ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — The acting president of Stockton University is giving up a university presidency in Maine to help unravel the New Jersey school‘s stalled deal to convert a former Atlantic City casino into a satellite campus.
Harvey Kesselman was named acting president on April 28, with the understanding he would leave Stockton to become president of the University of Southern Maine on July 1.
But Stockton asked him to stay on indefinitely, and the University of Southern Maine agreed to release him from his contract.
Stockton is mired in a thus-far failed deal to convert the former Showboat casino into a satellite campus. President Herman Saatkamp, who engineered the deal, stepped down on medical leave last month.
“Stockton has been a part of me since its founding, and I cannot walk away now,” Kesselman said. “With President Saatkamp on medical leave, the trustees felt they needed someone with thorough knowledge of the university, the region and the state to ensure continuity as we enter the next academic year and maintain our tradition of excellence in education.”
