NJIT's Wellness and Events Center Dedicated to Joel and Diane Bloom
NJIT’s Wellness and Events Center (WEC) has been dedicated with a new name — the Joel and Diane Bloom Wellness and Events Center — for outstanding contributions made by the university’s eighth president and former first lady that span more than three decades.
On Oct. 6, the campus community came together for the naming of NJIT’s world-class 220,000-square-foot multipurpose building, as Joel and Diane Bloom were honored with a dedication ceremony recognizing their “visionary leadership, steadfast advocacy, and years of exemplary service to the university community.”
NJIT President Teik C. Lim and Board of Trustees Chair Robert C. Cohen ’83, ’84, ’87 were among the university officials on-hand, as was a packed billing of alumni and special guest speakers that included Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, N.J. Senate Deputy Majority Leader Paul A. Sarlo and former N.J. Gov. Thomas H. Kean.
Each paid tribute to the former president and first lady who have presided over one of the greatest periods of growth in the university’s history.
“It’s impossible to walk around campus and not find a building that’s been built or renovated through the hard work and dedication of Diane and Joel Bloom. Since your arrival, our university has been transformed physically, academically and demographically,” said Lim, noting that underrepresented minorities account for more than 40% of the university’s first-year students. “We are honored to recognize what you have done for NJIT, especially for the students who will become tomorrow’s innovators and leaders.”
Above: NJIT President Teik Lim and Board of Trustees Chair Robert Cohen unveil a ceremonial plaque honoring Diane and Joel Bloom.
Since opening its doors in 2017, the WEC has come to symbolize the university’s incredible growth overseen by the Bloom administration, which included a 50% increase in student enrollment, 175 new faculty members and more than $400 million in capital projects from the time of Bloom’s appointment as acting president in September 2011 until his retirement and appointment as President Emeritus in June 2022.
“We saw NJIT as a jewel to be discovered, and the WEC as a shining beacon that could provide so much to our students, faculty and the greater community,” said Diane Bloom, a lifelong educator who has personally supported the next generation of NJIT graduates with her husband, funding 10 students with 24 scholarship awards from their own treasury.
“Our goal was to find a way to elevate NJIT’s reputation from a regional university, or one of the country’s ‘best kept secrets’, to a top-ranked national university. … There are so many people to thank in this room,” said the former president. “We’ve reached that goal and under President Lim’s leadership, that’s where we will remain. The future of this university is bright.”
Along with attaining recognition as a Top 100 National University by U.S. News & World Report, NJIT’s research reputation soared under Bloom’s tenure, punctuated by an “R1” designation by the Carnegie Classification which solidified the university’s place among the top research institutions in the U.S.
Bloom’s leadership contributions at NJIT began in 1990 as associate vice president for academic affairs and student services and continued in his role as founding dean of the Albert Dorman Honors College until his presidency.
In the decade that followed, over one million square feet of teaching, research and student life facilities were added to campus — including the acquisition and renovation of the Central King Building, as well as the construction of the 21,000-square-foot Makerspace, the Honors Residence Hall and the state-of-the-art Life Sciences and Engineering Center
Mayor Baraka also credited Bloom with broadening access to STEM education, particularly for under-resourced residents in Newark through NJIT’s Center for Pre-College Programs, and initiatives aiming to dramatically increase the number of Newark students enrolled at NJIT like The Mayor’s Honors Scholars Program and the NJIT/Newark Math Success Initiative.
“You have transformed people's thinking about this institution’s relationship to this great city and the legacy it must leave behind,” said Baraka, a former principal of Newark’s Central High School, which was once located where NJIT’s Central King Building stands today.
Among the many accolades NJIT earned under his presidency, Bloom has often cited its ranking as the #1 university in the United States for student upward economic mobility as a defining moment for the university.
“To me, that is the most important work,” added Baraka. “You’ve touched the lives of young people who would never otherwise get this opportunity … not only their lives, but their family's lives have been transformed and thousands of other kids in this city now believe that they have an opportunity to do the same thing.”
State leaders such as Sarlo and Kean recognized Bloom’s role in driving NJIT to achieve $2.8 billion in annual economic impact on New Jersey, emerging as a leading source of STEM-educated talent for the state’s workforce.
“Today, when I bring up NJIT at the floor of the Senate or a budget meeting and we ask for assistance, the response is, ‘Where do we sign?’ … Joel Bloom is the reason for that,” said Sarlo ’92, ’95, who holds two civil engineering degrees from NJIT.
“The Blooms have been a guidepost for the state and have made the kind of difference that will long be remembered,” said Kean, N.J.’s 48th governor. “I’ve known many university presidents in my career, but this one has been transformational. … When you find someone like that, you have to appreciate them, support them and when they are finished you have to thank them. Thank you, Dr. Bloom.”
