Joel S. Bloom, president of NJIT, and Robert Carr, founder and chairman of the Give Something Back Foundation

Ten students will have the opportunity to pursue a college education at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) at no cost for tuition, fees, room and board, thanks to $200,000 in support from the Give Something Back Foundation (Give Back).

Robert Carr, founder and chairman of Give Back, presented the award at a ceremony today at NJIT’s campus. Give Back is a nonprofit organization providing mentoring and scholarships to students of modest means to help them realize their full potential by achieving a college education.

“NJIT is a distinguished institution that will provide our scholars with a technology-focused education,” said Carr. “We are very proud to partner with NJIT, particularly because its highly regarded reputation with students from underprivileged backgrounds, and it is one of the best values for higher education in the state.”

To read more stories about NJIT, scroll down:

President Joel S. Bloom Hosts College Affordability Roundtable at NJIT
Albert Dorman Honors College at NJIT Named Among the Country’s Top 10 Honors Colleges and Programs
After-School Special: NJIT Honors College Scholars Empower Youth in Newark

“We are very grateful for the generosity of the Give Something Back Foundation and know well the impact it will have,” said NJIT President Joel S. Bloom. “NJIT has a rich history of successfully educating talented students who are from low-income households, underrepresented populations or are the first generation in their families to attend college. We have been ranked among the top 10 percent nationally of colleges and universities for graduating minority engineers, and we earned a similar designation for computer science recently.”

Bloom added, “With help from generous supporters like the Give Something Back Foundation, we are able to provide the financial and academic support necessary for students to overcome those challenges and reap the rewards of an NJIT degree—nearly three job offers in hand by graduation at salaries that exceed national averages by almost 20 percent. Providing talented students from low-income families with a pathway to educational success can be transformative, not just for the student but for his or her family and generations of those families yet to come.”

Give Back is currently recruiting 9th graders throughout the state to apply to its program, as well as mentors to support accepted students through high school. For more information, visit www.giveback.ngo.

President Joel S. Bloom Hosts College Affordability Roundtable at NJIT

Innovative solutions to making the cost of a college education more affordable were the topic of discussion at a Higher Education Affordability Roundtable Oct. 3, 2016, at NJIT. Senators in attendance included New Jersey Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney; Senator Sandra B. Cunningham, chair of the Senate Higher Education Committee; Senator Paul A. Sarlo ‘92, ’95, the deputy majority leader for New Jersey; and Senator Ronald Rice.
Senator Sweeney created the College Affordability Study Commission to identify “out-of-the-box ways to make college more affordable” and attainable for New Jersey students. The Commission underscores the important role the institutions themselves play in constraining costs and presenting options to students to obtain their degree in the most affordable way possible. One proposal would require all four-year public institutions of higher education to offer baccalaureate degree programs that students can complete in three years by taking courses for at least two consecutive summers.

“The greatest equalizer in the world is education,” Senator Sweeney said. “If we can make it better for the next generation of students, that’s where our focus is.”

“College affordability is a very important and complex issue that must be addressed on two fronts,” said NJIT President Joel S. Bloom. “We have a responsibility to develop realistic strategies for keeping student costs down, but we also need to educate prospective students about the likely return on their investment. A clear picture of what their education will cost and likely will yield, in terms of career success, helps in making decisions about where to enroll and what to study.”

Also participating in the forum were four NJIT student leaders who discussed their experiences as Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) students. They included: Atiya Harley, of Trenton, a senior Engineering Technology major and President of the National Society of Black Engineers at NJIT; Ester Calderon, of Elizabeth, a junior Mathematical Sciences major and HESSA Representative, Albert Dorman Honors College; Alpha Jalloh, of Newark, a senior Civil Engineering major and former President of the NJIT Student Senate; and Mike Chica, of Bordentown, a junior Information Technology major and President of NJIT’s Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers.

“EOF means everything,” said Jalloh, who will receive his degree in May 2017. “It’s not about getting in, it’s about getting out. We need help. EOF and the Tuition Aid Grant will help us to become a better state.”

Albert Dorman Honors College at NJIT Named Among the Country’s Top 10 Honors Colleges and Programs

Albert Dorman Honors College at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) has been ranked among the Top 10 honors colleges and programs in the United States in the new book INSIDE HONORS: Ratings and Reviews of Sixty Public University Honors Programs, published by Public University Press. Inclusion in this Top 10 listing was based on many factors, including curricular requirements, co-curricular requirements, class size, SAT, GPA, merit scholarships, prestigious fellowships, honors housing and more. NJIT’s Albert Dorman Honors College received the highest possible ranking of 5.0 “mortarboards,” translating to Top 10 status, following the publication’s data analysis of 60 public university honors programs across the country.
“Since being established in 1995 with about 120 students, NJIT’s Albert Dorman Honors College has grown to roughly 700 students who are sought-after by many of the best universities across the country,” said NJIT President Joel S. Bloom. “These are students of great accomplishment whose scores on the math and critical reading sections of the SAT average 1420 out of 1600. They are choosing NJIT because, by attending the honors college at one of only 32 polytechnic universities nationally, they are in incredible demand by employers upon graduation and are well prepared for career success.”

