Welcome Back for Fall 2023
Dear Highlanders and Friends,
It seems like just yesterday that we were wrapping up the Spring semester with a series of joyous commencement ceremonies, but our campus soon will be buzzing with activity as we begin the Fall 2023 semester, and it is my absolute pleasure to welcome you back! I hope you enjoyed the past few months, and I am looking forward to seeing you on campus in the days ahead. This is an exciting time of the year at a university, because it represents a new beginning and is filled with optimism and opportunity. I encourage you to attack the new semester with vigor–set ambitious goals, work hard, and get involved in campus life. If you do those things, you are sure to have a rewarding experience.
As we prepare to begin the Fall semester, I want to take this opportunity to share with you some very positive developments from the summer.
NJIT received several accolades during recent months:
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We earned 4.5 out of 5 stars in a new “Best Colleges” list released by Money, which based its rating on 24 factors in three main categories that surveys have shown are the most important to students: quality of education, affordability and alumni outcomes. NJIT is one of only three public institutions in New Jersey to earn at least a 4.5 star rating.
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The Princeton Review once again selected NJIT in its annual guide of the best colleges and universities in the United States. Just 14% of the country’s four-year institutions made the guide. For the sixth straight year, NJIT also was featured on The Princeton Review’s list of Best Value Colleges, and we ranked #30 for Entrepreneurship this year in addition to being selected for the Top 50 Game Design and Green Colleges lists.
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Furthermore, our online M.S. in computer science was ranked fifth nationwide, according to the latest ranking from Fortune.
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And the America East Conference, NJIT’s Division I athletic conference, announced that 12 student-athletes from NJIT were named America East Presidential Scholar-Athletes for their outstanding academic achievements throughout their entire career. That recognition goes to graduating student-athletes who compiled a cumulative GPA of 3.75 or higher as undergraduate students and earned their degree this spring. You can see a list of the winners here.
We also embarked on some important new initiatives:
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We launched a partnership with Prudential to help them solve technological challenges while providing exciting opportunities for our students. Prudential has contracted with our Ying Wu College of Computing to help solve some of its pressing information technology, software development and business analytics problems with assistance from Ying Wu’s graduate students. After being vetted by the Prudential technical staff, small teams of NJIT students work on an array of projects.
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NJIT was awarded $10 million by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to expedite the assessment and cleanup of brownfield sites across the country.
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The first cohort of local high school seniors completed NJIT’s Forensic Science Initiative, which provided intensive STEM training to the students in the program’s inaugural year. The FSI program aims to provide local high schoolers with a pathway to higher education by strengthening their skills in STEM through the gateway of forensic science. The initiative also introduces participants to life on a college campus.
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In July, we hosted a fireside chat with Governor Murphy sponsored by the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce. During that event, the governor announced a trade mission to East Asia this Fall that will seek to generate more jobs and investment in the state. I will be joining the governor and a broader delegation on that trip.
These are a few examples of the progress NJIT has made recently, and I am certain that we will continue this positive momentum throughout the upcoming semester. I look forward to working with John Pelesko, our new provost, and all of you to build upon our university’s strengths as we continue the process of enhancing our strategic plan, expanding our institutional reach through a branch campus in Egypt, and creating an even brighter future for NJIT.
Sincerely,
Teik C. Lim
NJIT President
