Through Pathways, Training and Research, NJIT Deepens Diversity on Campus

Written by: Andrew McMains
Published: Tuesday, October 4, 2022
U.S. News & World Report ranks NJIT No. 8 in the nation for ethnic diversity among public universities.

New Jersey Institute of Technology is intensifying its efforts to deepen diversity and ensure equity, inclusion and belonging across the entire campus. Through pre-college programs that create admission pipelines for the underrepresented, or staff initiatives to empower minorities to leadership positions, the abundance of efforts reflect the same goal: Serve the students.

Among the most visible efforts is the hiring of a chief diversity officer. The role is new and high-level, as it will report directly to President Teik C. Lim, and is responsible for “overseeing programming and fostering an inclusive campus climate in which every member of the community can thrive,” the job description notes.

While the search for a CDO is in the early stages, the entire campus community has embraced DEIB efforts and charges forward with focused determination as diversity is a pillar of NJIT’s strategic plan. The aim: “Redouble our efforts to enroll women and underrepresented minority students, attract and retain diverse faculty and hire and promote diverse administrators.” 

And whether focused on the student body, faculty or staff, NJIT’s DEIB push — which spans surveying, research, training and recruitment — ultimately serves its lifeblood: students. As Dean of Students Marybeth Boger explained, “The student is the central piece of all these efforts.” Efforts listed below have already yielded success — underrepresented minorities account for a record 42% of this year’s freshman class.

Some of these notable DEIB initiatives include:

  • College prep for Newark high school students — Classes, mentoring and support for 250 Newark students in the next five years through $1.16 million in Upward Bound grants from the U.S. Department of Education. Begins this fall.

  • Diversity leadership training for students — A series of interactive workshops, with financial support from Liz Miller of NJIT’s External Advisory Board for Undergraduate Research and Innovation, in which a DEIB trainer helps students, particularly underrepresented minorities and women, develop the soft skills needed to thrive and advance in the workplace. Begins this fall.

  • The Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) — Often described as “college bootcamp” by its incoming freshman class, the EOP since 1968 has provided a means for students traditionally underrepresented in STEM to attend and succeed at NJIT. 70% of the current EOP cohort are underrepresented minorities.

  • An architecture and design pathway for prospective students — A pre-college program that introduces high school students in the Orange Public School District to architectural drafting, computer-aided design and design principles. Complements existing programs in forensic science and math for Newark high school students. Begins this fall.

  • Research into the online harassment of female and LGBTQ live streamers — The study was conducted by a professor and two students — including a student who identifies as a pansexual woman — and the students presented their findings at last year’s International Conference on Interactive Media Experiences.

  • Survey of the campus climate — Quantitative and qualitative research that will inform an action plan for achieving diversity goals by 2025 and becoming a model for diversity in higher education. Began last year. 

  • Council focused on Hispanics and Latinx — Launched last year, the Hispanic and Latinx Leadership Council fuels NJIT’s drive to become a Hispanic-serving institution and deepen its relationships with Hispanic and Latinx alumni, businesses and organizations.

  • Research into barriers in the commercialization of academic technology — Funded by a $1.24 million grant from the National Science Foundation, the New Jersey Equity in Commercialization Collective (NJECC) aims to identify and eliminate systematic barriers for women and underrepresented minorities and increase the diversity of academic researchers in STEM who participate in the state’s entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem. Began last year.  

  • Leadership and bias-mitigation training — A component of the NSF-funded NJECC that aims to broaden participation in cybersecurity through leadership training for cybersecurity students and data-driven, bias-mitigation training for students and faculty at NJIT’s Ying Wu College of Computing. Began last year.

  • The recommissioned Norma J. Clayton ‘81 Learning Center — The Center serves as a university hub and sees thousands of students annually. It provides one-on-one tutoring, academic support workshops, and academic coaching and mentoring from professional staff. Honoring its namesake alumna and generous benefactor, Clayton credits the Center for providing support that ultimately propelled her to a successful and fulfilling career.

Signs of progress

While the goals of NJIT’s DEIB initiatives are long-term and much work remains, the early returns are encouraging. 

This semester, the university welcomed its most diverse first-year class ever, with the percentage of students identifying as Hispanic/Latinx or Black more than doubling from 10 years ago. At the same time, U.S. News & World Report, in its annual higher education rankings, ranked NJIT No. 8 in the nation for ethnic diversity among public universities. The timing of Hispanic/Latinx surge, in particular, primes NJIT to meet its goal of becoming a Hispanic-serving institution by 2025, if not earlier. That federal designation requires a Hispanic student body population of at least 25%. NJIT’s figure now stands at 23%.

Also this fall, half of the new professors that NJIT hired were women and women comprised 31% of the first-year class — the highest percentage ever. The overall makeup of the faculty and student body still skews male, but signs of progress nonetheless.

Among staff, a management training partnership with McKinsey & Company that accesses the company’s selective Management Accelerator program and is designed to create ladders for advancement among Black, Hispanic, Latinx and Asian employees has had substantial draw. An initial cohort of 60 grew to 80 this fall, according to Vice President for Human Resources Dale McLeod. 

DEIB at the top

President Lim himself exemplifies progress, as the first person of color to lead NJIT and a Malaysian immigrant who was the first in his family to earn a college degree. He speaks passionately about the challenges and triumphs of being a minority in America, where he has worked in both industry and academia, serving as a dean at the University of Cincinnati and interim president at the University of Texas at Arlington before arriving at NJIT.

"I was able to come to the United States because of a generous undergraduate scholarship from Michigan Tech. And this country took me in, accepted me and gave me a great education, a wonderful career and an incredible life,” Lim said. "A public institution like NJIT is a tremendous engine of social mobility. I experienced it firsthand. And NJIT’s commitment to upward mobility resonates with me and aligns with my passion." 

While it may not be possible to definitively attribute DEIB success to a singular program, NJIT’s broad range of efforts starting from the top and permeating throughout have — and will continue to demonstrate — discernible impact in serving its most valuable resource, the students.