NJIT Earns Minority-Serving Institution Designation

New Jersey Institute of Technology has earned a minority-serving institution (MSI) designation from the U.S. Department of Education. Under the umbrella MSI designation, NJIT has qualified as an Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI) with more than 20% of undergraduate students identifying as Asian American or Pacific Islander (AAPI).

“Receiving this designation confirms NJIT’s long-standing commitment to making education accessible to minority students,” said NJIT President Teik C. Lim. “Diversity, inclusion and equity are cornerstones of our mission and identity at NJIT, and earning MSI status is an important milestone.”

The federal designation opens the door to for NJIT to take advantage of new support levers:

• Access to Federal Grants — Grant programs provide funding to enhance academic programs, student support services, faculty development and institutional capacity, improving retention and graduation rates, along with educational and cultural experiences.
• Enhanced Research Opportunities — The designation can open up research funding opportunities specifically dedicated to AAPI-related research. This can support faculty and student engagement in research projects that explore issues affecting AAPI communities, promote cultural preservation, address health disparities or examine social and economic challenges.
• Increased Networking and Visibility — The designation creates new pathways for collaboration and idea exchange between other AANAPISI institutions and AAPI communities aimed at improving outcomes for AAPI students.

Earning the MSI designation comes as NJIT intensifies its efforts to deepen diversity and ensure equity, inclusion and belonging across the entire campus. Through pre-college programs that create enrollment pipelines for the underrepresented, or staff initiatives to empower minorities to leadership positions, the abundance of efforts reflect the same goal: Serve the students.

The efforts have secured results such as: last fall’s incoming class was its most-diverse ever at 42%; the university created and filled its chief diversity officer position with the hiring of David Jones; and the formation of the Office of Inclusive Excellence, which will serve faculty, staff and students across a broad spectrum of initiatives.

Associated programming and training for members of the campus community, like the recent University Diversity Forum, have been well received. Lim envisions building on this foundation to ensure that NJIT is an institution where opportunities exist for all who bring talent and work ethic.

Lim’s appointment as president further represents the diversity of the institution, as he is the first Asian American and person of color to hold the position. Lim, who immigrated to the U.S. in 1983 often cites the scholarship and the institutional support he received as a launching pad for changing his and his family’s life.

"I grew up with limited means, supported myself through college and became the first member of my family to earn a college degree," said Lim. "A public institution like NJIT is a tremendous engine of social mobility. Talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not. NJIT is a place where students will find incredible opportunities."