New Jersey Institute of Technology

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New Jersey Institute of Technology
Motto:	"The Edge in Knowledge"
Established:	1881
Type:	Public, research university
Endowment:	$68 million
President:	Bob Altenkirch, PhD
Staff:	504 (416 full time + 88 adjuncts)
Undergraduates:	5,380
Postgraduates:	2,829 h
Location:	Newark, New Jersey, USA
Campus:	Urban, 45 acres
Athletics:	NCAA Division I
Mascot:	Highlander
Website:	www.njit.edu

New Jersey Institute of Technology is a public research university in Newark, New Jersey. NJIT offers 100 degree programs in 27 undergraduate majors and 30 graduate specialties.

NJIT is New Jersey's science and technology university. The school opened as the Newark Technical School in 1881 with 88 students. As of 2005, there are 8,058 students of which 1,400 live in one of the school's four dormitories. It is now home to the Newark College of Engineering, "New School of management", New Jersey School of Architecture, School of Management, Albert Dorman Honors College, College of Science and Liberal Arts, and College of Computing Sciences. The current president, Bob A. Altenkirch, was inaugurated on May 2, 2003. He succeeded Saul K. Fenster, who was named the university’s sixth president in 1978.

NJIT is one of few Universities to offer extensive courses in Video Game development.^{[citation needed]}

The school offers the only NAAB-accredited bachelor's degree in architecture in New Jersey.

It offers combined programs in medicine with the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and St. George's University in Grenada.

The university is known foremost for its research capabilities ranging from the fields of stem cell research to nanotechnology to solar physics and polymer science. The school also specializes in the research of smart gun technology, and has trademarked the term Virtual Classroom and was the first to obtain then retain Yahoo!'s "Most Wired University" award.

On December 20, 2006, New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine signed a bill to allocate $50 million towards the development of an NJIT-led stem cell research facility in Newark, NJ.

NJIT is a participating Internet2 member and held its first Internet2 Day in 2005.

Contents 1 History 2 People 3 Albert Dorman Honors College 3.1 Minimum Requirements for Application 3.2 Why Study at the Honors College 4 Colleges 5 Research 6 Student Life 6.1 Student Government 6.1.1 Student Senate 6.1.2 Graduate Student Association 6.2 Student Organizations 6.3 Athletics 6.4 Honor Societies 6.5 Greek Life 6.5.1 Fraternities 6.5.2 Sororities 7 Residence Life 7.1 Mission Statement 7.2 Living On Campus 8 Traditions 9 Notable Alumni 10 Ranking 11 Notes and References 12 External links 12.1 Official Information

[edit] History

The New Jersey Institute of Technology that we know today has a rich history with its beginnings developing from the industrial age. Like many of the port cities around the world, the Newark, New Jersey, of the late 19th century was a thriving industrial center. Its factories churned out thread, metals, paints and leather goods. In Newark, Thomas Edison set the stage at his Ward Street factory for his later astounding achievements, and Edison rival Edward Weston established the first factory in the United States for commercial production of dynamo electric machines.

At the height of this age of innovation, in 1881, an act of the New Jersey State Legislature essentially drew up a contest to determine which municipality would become home to the state's urgently needed technical school. The challenge was straightforward: the state would stake "at least $3,000 and not more than $5,000" and the municipality that matched the state's investment would earn the right to establish the new school.

The Newark Board of Trade, working jointly with the Newark City Council, launched a feverish campaign to win the new school. Dozens of the city's industrialists, along with other private citizens, eager for a work force resource in their home town, threw their support behind the fund-raiser. By 1884, the collaboration of the public and private sectors produced success. Newark Technical School was ready to open its doors.

The first 88 students, mostly evening students, attended classes in a rented building at 21 West Park Street. Soon the facility became inadequate to house an expanding student body. To meet the needs of the growing school, a second fund-raiser -- the institution's first capital campaign -- was launched to support the construction of a dedicated building for Newark Technical School. In 1886, under the leadership of the school's dynamic first director, Dr. Charles A. Colton, the cornerstone was laid at the intersection of High Street and Summit Place for the three-story building later to be named Weston Hall, in honor of the institution's early benefactor. A laboratory building, later to be called Colton Hall, was added to the campus in 1911.

