More than 500 students, alumni, faculty, staff and friends of NJIT gathered on campus today to celebrate the official ribbon-cutting of the new Wellness and Events Center (WEC), an iconic, state-of-the-art and multipurpose building that provides large-scale space for professional conferencing, training and career fairs, as well as social settings for NJIT students, faculty and staff.

“This building is the latest and largest component of a $400 million campus transformation that has been taking place in recent years and has included the renovation of the Central King Building, the new Life Sciences and Engineering Center, and several other facilities projects,” said NJIT President Joel S. Bloom. “This transformation would not have been possible without the leadership of our trustees, the generosity of our donors, the support of state and local government, the work of Vice President Andrew Christ and his team, and the input of the campus community.”

The ceremony featured a roster of speakers that included several political dignitaries and student-athletes both past and present.

To read more stories about NJIT, scroll down:

NJIT Kicks Off IBM-Martin Tuchman School of Management Flagship Alliance
First New Jersey Schools Certified “Future Read”
NJIT Named a Top University for Campus Safety Initiatives

“When you build it, they will come,” said New Jersey State Senator Richard J. Codey. “What you’ve done here is phenomenal. You will continue to grow. NJIT is a fabulous institution.”

“This is a great day for the city of Newark just as it’s a great day for NJIT,” said Senator Paul A. Sarlo ’92, ’95, a former student-athlete who now serves as chairman of the State Budget and Appropriations Committee and is a member of the Judiciary Committee, the Higher Education Committee, the Joint Budget Oversight Committee and the Senate Legislative Oversight Committee. “What is exciting are that our engineering students are much more well-rounded and want to be engaged. That’s why NJIT will continue to attract well-rounded students from across the country.”

Success Has Many Parents

The design of the three-story, 220,000-square-foot building features a number of flexible spaces that can be quickly configured to support the numerous and varied missions of the university community. Designed and engineered by AECOM and built by Torcon, the exterior design reinforces the university’s position as a leader in engineering and technology education, featuring a 52-foot-high glass wall on the north facade that offers an excellent view of the adjacent athletic field as well as NJIT’s academic campus.

“It is often said that success has many parents and there are many parents here today,” said Stephen P. DePalma ’72, chairman of the NJIT Board of Trustees. “The WEC will be a critical component of our efforts to engage and partner with business, industry and government to spur economic development and create opportunities for our graduates.”

A Dream That Grew into a Clear Vision

Lucie Thibeaud Tchouassi ’94, a former member of the women’s basketball team who currently serves as a coordinator and adviser of undergraduate programs in NJIT’s Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, emphasized the support of the coaching staff who demonstrated inner strength and courage.

“This is a dream that grew into a clear vision,” she said. “Many generations for years to come will appreciate this center.”

“Nobody is more excited than me to see it come to fruition,” said NJIT Athletics Director Lenny Kaplan. “Make no mistake: This building represents one of the most exciting times in NJIT history.”

NJIT Kicks Off IBM-Martin Tuchman School of Management Flagship Alliance

On an ordinary fall morning, something extraordinary was transpiring inside NJIT’s Campus Center Atrium. There, NJIT administrators, faculty, staff and students joined executives from IBM to launch the new flagship alliance between the university’s Martin Tuchman School of Management (MTSM) and IBM Global University Programs. The partnership, made official on Oct. 19, marks a unique collaboration between the two entities to deliver digital technologies and education to NJIT students through MTSM and its Business Analytics Lab. NJIT is the first university in the United States — and the only university in North America — to adopt the IBM Skills Academy, a key component of IBM Global University Programs.

The initiative is based on the workforce needs of today’s “Business with the Power of STEM” digital economy. Beginning this semester at NJIT, courses are being offered to NJIT students in three career tracks: business intelligence analyst, business process analyst and predictive analyst modeler. Additionally, students along with the nearby community will have access to boot camps and workshops. The technologies will be delivered to NJIT via the IBM Cloud.

“Being the first university to implement the IBM Skills Academy Program aligns with NJIT’s history of engagement with industry, which has resulted in dramatic impacts on economic development and has helped prepare our graduates for uncommon career success,” said NJIT President Joel S. Bloom to the day’s attendees. “This new partnership between NJIT’s Martin Tuchman School of Management and IBM is the latest opportunity we are seizing upon to provide our students with a workplace advantage by collaborating with industry.”

“IBM is committed to doing our part to expand educational opportunities so more students and professionals can learn the in-demand new collar skills that will help them thrive in today’s marketplace,” noted Naguib Attia, Ph.D., vice president, IBM Global University Programs. “After seeing this program’s success in Africa, we’re excited to be working with NJIT to bring the program to the United States for the first time.”

Participating students will be able to earn industry-recognized digital badges and IBM technology certifications for IBM tools, as well as the academic credits that accompany their classes. This certification and microcredentialing will provide a significant competitive edge and differentiate students during their job searches.

“Clearly, we are in a new era. Companies across all business sectors are looking for people who leverage and integrate fundamental business knowledge with technology skills to achieve success in today’s data-driven world of global business,” remarked MTSM Dean Reggie Caudill during the event. “The Tuchman School is committed to ensuring that all its students are ready to meet the challenges of the business world, understand the technologies and tools required to succeed in business and have the hands-on experience necessary to build their skills and expand their knowledge.”

Plans for the partnership call for eventual expansion beyond the NJIT classroom, making the digital technologies, education and certifications available to working professionals, veterans and other groups.

