Presidential Announcement from NJIT Board of Trustees Chair Robert Cohen

Dear NJIT Students, Alumni, Faculty, Staff, and Friends,

It is my distinct privilege to share with you the exciting news that, shortly after 3 pm today, the NJIT Board of Trustees voted unanimously to appoint Dr. Teik C. Lim as NJIT’s ninth president. President-elect Lim will begin his NJIT tenure on July 1, 2022. Dr. Lim emerged from an exceptionally talented pool of candidates following a national search that began in March of 2021 and involved representatives from the alumni, NJIT’s Board of Trustees and Board of Overseers, students, faculty, as well as academic and administrative leadership.

Dr. Lim’s experience and credentials are incredibly impressive. He has served as the interim president of the University of Texas at Arlington since May of 2020, successfully leading a public research university with more than 60,000 students through one of the most challenging periods in higher education history while managing to drive improvement in student outcomes, despite the challenges of a global pandemic. Dr. Lim has been a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion, and he has proven to be adept at building productive relationships with governmental leaders at the local, state, and federal levels.

During his career, Dr. Lim has held every relevant academic position, from an engineering faculty member to department chair to dean to provost to interim president. Prior to his academic career, he worked in the private sector. He has been a prolific scholar who has garnered approximately $20 million in grant funding throughout his career, has published 158 refereed journal papers, presented 94 refereed conference proceedings, and delivered nearly 140 conference presentations and invited lectures or seminars. Dr. Lim is a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and the Society of Automotive Engineers International as well as a Licensed Professional Engineer. 

I also am pleased to share that Dr. Lim clearly understands NJIT’s mission and has lived it. He was the first in his family to attend college and came from a household with limited financial means. Dr Lim attended polytechnic universities for both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering and received a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Ohio State. His personal story closely matches that of many of our NJIT students.  

Dr. Lim said the following of his appointment, “It is with great enthusiasm and much gratitude that I accept this opportunity to serve as the ninth president of NJIT. The amazing ascension of this public polytechnic institution during President Bloom’s tenure, the quality of its community of scholars, the immense support from alumni, and the very forward-thinking and collaborative Board of Trustees are among the many reasons I am so impressed by NJIT. My wife, Gina, and I are very excited to join the Highlander family.”

You can see NJIT’s official announcement of Dr. Lim’s appointment here.  I would like to offer a special thank you to the presidential search committee and my fellow Trustees for their commitment and rigor during this most important process.  

Please join me in congratulating Dr. Lim and welcoming him, his wife, Gina, and their entire family to the NJIT community.

Thank you all for your support of the presidential search process and your support of this great university. With the appointment of our new president, there is no question that NJIT will continue on its amazing trajectory.

Sincerely,

Robert Cohen '83, '84, '87
Chair of the NJIT Board of Trustees