Dr. Allan R. Cullimore led the institution from 1920 to 1949, transforming Newark Technical School into Newark College of Engineering. Campbell Hall was erected in 1925, but due to the Depression and World War II, only the former Newark Orphan Asylum, now Eberhardt Hall, was purchased and renovated by the college in the succeeding decades.

As of 1946, about 75% of the freshman class had served in the armed forces. Cullimore Hall was built in 1958 and two years later the old Weston Hall was razed and replaced with the current seven- story structure. Doctoral level programs were introduced and six years later, in 1966, an 18-acre, four building expansion was completed.

In 1975, with the addition of the New Jersey School of Architecture, the institution had evolved into a technological university, emphasizing a broad range of graduate and undergraduate degrees and dedication to significant research and public service. While Newark College of Engineering remains, a new university name -- New Jersey Institute of Technology -- was chosen to represent the institution's expanded mission.

The establishment of a residential campus and the opening of NJIT's first dormitory (Redwood Hall) in 1979 began a period of steady growth that continues today under the 2005 Landscape Master Plan. Two new schools were established at the university during the 1980s, the College of Science and Liberal Arts in 1982 and the School of Industrial Management in 1988. The Albert Dorman Honors College was established in 1994, and the newest school, the College of Computing Sciences, was created in 2001. As of 2008 there are 4 residence halls on campus: Redwood Hall, Cypress Hall, Oak Hall, and Laurel Hall.

In 2003, the launch of the new Campus Center on the site of the former Hazell Hall centralized campus social events. Construction of a new Atrium, Bookstore, Information Desk, Dining Hall, computer lab, and new student organization offices continued into 2004. In 2005, a row of automobile chop shops adjacent to campus were demolished. In 2006, construction of a new off-campus residence hall by American Campus Communities commenced in the chop shops' prior location. The new hall, paying no homage to the chop shops of past, is dubbed the University Centre and is slated to open in Fall 2007.

In 2005, Eberhardt Hall was fully renovated and reinaugurated as the Alumni Center and the symbolic front door to the university. Its restored tower was the logo of the former Newark College of Engineering. A rebranding campaign with the current slogan, "NJIT - New Jersey's Science and Technology University - The Edge in Knowledge", was launched to emphasize NJIT’s unique position as New Jersey's preeminent science-and-technology-focused research university.

Recently, the school has changed its accredited management school into AACSB-accredited business school. The new formed business school focuses on utilizing technology to serve business needs. The school benefits from its close location to New York City; the financial capital of the world. It is located 25 minutes from Wall Street. The school has also strong academic collaboration with Rutgers business school.

[edit] People

The university has 5,263 undergraduate students, 2,795 graduate students, over 10,000 continuing education students, 416 full-time faculty, and 88 part-time faculty. The male-to-female student ratio is 4:1.[1]

The average SAT score (math + verbal only) for enrolling freshman is 1200 and a GPA of 3.0+.

[edit] Albert Dorman Honors College

The neutrality of this section is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page.(May 2008) Please do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved.

Albert Dorman Honors College, NJIT’s Institution for well performing scholars, was formed with an intention to help the brilliant students perform to their full potential. It gives the bright students a chance to study and interact with other students of their level while sharing and expressing their intelligence, enthusiasm, and talent.^[1] The honor-level radiant students are not only backed by their strong academic performance, but also by their good athletics or co-curricular participation.^[2] To join the prestigious Honors College, one must fulfill several minimum requirements starting with filling out the Honors application form available online at [1]^[3] The Honors essay is the most important part of the application, where there is a chance to explain things that your statistical records cannot manifest.^[4].