NJIT’s initial honors program began in 1985 and transformed into an honors college 10 years later. Albert Dorman Honors College constantly provides a rich, challenging and individualized educational experience to students who demonstrate excellence and engagement in their academic activities. The College offers a full curriculum of honors courses, colloquia, study tours, dual-degree and study abroad opportunities, internships, undergraduate research, community service involvement and accelerated programs through partnerships with neighboring universities.

Albert Dorman Honors College is a member of the National Collegiate Honors Council and an affiliate member of the National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science and Technology.

Interim Dean John Bechtold, who also is professor of Mathematical Sciences at NJIT and who was the driving force behind the college’s first time request to be evaluated for inclusion in this biennial publication, attributes the ranking to the Albert Dorman Honors College’s wide-ranging curriculum as well as the quality of students the college attracts—this year’s class scored an average SAT score of 1420 in reading and math, the highest to date.

“Prospective students are going to see we’re ranked so highly and will further consider us as one of their top college choices,” noted Dean Bechtold. “They will realize the caliber of our students and the opportunities afforded to them. We are very proud of our ranking!”

The Kindle version of INSIDE HONORS: Ratings and Reviews of Sixty Public University Honors Programs is now available, and the print version is scheduled for release in early October. The college is in good company, with honors colleges at Penn State, Clemson, Arizona State and University of Texas at Austin also on the list.

“This is wonderful news for our Albert Dorman Honors College, our students and our entire NJIT community,” said Fadi P. Deek, Ph.D., Provost and Senior Executive Vice President at NJIT. “We are very pleased to see a deriving college of NJIT receive such recognition and we applaud Dean Bechtold for his leadership and his enthusiasm for all that Albert Dorman Honors College provides to its students.”

Dax-Devlon Ross, executive director, After-School All-Star program; Congressman Donald M. Payne Jr.; Alicia Feghhi, assistant director of leadership and professional development, Albert Dorman Honors College; Dushyant Singh (freshman, computer science); Sainithin Kuntamukkala (freshman, undecided); Matthew Shpiruk (sophomore, electrical engineering); Constantine Baltzis (freshman, biology)

After-School Special: Honors College Scholars Empower Youth in Newark

When the bell rings, where do the young people go? What opportunities and safe spaces exist for them? Where are they getting the 21st century skills needed to succeed in life?

Representative Donald Payne Jr. stopped by Camden Street School in Newark to chat with NJIT Albert Dorman Honors College scholars who are helping to cultivate supportive, experiential learning environments by mentoring middle school students in the After-School All-Star program (ASAS).

As part of a STEM mentoring program, which was implemented earlier this year by Joshua Abraham, a pre-health biology student, NJIT Honors College scholars help ASAS students with their math, science and reading homework before assisting with a DJ academy, cooking class, film criticism class and soccer club.

“Joshua met with me last year wanting to bring STEM awareness to Newark schools,” said Alicia Feghhi, assistant director of leadership and professional development at the Honors College. “We are all very proud of his leadership and passion for this program. What I hope will happen is that the young scholars will one day be NJIT Honors scholars, mentoring the next generation of STEM students at Camden Street School.”

Most of the students in the after-school program were targeted because they either failed or barely passed the PARCC exam. Last semester, 30 Honors College scholars volunteered to be mentors. This semester, in addition to Camden Street School, ASAS received a grant to expand the program to nearby Thirteenth Avenue School.

“We provide the students with vital skill development opportunities,” said Dax-Devlon Ross, executive director, ASAS. “We go out into the community and build relationships with universities. Our job is to be like a second school day.”

The free program offers enrichment services with a focus on health and fitness, career readiness and art and culture.

“We’re preparing students to transition from middle school to high school,” said Ross. “We’re able to provide these kinds of programs in an economical way because we use the same buildings that are used during the school day.”

Samuel Garrison, the principal at Camden Street School, gives credit to NJIT scholars for the increase in reading scores, which exceeded the state average by a significant margin last spring.

“He was so excited and gave explicit praise to NJIT mentors for their support with students, as kids in the after-school program showed some of the biggest gains,” said Ross.

The Honors College was recently ranked as one of the top 10 public university honors colleges and programs in the country, notably for offering a challenging and individualized educational experience and encouraging its scholars to uphold NJIT’s thriving legacy of civic engagement and community service.

Honors College scholars are required to volunteer for 30 hours (15 hours on campus and 15 hours off campus in Newark). But some students do well over 100 hours of service. In 2015, over 700 students volunteered for nearly 23,000 hours with nonprofit agencies, most of which were based in Newark.

Before touring the DJ Academy, where the students were learning how to blend sounds and count beats per minute using a mixing board, Congressman Payne took a moment to laud the Honors College scholars for a job well done.

“I really commend you guys for doing this,” he said. “This means a lot, especially to young people who may not have the opportunity. This could be what really changes their lives.”