Message from President Bloom: COVID-19 Update

NJIT Community Members,

With a deep concern for the health and safety of our campus community, and knowledge of the needs of many of NJIT's students as well as our applied and hands-on curriculum, we began the Fall semester on September 1, 2020. We did so with a comprehensive and multifaceted plan developed with the input of our students, faculty, and staff to bring some to campus for in-person learning while others remained off-campus for converged and remote learning. We recognized, though, that we needed to remain vigilant and be prepared to adapt quickly, if it became necessary. Today, I am pleased to note that we have completed eight weeks of classes thus far and have been experiencing a productive semester. In order for this to continue, we must adhere to the protocols that are keeping our community safe and preventing significant spread of COVID-19 on our campus, and we must apply the lessons we have learned to the weeks ahead and to our preparations for the upcoming Spring semester.

Understanding that our primary focus must be on navigating the present challenges and preparing for those that will arise in the future, I nevertheless want to reflect upon some of what has been accomplished throughout this semester and take a moment to recognize some noteworthy actions and outcomes:

• We have seen the return of more than 3,000 students, faculty, and staff to our campus on a daily basis for in-person and converged-learning, research and access to laboratories, and the provision of critical support services. Thanks to the responsible behavior of our community members and to the protocols we have put in place for social distancing, use of face coverings, and aggressive surveillance testing that includes waste water testing of the residence halls, air particulate and surface testing, and other efforts, we have avoided any outbreaks that would significantly disrupt our educational, research, and economic development efforts. Our pandemic recovery website continues to serve as a source for the most updated information, including our COVID dashboard, pandemic recovery plan, recent announcements, and other important items.
   
• NJIT has hosted several successful virtual events this semester, including Convocation and a career fair attended by more than 115 companies, government agencies, and nonprofits. Among the participants were Facebook, Colgate-Palmolive, Merck, CenturyLink, the FBI, General Dynamics, Turner Construction, the New York State Department of Transportation, Reckitt Benckiser, Infosys, the Naval Air Systems Command, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
   
• Recently, NJIT has earned several accolades. In September, we were ranked among the top third of National Universities in the annual U.S. News and World Report college and university rankings. And just last week, NJIT was named by U.S. News among the best international universities in the 2021 edition of the publication’s global college and university rankings. Only six colleges and universities from our state earned this distinction. In addition, The Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education College Rankings for 2021 placed NJIT second among public universities in New Jersey.
   
• Just one month after regional business publication ROI-NJ named five NJIT administrators Higher Education Influencers, the outlet recognized Treena Livingston Arinzeh and Angela Garretson as 2020 ROI Influencers: People of Color.
   
• The improvement of our physical campus and the surrounding area also has moved forward. We announced a new 500-bed apartment-style residence hall that will be built on the southwest corner of Warren and Wickliff Streets. Details can be found here, including a video depicting the joint vision of NJIT and the developer for the project. Additionally, the Mueller’s Flower Shop building, an antiquated wooden structure in severe disrepair, was acquired by NJIT, and we are planning to have it razed this fall, eliminating a potential fire and public safety hazard. The building will be converted into an attractive green space at the edge of campus on a temporary basis. A description of other recent or planned physical plant improvements can be found here.
   
• For still more positive news, I encourage you to read the new digital issue of NJIT Magazine at  https://magazine.njit.edu/.

While I am encouraged by the progress NJIT continues to make, even during turbulent times such as these, I am cognizant of the challenges that remain and the work that needs to be done. With regard to the COVID-19 pandemic, we cannot rest upon our early achievements. We must be diligent in our planning and execution, and we must find opportunities to further enhance the learning experiences of our students while keeping health and safety at the forefront of our planning. We also must be prudent in our financial planning and determined in the development of revenue sources that support our academic and research mission. Institutions of higher education have been hit hard financially as a result of this pandemic, and not long ago I authored an op-ed that was published in the Star-Ledger, NJ.com, and ROI-NJ regarding the State of New Jersey’s need to invest in STEM education. STEM is the foundation of our state economy and the cost of delivery for STEM programming far exceeds that of non-STEM, but the return on investment is far greater. We are making this case to state governmental and industry leadership. 

We still are in the midst of a difficult time, but we will continue to do what NJIT trains its students to do--identify the challenges, work hard, and find or create solutions.

It has been a pleasure to see many of you on campus over the last two months, and I look forward to seeing many more in the months ahead. As always, I am impressed with our university community, particularly during this semester. We have worked collaboratively, creatively, and diligently. I thank each and every one of you for your contributions to NJIT’s on-going progress. You are greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

NJIT President Joel S. Bloom