[edit] Minimum Requirements for Application

High School Students:^[5]

• The combined score of either SAT or ACT should be 1250+ or 28+ respectively.
• Must be in the top 15% of his/her high school class
• Should have wide range of interests, community services, and leadership activities.

Current NJIT/Transfer Students:^[6]

• Must have excellent college records
• Minimum GPA of 3.4 on 4.0 scale in college-level curriculum
• Full-time student currently taking no Developmental courses
• Must have at least four semesters remaining to complete the current degree
• Should be eligible to take at least 6 Honors courses that fit into the student's curriculum

[edit] Why Study at the Honors College

Studying at Albert Dorman Honors College (ADHC) gives a challenging educational experience to the students having higher potential. They can explore and test their limits further while working with groups of students of equal caliber. They have wide choice for honor's scholarships and loans.The students at Dorman college works with their individual advisers to build their strong educational plan, followed by independent studies, researches, and some learning programs. Moreover, students learn to manage their time by studying along with volunteering. Thus, they not only achieve academic success, but also learn to help society and prove themselves as the leaders of the college.^[7] According to an article about ADHC by diversitycareers.com, the researcher stated "The honors college experience gives exceptional students a chance to expand their horizons. In addition to learning a lot, they make connections. They build their own networks with peers, faculty and outside experts that will help them move up quickly after they get out into the world." ^[8] One of the honors college graduates shared her views on studying in Honors College - Lorianne Jones, second year architecture major, said “I’ve been able to do special projects.I’ve had more access to computers, so I’ve been able to see how technology can help architects. My focus is now on the technology plus the art of architecture.”^[9]

[edit] Colleges

1. Newark College of Engineering[2]
2. College of Science and Liberal Arts[3]
3. New Jersey School of Architecture[4]
4. School of Management[5]
5. Albert Dorman Honors College[6]
6. College of Computing Sciences[7]

[edit] Research

The university is known foremost for its research capabilities in many fields, especially nanotechnology, solar physics, polymer science, and the development of a smart gun technology. The university research centers include the National Center for Transportation and Industrial Productivity and SmartCampus. The university hosts the New York Metro FIRST Robotics office. The university also hosts the Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research which owns and operates the Big Bear Solar Observatory, the world's largest solar observatory, located in Big Bear Lake, California, and operates the Owens Valley Solar Array, near Bishop, California.

In the past, NJIT was home to the Computerized Conferencing and Communications Center, a premier research center for furthering the state of the art in Computer Mediated Communication. The systems that resulted from this research are the Electronic Information Exchange System (EIES), as well as the continuations after that: Electronic Information Exchange System 2 (EIES2) and the Tailorable Electronic Information Exchange System (TEIES). One of the foremost developments of EIES was that of the Virtual Classroom (TM), a term coined by Dr. Starr Roxanne Hiltz. This was the first e-learning platform in the world, and was unique in that it evolved onto an existing communications system, rather than having a system created specifically for it. The CCCC and EIES were shut down in the mid-90s. Michael Jackson is a student at NJIT, currently in Senior Standing with a major in Computer Engineering.

[edit] Student Life

[edit] Student Government

[edit] Student Senate

Purpose

• The NJIT Student Senate is the only duly elected student body recognized by the university representing the full-time and part-time undergraduate students of the university. The Student Senate shall represent the desires, interests, and needs of the NJIT student body.

Duties/Objectives

• To represent the undergraduate student body in all matters which do not exclusively belong to any other individual organization.
• To promote activities and to establish administrative and financial controls over those activities which affect the student body at large.
• To advise the operations of all Student Senate funded organizations with respect to individual student organizations and the student body.
• To advocate and defend the inherent rights and responsibilities of students consistent with the principles of academic freedom.
• To provide students with direct information of activities, policies and decisions affecting them while in attendance at New Jersey Institute of Technology.
• To assist, to approve, and to charter the formation of all Student Senate affiliated organizations.

