Johnson & Johnson recently donated $100,000 to the Stockton University Foundation to fund a new nursing scholarship and expand programs addressing food and housing insecurity among students.
Half of the donation from the New Brunswick-based pharmaceutical and medical technology company will establish the new Johnson & Johnson Nursing Scholarship, while $25,000 will support student housing essentials and another $25,000 will help fund the university’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,” said Stockton University President Joe Bertolino.
“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.”
President Bertolino also 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 at Johnson & Johnson.
“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, was joined by Assemblywoman Maureen Rowan and several Johnson & Johnson executives, including NJBIA board member Chris Guiton, for a tour of Stockton’s campus and to visit the food pantry and the nursing program’s simulation suites.
“What Johnson & Johnson is doing is so commendable,” said first-year nursing student Christian Bernabe-Estorque, from Vineland. “Paying for college can definitely be a difficulty for me. 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,” Taliferro said. “Above all, we want to help students succeed not only in the classroom, but in life.”
Photo caption: (L-R) Ali Moradi, interim dean of Stockton University's School of Health Sciences; Chris Guiton, Johnson & Johnson Head of Home State Initiatives; Stockton students Chloe Astin and Christian Bernabe-Estorque; Adam Taliaferro, Johnson & Johnson Director State & Community Engagement, Home State Initiatives; state Assemblywoman Maureen Rowan (D-2); Fizza Seehra, Johnson & Johnson Senior Manager Government Affairs, Home State Initiatives; and Stockton alum John Kalmbach, a senior recruiting specialist for Johnson & Johnson. – Photo credit: Abbigail Erbacher/Stockton University.
