On Saturday, April 25, 2026, The College of New Jersey announced the public launch of The Campaign for TCNJ: Elevating Excellence.
With a goal of raising $76 million, the campaign — the second in TCNJ’s history — has so far raised a total of $41,893,807, already surpassing the halfway mark. The six-year effort will run through June 2028.
A combination of endowed and annual giving will support the campaign’s four key priorities:
- Access and Affordability: scholarships to reduce the burden of college costs for students with financial need
- Academic Enrichment: elevating TCNJ’s high-impact practices like mentored undergraduate research, community-engaged learning, study abroad, and faculty support
- The Student Experience: supporting students’ holistic development through co-curricular programming, wellness resources, leadership development, and athletics
- Capital Projects: investing in modern, flexible facilities to meet the evolving needs of students and faculty
For students like Cooperman Scholar Lynne Abraham ’26, the campaign’s focus on access and opportunity is deeply personal. “Financial support isn’t really just about covering costs, it’s about creating access,” Abraham said. “It’s about giving us the freedom to say ‘yes’ to opportunities that shape our futures.”
Abraham, whose Cooperman Scholarship was created during TCNJ’s first campaign, will take the next steps toward her future as a post-baccalaureate research fellow at Harvard Medical School, where she plans to pursue a career in neuroscience — a trajectory made possible in part through philanthropic support.
Among the gifts announced publicly for the first time on Saturday were $4 million from TCNJ President Emerita R. Barbara Gitenstein and her husband, Donald Hart, $3 million of which will be used to support undergraduate student research.
“Don and I believe very strongly in the power of higher education, and particularly the power of higher education at a place just like TCNJ,” Gitenstein said. “Why? Because of the faculty commitment, because of the staff commitment, and because of the special students that come to TCNJ. Higher education is the engine of democracy. It is the engine of innovation, and we have to remain committed to that.”
An additional $1 million from Gitenstein and Hart will be split evenly between two previously created funds: the Gitenstein–Hart Sabbatical Prize and the R. Barbara Gitenstein–Donald Hart Library Endowment. In total, the couple’s $4 million gift is not only this campaign’s largest, but also among the largest private gifts in the college’s history.
“The excellence that we’re looking to elevate through this campaign has much to do with the academic transformation that Bobby led during her tenure as TCNJ’s 15th president,” TCNJ president Michael A. Bernstein said.
And thanks to the campaign’s early success, the college will begin construction of an annex to the Music Building later this year. The $2 million project is being funded entirely through philanthropy, including significant gifts from Professor Emeritus Herbert “Buddy” Mayo, President Bernstein, and the TCNJ Alumni Association Board. The building will serve as a much-needed permanent rehearsal hall for TCNJ’s student music ensembles.
The campaign’s strong start also reflects a growing culture of philanthropy at TCNJ.
“It’s worth noting that we’ve already exceeded our previous campaign’s $40 million goal,” said campaign co-chair Gloria Weissbart ’78. “This is a testament to the culture of philanthropy that the ‘Innovate, Inspire, Engage’ campaign helped create. It serves as a solid foundation as we seek to ‘Elevate Excellence.’”
That foundation was built through years of outreach and engagement across the TCNJ community, said campaign co-chair Elaine Rocha ’95.
“Over the past several years, we spent extensive time engaging our alumni, academic and campus leaders, and friends of the college on the campaign’s vision and critical priorities,” she said. “What we heard was deeply encouraging: People believe in TCNJ and its mission and stand ready to support this campaign.”
For all three co-chairs, the campaign is also deeply personal.
“Gloria, Elaine, and I couldn’t be more honored to lead this effort,” said Christine Berk ’89, campaign co-chair. “This college has meant so much to each of us. With the support of our dedicated staff and volunteers, we look forward to helping ‘Elevating Excellence’ achieve all its goals.”
