Center for Pre-College Programs at NJIT Celebrates the Big 4-0!

This year marks four decades of NJIT’s Center for Pre-College Programs (CPCP) providing STEM education and college preparedness to rising fourth- through 11th-grade students in New Jersey. With NJIT Chemical Engineering Professor Emeritus Howard Kimmel as a lead figure in its development, CPCP was founded with the aim to “increase access to scientific and technological fields among traditionally underrepresented populations and to improve the teaching of science and mathematics in secondary and elementary schools.”

Annually, more than 3,000 students and their teachers benefit from CPCP’s academic-year and summertime programs and services. And a significant number of CPCP alumni have gone on to become engineers, scientists, financiers, physicians, teachers and more.

To mark the milestone, the center held an anniversary celebration on campus July 9 that first welcomed advisory board members and other guests at a reception, and continued with a three-hour party for CPCP students — replete with balloons, ice cream, a DJ and photo booth — where the energy was palpable.

“Administrators, faculty and staff at NJIT have never waivered in their support for the center. Today’s celebration is an opportunity for the advisory board, the leadership and staff to say thank you to our NJIT community and partners on behalf of the students we all serve,” said CPCP Executive Director Jacqueline Cusack at the reception.

NJIT President Joel S. Bloom, an early advocate of CPCP, heralded Kimmel as a “superstar” for envisioning and establishing the center, and emphasized the university’s ongoing commitment to pre-college education. “That commitment has to be redoubled, not just today, but every year,” he said.

“With Dr. Cusack and her staff, the program has demonstrated how well it is promoting STEM to middle and high school students and even teachers,” remarked Nitin Parekh, chair of CPCP’s advisory board for the past three years. “NJIT is a hidden gem and the program provides the opportunity to develop and enhance curiosity for young minds toward securing better professional pathways [in STEM].”

Here’s a look at the festivities.