Gala at the Great Hall

The online registration for the Gala at the Great Hall is now closed. We appreciate your interest and welcome you to please contact gala@monmouth.edu or 732-263-5400 with questions.

Gala at the Great Hall

Dec. 6, 2025 | 6:30 p.m.
The Great Hall

In 1933, during the throes of the Great Depression, Monmouth opened its doors as a junior college to offer quality education to local students aspiring to earn a college degree. Providing deserving students access to higher education, regardless of their economic circumstance, has always been paramount to Monmouth University’s mission. As Monmouth evolved—first into a four-year college, and soon into a nationally ranked university boasting doctoral programs, Division I athletics, and state-of-the-art facilities—our commitment to student access has remained steadfast.

To differentiate ourselves in an increasingly competitive market, Monmouth University aims to become a national leader at integrating excellence and access by becoming the most highly ranked institution with our access measures in our category. To achieve this distinction, Monmouth University must become both more excellent and more accessible, with the support of local, regional, and national friends.

To ensure success, the University has embarked on its largest comprehensive fundraising campaign to date—Excellence. Access. Ambition.—to directly support our strategic plan of the same name. Currently, the University has raised an impressive 95% of our $175 million goal. With approximately $10 million left to raise, this endeavor will be worthy of our best collective efforts.

Event Details

This year, please join Monmouth University on Saturday, December 6, for the Gala at the Great Hall. At this time, we will also recognize Marianne C. Hesse as this year’s President’s Medal recipient in honor of her lifelong commitment to the University.

The evening will feature a seated dinner in Monmouth’s marquee building—the Great Hall—a space and setting befitting of such a special evening. We hope you consider joining us for dinner and entertainment provided by Brian Kirk and the Jirks to help kick off the holiday season while benefiting the Access Fund, which provides scholarship support to students with unmet financial need.

2025 President’s Medal Recipient
Marianne C. Hesse

Marianne C. Hesse exemplifies the enduring impact of leadership grounded in generosity, vision, and service. As executive vice president of the Hesse Companies, she has played a pivotal role in shaping the commercial landscape of New Jersey. Elected as a Monmouth University trustee in 2007, she has been a champion of the student experience. Her support has transformed key campus facilities—among them, the OceanFirst Bank Center, Hesse Hall, Hesse Field on the Great Lawn, and Kessler Stadium—ensuring that Monmouth students benefit from an immersive living and learning environment.

The Hesse family’s legacy of engagement includes her late husband, Charles J. Hesse III, also a respected University trustee, and several grandchildren who are proud Hawks. Her philanthropic legacy extends to endowed scholarship support through the Charles J. Hesse Scholarship and the Nursing Career Distinguished Scholarship, in honor of her good friend Norma Hess, which together expand access and opportunity for generations of students.

In recognition of her remarkable contributions, Monmouth University will confer upon Marianne C. Hesse the President’s Medal—one of its highest honors—at this year’s gala. Her generosity and commitment reflect the ideals at the heart of Monmouth’s mission, and her steadfast leadership is deeply deserving of such distinction and celebration.