Executive Board

• President
• Vice President of Administration
• Vice President of Student Affairs
• Vice President of Finance
• Treasurer
• Corresponding Secretary
• Recording Secretary

Committees

• Elections
• Judicial
• Administration
• Student Affairs
• Finance
• Athletics and School Spirit
• Constitution
• Public Relations
• Senior Class

Members

• Class Presidents
• College Representatives
• Major Representatives
• Students-At-Large

[edit] Graduate Student Association

Purpose

• The NJIT GSA is a student government organization that represents the interests of all graduate students in university affairs. The Graduate Student Association shall provide a structure through which graduate students work together to improve the quality of graduate student life.

Duties/Objectives

• To represent and articulate the interests of the graduate students.
• To promote communication between students, faculty, and administration.
• To oversee the expenditure of graduate student association fees.
• To promote and encourage the professional growth, social and cultural development, and academic excellence of students in the graduate programs of the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

Executive Board

• President
• Vice President of Administration
• Vice President of Public Relations
• Secretary
• Treasurer
• Technology Officer

Committees

• Clubs and Constitution
• Finance
• Activities Committee
• Awards Committee
• Campus Planning Committee
• Graduate Student Research Day Committee

Members

• Representatives
• Alternate Representatives

[edit] Student Organizations

[edit] Athletics

NJIT's sports teams are called the Highlanders. The school colors are red and white, with navy. The mascot is the Highlander. NJIT's athletic teams compete in the NCAA Division I. The men's soccer team participates in the Atlantic Soccer Conference while most other teams are independent Division I. The NCAA has agreed for NJIT to reclassify its entire athletics program to Division I. This is a four-year process that will bring all Highlander sports to full Division I status and championship eligibility by 2009-10.

The sports available at NJIT are:

• Baseball
• Basketball
• Cross Country
• Fencing
• Ice Hockey
• Soccer
• Swimming
• Tennis
• Track & Field
• Volleyball
• Cheer Team

NJIT Highlander Mascot

[edit] Honor Societies

• Alpha Phi Mu
• Arnold Air Society
• Chi Epsilon
• Eta Kappa Nu
• Omega Chi Epsilon
• Omicron Delta Kappa
• Phi Eta Sigma
• Pi Tau Sigma
• Tau Alpha Phi
• Tau Beta Pi
• Upsilon Pi Epsilon

[edit] Greek Life

[edit] Fraternities

• Alpha Phi Omega
• Alpha Rho Chi
• Alpha Sigma Phi
• Iota Kappa Phi
• Iota Phi Theta
• Kappa Xi Kappa
• Lambda Theta Phi
• Lambda Sigma Upsilon
• Phi Beta Sigma
• Pi Kappa Phi
• Psi Upsilon
• Sigma Lambda Beta
• Sigma Pi
• Tau Delta Phi
• Tau Epsilon Phi
• Tau Kappa Epsilon
• Theta Chi

[edit] Sororities

• Alpha Sigma Tau
• Delta Phi Epsilon
• Delta Phi Omega
• Kappa Psi Epsilon
• Lambda Tau Omega
• Lambda Theta Alpha
• Sigma Psi Kappa

[edit] Residence Life

[edit] Mission Statement

"To collaborate with students, faculty and staff in providing residential services that support students' academic and personal development by fostering diverse, engaging and responsible learning communities."^[10]

[edit] Living On Campus

Since 1978 students have been able to live on the New Jersey Institute of Technology campus. The Residence Life community consists of over 1450 graduate and undergraduate students.

