ROI-NJ Honors NJIT Leaders and Donor, President Bloom Named Education Influencer of the Year
Three leaders at New Jersey Institute of Technology are featured in ROI-NJ’s annual recognition of education influencers, including President Joel S. Bloom, who was named Influencer of the Year.
The other honorees were Provost and Senior Executive Vice President Fadi P. Deek and Simon Nynens, CEO of New Jersey Innovation Institute, an NJIT corporation that spurs business growth. In addition, ROI-NJ recognized real estate investor and developer Paul Profeta for endowing the launch of two new education and research centers at NJIT: the Paul V. Profeta Foundation Real Estate Technology, Design and Innovation Center and the Paul V. Profeta Foundation Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
The 2021 ROI Influencers: Higher Education lists “recognize the schools, the presidents, the deans and directors, the doers and the donors that made higher education possible during the most uncertain of times,” ROI-NJ explained in a note introducing the 2021 honorees. Here’s a closer look at the four tied to NJIT.
Joel S. Bloom, Valedictorian
In particular, ROI-NJ cited four NJIT’s accomplishments in the past year: the launch of a $1.4 million Forensic Science Initiative that introduces high school students to STEM; the establishment of the Profeta centers via the largest donation in the university’s history; a back-to-school converged learning plan that earned an award for digital transformation; and an international partnership with Ben-Gurion University in Israel to create an Institute for Future Technologies in New Jersey.
The publication also mentioned Bloom’s history as the founding dean of the Albert Dorman Honors College, his role in creating the economic growth engine NJII and the addition of more than 1 million square feet of research and teaching facilities on campus. “All of this should not overshadow the school’s biggest accomplishment,” ROI-NJ added. “It continually is judged to be one of the top schools in the country for student upward mobility, student salaries (both starting and midcareer) and affordability.”
Fadi P. Deek, Deans and Directors, Administration
ROI-NJ cited Deek’s leadership in the development of NJIT’s converged learning model, which enabled the university to deliver in-person instruction throughout the 2020-21 academic year. “He was the architect behind NJIT’s pandemic recovery plan and its successful return to in-person learning and research, helping to bring students back to campus in a safe manner — all while helping NJIT yield two classes of top students as the Newark institution continues to raise its already-high profile,” ROI-NJ noted.
Simon Nynens, Deans and Directors, Entrepreneurship/Innovation
ROI-NJ described Nynens as the “perfect fit” for NJII, given his experience as an entrepreneur and business leader, adding that the institute “serves as the prototype of how universities can bring ideas in the academic world into the marketplace.” A recent example is BioCentriq, which works with drug developers to streamline the processing of new cell and gene therapies.
Paul Profeta, Doers and Donors
ROI-NJ trumpeted the philanthropy of Profeta, president of the Paul V. Profeta Foundation, whose donation sparked the launch of the centers. The Real Estate Center will deliver teaching, training and research related to the disruptive technologies, innovation and novel design and construction techniques that are transforming the field, and the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship will provide scholarships, stipends and subsidiaries for students and facilitate entrepreneurship initiatives in Newark.
