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In U.S. News & World Report’s recently released 2022 rankings, Georgian Court University climbed four positions to 109th in the Best Regional Universities North category, up from 113th a year ago and 30 positions higher than in the 2019 rankings.

“Georgian Court continues to make important progress on many fronts, which is what we see reflected in the most recent rankings from U.S. News & World Report,” said GCU President Joseph R. Marbach, Ph.D. “We continue to attract high-achieving high school and transfer students who choose Georgian Court as a place where faculty and staff take a personal interest in their success. Our small class sizes, as noted in the rankings, contribute to that.”

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Georgian Court University welcomes seven new members to its Board of Trustees, beginning this fall. Each is distinguished professionally and in community service. The group shares a strong commitment to Georgian Court’s mission and students.

The lineup of new leaders is exceptionally diverse, from their work in nonprofit, civic, and Catholic organizations to higher education, finance, and corporate industry. Click here to learn more about our new trustees including GCU alumni Joyce Heckman ’83, Alicia Cook ’08, and James E. Andrews ’16.

The start of a new academic year, observed by Convocation 2021 at Georgian Court on August 26, is a celebration of fresh beginnings and achievement. But what if our best plans and dreams for 2021–2022 are upended?

Then and today, Georgian Court strives to provide academic excellence and an exceptional student experience.

During Convocation 2021, GCU’s new and transfer students were pinned, received their class flag, and recited the GCU Student Pledge.

They also heard from someone who, not many years earlier, stood in their shoes: Casey Stoya ’19, who earned a bachelor’s degree in natural sciences, was recently named to the GCU Alumni Board of Directors, and works as a quality control lab technician at Medtronic.

As a transfer student from Brookdale Community College, Ms. Stoya says she was nervous at first on the GCU campus. That didn’t last long. Not only did a new career path become clear to her, “to my surprise and delight, the uniquely warm and welcoming environment at Georgian Court managed to bring me out of my long-protected shell.”

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The Questers organization meets regularly with their local chapters where the highlights are programs focusing on collection, historic story or historic site, often presented by a Quester member, local collector, or other expert. The main focus of the Questers is preservation and restoration. With help from its members, the Questers preserve historical buildings, sites and artifacts for the benefit of the local and global community.

This July, the Georgian Court University Library witnessed the generosity of the local Metedeconk Questers organization when they donated a book celebrating women’s suffrage and the right to vote. Janice Collinson ’70, Metedeconk Questers president and Anne Marie Diehl, recording secretary and former vice president for enrollment at GCU, were among some of the members present for the occasion. To learn more about the Questers organization, click here.

We are saddened to share the news of the passing of Sister Diane Szubrowski, RSM, age 83, former president of the New Jersey Regional Community of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas. Sister died peacefully on July 7, 2021 at McAuley Hall Health Care Center, Watchung, after a brief illness.

Sister Diane graduated from Georgian Court in 1968 and then spent her formative years as an elementary school teacher, administrator, and principal with the Sisters of Mercy. In 1974, she began her service to the religious community. Through the years, she served as principal of St. Francis School in Metuchen and president of the New Jersey Regional Community of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas. She was also a member of the GCU Board of Trustees from 1978 to 1982 and again from 1994 to 2006, serving as chair from 1994 to 1998. In 1994, the community elected Sister Diane president of the New Jersey Regional Community of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, a position she held for 12 years. In addition to these positions, Sister Diane also lent her expertise on the board of trustees for Scully Registration and Finance Center and the American Cancer Society of the Jersey Shore. Sister Diane always returned to the place she held close to her heart – Georgian Court. When she received the Alumni Service Award in 2019, she said, “Part of My heart is here; what I love is the heart and soul of the university. I feel privileged to be part of the Georgian Court Community in keeping the spirit of Mercy alive.” Sister Diane was especially close with the members of the Class of 1968, many Georgian Court faculty and staff, and served at GCU as a donor relations volunteer until 2019.

To make a donation to the Sr. Diane Szubrowski Memorial Scholarship Fund click here.

Latin American Student Organization (LASO) President Alan Rosales ’21, a double major in criminal justice and Spanish, arrived at GCU as a first-generation college student who was undeclared.  And that was just fine.

Alan was already a high achiever. He came to GCU with enough credits—acquired before he graduated from Lakewood High School—to graduate college early. He gravitated toward criminal justice classes and decided to major in the field. Additional time spent with Drs. Jaime Rivera and Kathryn Quinn-Sanchez led Alan to choose a second major, Spanish, alongside his concentration in global justice and society. Doing so allowed the TRIO scholar to blend his passion for human rights and the law, among other subjects. Along the way, he stepped up his participation on campus with GCU’s Council for Diversity and Inclusion.

Alan’s drive for success mirrors that of his cousin, Ashley Rosales ’21, who is the walking definition of perseverance.

Ashley, a Lakewood High School graduate and the oldest of four children, wanted to set an example for her younger siblings. While she was not sure what major to declare initially, she gravitated toward medical imaging sciences and a minor in biology. Ashley eventually changed her focus to education, seeking her degree in natural sciences with a minor in biology.

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Tyrek Cooper ’21 is all about putting in work—in class, in the community, and in his calling: social work. In four short years, he’s worked numerous jobs on campus, held leadership positions, and helped others—just as he was helped before arriving at Georgian Court University.

Tyrek dealt with dyslexia as a youngster. He fought his way from remedial English classes to honors courses at Mainland High School in South Jersey, and attended GCU because of Josephine Carney ’07, a GCU alumna who believed him.

Mrs. Carney encouraged him to push past his learning disability and gave Tyrek extra books and assignments to challenge him. Her husband supported Tyrek as well and gave him odd jobs to help earn money for college. Together, the couple helped him apply to college, celebrated his acceptance, and drove him to campus for the first day of his GCU journey.

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Savannah Ruotola ’21, a marketing major, knows what it means to put the Mercy core values into action—especially compassion—even before graduation. She and her siblings are triplets, and both her brother and sister have autism. Helping the world better understand the autism spectrum and how families thrive in the face of related challenges was the focus of an Instagram campaign she launched in April 2021.

The effort, part of Savannah’s GEN400 service-learning requirement, introduced the world to @TripsAutismAwareness. The social media series of posts, pictures, and infographics were created for sharing beyond Autism Awareness Month.

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Ally Ferry is passionate about dance and wants others to be moved by the art form as well. As a dance major, Ally had many wonderful moments in the GCU studios, but found great joy in performing at the Strand Theater in downtown Lakewood each year, as well as traveling to American College Dance Association events and competitions. Engaging people and making them feel welcome at Georgian Court was one of her passions, and she was a four-year member and recent president of the GCU Campus Activities Board. “It brought me so much joy putting on activities for the whole campus. I also loved being an orientation leader, getting new students excited about their journey, and sharing my love for GCU.” Click here to continue reading.

GCU provided a pop-up COVID-19 vaccine clinic on Monday, May 10. The clinic was aimed at Georgian Court students and staff but was also open to residents of surrounding communities. Twenty-two individuals who took advantage of this opportunity which was organized with a local Walmart and through the help of state Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli, who is also the vice chair of the Georgian Court University Board of Trustees.

President Joseph R. Marbach was the first person to receive a shot at the clinic.

“It is important to really combat COVID so we can get back to in-person instruction. Having recovered from it and knowing what a risk it was to family and friends, I wanted to mitigate the risk and get ahead of it” said Dr. Marbach.

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