Joe.

Dr. Bertolino is the President of Stockton University down in South Jersey.

Good to see you, President Joe.

- Good to see you.

Thanks so much for having me, Steve.

Appreciate it.

- You got it.

Describe the university.

- Describe the university.

We are a public regional university here in South Jersey, about 8,600 students.

40% of our students are Pell eligible.

40% of our students are from underrepresented groups, and the vast majority of our students are commuters who come from New Jersey, the South Jersey region in particular.

Like many public regional institutions, I'd say that we are a work, an institution that serves the working class, really.

Most of our students come from working-class families.

That's who they are, and that's what we're about, so.

- And the affordability issue, President Bertolino, huge, disproportionately an issue for your students, correct?

- It is, it is.

The fact that 40% of our students are Pell eligible, I think- - Describe Pell.

It's a financial aid program.

- It is a financial aid program.

So students who fall below a certain threshold essentially are more eligible than others for six to $7,000 in additional aid on top of whatever other state or federal aid or Stockton aid they may receive, so it's pretty significant.

I think it speaks to the mission of our institution and who we are and who we serve.

So we're really providing an education for students and communities that otherwise may not be given the opportunity, so it's important to us.

- President Joe, because you asked me, people are like, "Why is Adubato calling him President Joe?"

I didn't come up with that.

You are called that on campus.

Is that true?

- I am.

I am.

- And is it also true, is it not a fact that you, (laughs) that you move around the campus?

You are seen, you are engaged, involved in very actively in the community of Stockton.

Please, talk about it.

- Very much so.

Actually, this is probably, my students in my community would say, "Well, this is a special day because Joe's wearing a tie."

More often- - You usually don't?

- I usually, I'm not a jacket and tie guy if I can help it.

I'm out and about on campus and in the community all of the time.

It's not unusual for students and faculty and staff to know who I am.

I'm highly visible.

And it drives my staff crazy, quite frankly, following the schedule, because I have a very bad habit of stopping along the way from one point to the next.

So, I think the staff has learned to adjust to build in extra time.

'cause they know I'm gonna stop and speak to as many individuals as possible, especially students.

- How dare you talk to students?

Let me try this thing, Joe.

- Go ahead.

- D,E and I, diversity, equity, and inclusion, not just a policy or a slogan.

It is very real for you.

You're the first openly gay president of a university in this state, if I'm not mistaken.

That matters to the issue of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Talk about that.

- It does matter, but shout out to my good friend, Richard Helldobler, who's the president of William Paterson, who's- - I apologize for that.

- an openly gay man.

But, yeah, this is actually, it's interesting.

This is actually my third college presidency.

And so returning here to South Jersey has been particularly important.

But during my entire both pre-presidential and presidential experience, my focus has been on what we call here the five pillars.

And that is my expectation as president is that every member of our community is treated with dignity, respect, kindness, compassion and civility.

And for me, that's the root of justice, but it's also I think rooted in a value system of an ethic of care.

And so, while there are debates raging about DEI around the country, I don't think it's unreasonable for us to expect our community to care about one another, to focus on treating people with dignity and respect and to engage in conversations and dialogue and listening and trying to understand one another.

I mean, that's the heart of higher education.

It's what we do.

- So, President Joe, since you brought it up, this is where I want to go.

We're taping this at the end of April.

Be seen later.

College campuses, let's just put it this way, it's gonna be very interesting to see how college presidents across this nation deal with the question of free speech and protecting students, not just their rights, but their personal safety.

How the heck, and anyone who thinks, "Well, it's not gonna be on my campus," okay, good for you.

Well, it looks like these are real issues for people who care deeply.

How the heck do you balance, Mr. President, free speech, academic speech, student free speech, and the safety of other students or all students?

- All students, all students and the community- - That's right.

- of all of the individuals that are here- - That's right.

- Not just on campus, but the community that we serve.

Look, it's certainly not an easy time to be a college or a university president.

I've been at this now for 12 years, and I think this is probably the most challenging timeframe for serving as a university or college leader.

I'm really proud of the work that we've been doing here at Stockton.

I think right after the horrendous acts of October the 7th occurred, my immediate response was to bring the community together here at Stockton and really to engage a conversation about what has happened, the pain that individuals on all sides of these issues are experiencing.

My job is to ensure that we are taking care of all of our students, all of our community, regardless of what side of an issue that they believe in.

And more importantly, to make sure that the health and safety and wellbeing on all fronts for all of our community members is being cared for.

So, I think one does that by clearly articulating what I mentioned earlier, our five pillars, if you will.

And secondly, providing opportunity for individuals to share their perspectives, do so in a way that falls within the parameters of the rules and regulations, being consistent across all groups, and then providing opportunities for people to learn, listen and engaged.

We've done that here.

There have been protests here.

Of course there have been.

But you probably haven't heard a lot about them because they've been civil, they have been educational in nature.

We actually brought students in our community together from multiple sides of this issue and other issues, and folks sat for hours at tables within our campus center engaged in dialogue.

That didn't mean that people left agreeing with one another.

That wasn't the point.

- That they listened to each other.

- Listened to each other.

And as educators, that's our responsibility.

How are we providing a space and a safe space for students- - That's right.

- to be able to express themselves and for students to also listen to others and learn and share.

And I think we've done that very well here, and I'm really proud of what we've done.

- You've been listening to and watching Dr. Joe Bertolino, President of Stockton University down in South Jersey right outside of Atlantic City.

President Joe, don't let this be the last time you join us, okay?

- I would love to come back.

Anytime.

- You got it.

I'm Steve Adubato.

That's President Joe.

We'll see you next time.

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