There are four residence halls on the New Jersey Institute of Technology campus. Redwood Hall was the first constructed in 1978 followed by Cypress, Oak and Laurel halls. Each hall has a unique character with Cypress and Redwood being primarily freshman halls and Laurel and Oak designated upper classmen halls. Each room is equipped with bed, dressers, closets space, lights, desks and chairs. There is also cable and internet provided to each room free of cost. Telephone service is also available. Upon entering the building students are required to swipe an identification card three separate times as well as have a photo ID check.^[11]

Residence Life also offers Learning Communities through out each of the residence halls. These communities are specific floors designated to different majors such as Architecture, Biomedical, and Electrical Engineering. In Cypress, Redwood and Laurel, there are two resident assistants on each floor. They are there to provide the students with help for any type of problem. Oak Hall, being an upper classmen hall, has one community assistant to every two floors. Their responsibilities are comparable to those of a resident assistant.^[12]

As a freshman, it is required to have a meal plan as a resident. Food services are provided by Gourmet Dinning Services or GDS. Buffet style dinning is available 7:00 AM - 9:00 PM Monday – Friday (weekend vary).^[13]Taco Bell, Hershey Ice Cream Shop, a salad shop, coffee shop, sandwich shop and a convenience store are also all available to students.^[14]

[edit] Traditions

• The Tour de Tech is an annual campus bicycle race.
• Some still call the university by its earlier name, Newark College of Engineering (NCE). NCE is now one of the six colleges within the university.
• NJIT students have been called NiJITs in the past (School catalogue of '78, P.45)
• Beginning in 2004, NJIT Day has become an annual campus event, taking place early October of each year.

[edit] Notable Alumni

• Daniel J. Carroll, Jr., President and CEO, Telecordia Technologies
• Gerard J. Foschini, Electrical Engineer, Inventor
• Beatrice Hicks (1919-1979), founder of the Society of Women Engineers in 1950.^[15]
• John J. Mooney, co-inventor of the automotive catalytic converter.^[16]
• Rah Digga (1972-), American Rapper, member of Flipmode Squad
• Pierre Ramond (1943-), String theorist
• Wally Schirra (1923-2007), Retired Navy Captain, US Astronaut
• Jim Stamatis, Vice President, Louis Berger Group

[edit] Ranking

• U.S. News & World Report’s 2007 Annual Guide to America’s Best Colleges today named NJIT among the nation’s top tier of national research universities offering a range of undergraduate majors and master's and doctoral degrees and 124th overall.[10]

• Princeton Review’s Best 361 Colleges praises NJIT for great computer facilities, a safe campus, a diverse student body, and small classes. It also calls NJIT "a leader in the field of technology in the tri-state area" and "an intense academic university that allows students to be prepared for the working world." It specifically notes improved university facilities and athletics. [3]

• The School of Management at NJIT was named an outstanding business school by The Princeton Review.[3]

• NJIT ranked ninth in the nation for conferring bachelor’s degrees in engineering to African Americans, according to Diverse: Issues in Higher Education.

• NJIT is the only college or university in New Jersey named as one of the nation’s best value undergraduate institutions by The Princeton Review: America’s Best Value Colleges. [3]

• The Oct. 17, 2006 issue of US News and World Report singled out NJIT’s program as sixth in the nation based on enrollment in ABET-accredited engineering schools and fifth in the nation based on the age of the program.[2]

• NJIT is currently ranked by Princeton Review as #2 in the Nation for Least Happy Students. In recent years, it has been ranked #1 in this category three times (2002-2005), and #5 once (2005-2006 academic year). [3]

• Princeton Review also ranks it #4 in the Nation for "Professors Get Low Marks" and #15 for "Diverse Student Population". [3]

• NJIT is currently ranked by the Chronicle of Higher Education as #10 in the nation in mathematics for faculty productivity. [11]

[edit] Notes and References

1. ^  To calculate the ratio of men to women select table CSD-B (found in this reference) and divide the total enrollment of men by the total enrollment of women.
2. ^  EIES History.

[edit] External links

[edit] Official Information

• New Jersey Institute of Technology website
• NJIT Magazine, tri-annual magazine
• NJIT Fact Book
• NJIT Strategic Planning
• NJIT Gateway Plan, NJIT's Newark Gateway initiative
• NJIT Alumni Computing
• Student Senate, Undergraduate Student Government
• NJIT ASCE Steel Bridge Team
• Highlander Racing
• The Vector, NJIT's student-run newspaper
• United Basketball Conference Site
• Residence Life Home Page

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