Dear Highlanders and Friends,

Happy Labor Day! I hope you are enjoying this holiday weekend as we prepare for the beginning of the fall semester. Once again, the summer has come and gone in what seems like the blink of an eye, but much was accomplished at NJIT during these past few months.

• NJIT was recognized, along with Princeton, as the only universities in New Jersey to receive a 5-star rating on Money’s annual best colleges list.

• We announced the renaming of our College of Science and Liberal Arts as the Jordan Hu College of Science and Liberal Arts in honor of a historic and transformative gift from Jordan Hu '89, founder and CEO of RiskVal Financial Solutions, LLC, and former member of NJIT's Board of Trustees.

• We named two new permanent deans to their roles at NJIT. Jamie Payton, professor and chair of the Department of Computer and Information Sciences at Temple University, joined NJIT on July 1 as dean of the Ying Wu College of Computing, and following a national search, Interim Dean Gabrielle Esperdy, was named dean of the Hillier College of Architecture and Design.

• We completed searches for a new vice president of human resources (William Brady) and a new general counsel and vice president of legal affairs (Sandy Curko), who both will join us later this fall.

• Two more from our NJIT family have joined the ranks of National Academy of Inventors Fellows, bringing NJIT to a total of 15. Professor Wunmi Sadik and Board Chair Robert Cohen were inducted in June. This distinction is nationally recognized as the highest professional honor awarded to academic inventors.

• And we received notification that alumni Paul Sarlo, Marorie Perry, and Ken Colao will be elected to the National Academy of Construction in October.

Now we have reached what I believe is the most exciting time of the year at a university. Our campus is buzzing with activity as well as new and familiar faces as we begin an academic year filled with optimism and opportunity. I encourage you to embrace the new semester by setting ambitious goals, working passionately towards success, and engaging with our university community. At NJIT, we provide an environment that focuses on the education of the minds and hearts of all our students. This is an incredible time to be at NJIT, and it is my pleasure to welcome you!

Sincerely,

NJIT President Teik C. Lim