Stockton's Altier Going Home to Florida

Matthew Altier is going back to the state in which he spent much of the 1990s working to take a position identical to the one he currently holds.

And it doesn’t hurt that he’ll be able to spend the holidays on the beach.

The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey announced on Tuesday that Stockton Associated Services Inc.'s (SASI) president and vice president for administration and finance, 

Associate Vice President for Administration and Finance Robert D’Augustino will take over Altier’s role on an interim basis.

“Bob has been with me since Day One, and we’ve worked closely together on all the projects,” Altier said.

These projects included the purchase and subsequent renovation of the Seaview Dolce Resort, the establishment of a satellite campus for the college in Hammonton, and establishing a partnership with the Noyes Museum of Art.

West Florida is a Division II university that has its eye on public-private partnerships. It’s a public university of about 12,000 students on 1,600 acres of land, and, according to Altier, it “wants to expand.”

“They want to expand their athletic program,” Altier said. “They want to expand their military education services. There are a lot of military installations near the campus.”

When Altier first came to Stockton from California State University, Sacramento, he took the role of vice president for administration and finance. It wasn’t until he was already on campus that he took on the role of SASI president. It was in this role that Altier gained notoriety both for Stockton and for himself.

“A lot of what we’re doing makes the news, and that makes it easier to find,” Altier said. “We’ve had a lot of high profile projects, and that has been getting noticed.”

And it’s allowing Altier to return to a place he enjoyed so much in the 1990s, when he worked for Florida International University and lived in Miami.

“I lived in Miami for many years and I loved it,” Altier said. “When I moved out, I always kept my eye open. This position came up and I tried for it.”

It all happened over the last few weeks.

“I saw they had placed an ad for this position,” Altier said. “I thought Florida would be nice. It’s a good position with a good university and I put in my resume.”

Altier got married last year. His wife is a Pennsylvania native.

“She loves the idea of a warmer climate,” Altier said. “ … It’s a wonderful location. It’s a wonderful personal and professional move.”

He will also always value the three years he spent at Stockton.

“I’m proud of the team I worked with here,” Altier said. “Everyone was willing to try new things. I’m going to miss them.”