The day’s proceedings featured a presentation on and demonstration of IBM Watson Cognitive Intelligence and Analytics, and a panel discussion, “A New Era of Business and Management Education: Cognitive Business Intelligence Meets the New Collar Economy,” with insights from President Bloom; Marta I. Riveros, principal, Torres & Wendell, LLC; Jerry Passione, general manager, OpenLab, Juniper Networks; Gary Schneider, vice president of global technical sales, IBM; and Dikasse Zalla ’19, an MTSM student.

Delivering the event’s keynote address was David McQueeney, vice president of corporate technology and community, IBM, who spoke about the revolution and evolution of computing machines and how the world of information technology has progressed to a point where conception to implementation can now be accomplished in months, weeks, even hours, as opposed to decades. This expedited cycle requires a new brand of expertise and relevant programs to populate the vital talent pipeline — programs such as the IBM Skills Academy at NJIT. “It’s clear that there’s a unique spirit and a unique set of capabilities and passion and urgency here [at NJIT] that I rarely see anywhere else in the academic world,” he said.

Rochelle Hendricks, secretary of higher education for the State of New Jersey, perhaps summed up the flagship alliance best. “I’m looking at the future right now. Higher education has to transform, so that we’re preparing our students in real-time to do in-demand jobs with the kinds of skills that business and industry are looking for… So to partner a world-class corporation doing cutting-edge things in a variety of ways with an institution that’s committed to forward thinking and being cutting edge is a natural marriage. In other words, IBM and NJIT: perfect together.”

First New Jersey Schools Certified “Future Ready”

The Future Ready Schools – New Jersey (FRS-NJ) initiative advancing with the assistance of New Jersey Institute of Technology has honored 63 schools by awarding them certification for implementing effective digital learning policies and practices. The schools, the first to receive FRS certification, were formally recognized on October 24 at Workshop 2017, the state’s largest convention for educational leaders, held in Atlantic City.

FRS-NJ is a partnership of the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE), the New Jersey School Boards Association (NJSBA) and NJIT. It is based on the National Future Ready Framework and the Sustainable Jersey for Schools Certification program.

The FRS-NJ program is designed to promote digital learning throughout New Jersey’s elementary and secondary public schools, as well as to engage students in developing 21st-century skills by encouraging the best use of digital-learning tools by educators.

“It is our mission to ensure that each and every student across the state of New Jersey is ready for his or her future — a future that requires technological knowledge and skills,” said Education Commissioner Kimberley Harrington. “We launched the Future Ready Schools – New Jersey program as a road map for schools to help students meet the demands of today’s technology-based economy, and I am excited that so many schools achieved certification in the first year of the program.”

“NJIT is proud to be part of the Future Ready Schools Program and takes great pride in its work to build and diversify the pipeline of future STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) students and graduates who will fuel our economy and improve the quality of life in numerous ways,” said NJIT President Joel S. Bloom.

“Future Ready Schools – New Jersey enables schools to use technology in ways that encourage enhanced student engagement, collaboration and individualized instruction,” said Dr. Lawrence S. Feinsod, NJSBA executive director. “We congratulate the schools that are in the first ‘class’ to achieve certification and urge all New Jersey districts to participate in this program.”

The list of 63 schools that were honored can be found on the FRS-NJ website.

Schools throughout the state are working to qualify for the 2018 FRS-NJ certification cycle. A series of Future Ready Resource events to assist schools are ongoing — information about upcoming events can be viewed at http://www.frsnj.org/events.

The FRS-NJ team invites all educators, educational leaders and other educational stakeholders to join the 2018 task forces to help improve the program for future participants and ensure that all perspectives are considered in the program’s continued development.

For more information about the FRS-NJ certification program, contact Jeremy Reich, FRS-NJ coordinator, at jpr@njit.edu or (973) 596-5432.

NJIT Named a Top University for Campus Safety Initiatives

Safe Campus has cited NJIT in its Top 25 list of universities across the country that are making a positive difference in campus safety. The university ranked No. 15 out of 4,706 eligible U.S. colleges and universities, thanks to a significant reduction in campus crime stemming from a series of initiatives employed by the Department of Public Safety.

From proactive positioning of officers and increased visibility and presence, to regular security assessments of campus and community buildings, to ongoing education of officers and the entire NJIT community, the department’s operations and programs have resulted in nine-year lows in many Uniform Crime Reporting categories. Also contributing to this noteworthy statistic are a new certified 9-1-1 public safety system, the adoption of body-worn cameras for every NJIT officer and the use of crime-trend analysis.

“NJIT has made concerted efforts to improve campus safety by using data to smartly allocate public safety resources, putting officers where they need to be to prevent crime before it happens,” said Linda Shaw, director of Safe Campus, a national organization dedicated to improving the safety of U.S. colleges and universities.

The university was chosen for the elite group based on criteria that included the development and implementation of effective institutionwide policies and programs, and the achievement of quantifiable results in improving campus safety. NJIT joins Fordham University, Miami University, University of North Carolina at Charlotte and others in being recognized for its campus-safety measures.

“Our department continues to work diligently to ensure that our campus and surrounding community are provided with the safest learning, working and social environment possible. Toward this end, the NJIT Department of Public Safety remains vigilant, innovative in thought and committed to excellence,” said Joseph Marswillo, NJIT police chief. “Being recognized among so many outstanding institutions is an honor that all of our officers are proud to be part of. I am truly privileged to lead such a dedicated group of officers.”

“The NJIT Public Safety Department is committed to the safety and well-being of our campus community. Having the effort recognized by others is a testament to the hard work, dedication and determination of this terrific group,” added Andrew P. Christ, vice president of real estate development and capital operations. “I am very proud of this accomplishment and congratulate every individual involved.”