Stockton University’s Plans For Atlantic City Campus On Hold

It seemed like a perfect solution to use an empty casino hotel: turn it into a college. But Stockton University's plans to open a campus at the former Showboat Casino Hotel have hit a massive roadblock in the form of Trump Taj Mahal.

Richard Stockton College, now Stockton University, purchased the closed gambling hall for $18 million last year with grand plans to turn it into a city campus for hundreds of students. However, all of those plans have come to a screeching halt due to a 1998 legal covenant between Caesars, Showboat's former owner, and Trump Taj Mahal. That covenant requires the Showboat property to always be used as a first-class casino and Stockton president Herman Saatkamp says Trump Entertainment Resorts is enforcing that agreement. Saatkamp says the university is trying to work out a deal with Trump, but will be forced to sell the property if an agreement cannot be reached.