NEWARK , October 8, 1999 - Jacquelynn Rhodes of Scotch Plains has been appointed Assistant Vice President for University advancement and Senior Officer, Corporate and Foundation Relations, according to Judy Boyd, vice president, University Advancement. Rhodes previously had been Senior Advancement Officer at the University.

     Rhodes has "significant responsibility" for writing proposals and helping develop partnerships between NJIT and corporations and foundations," said Boyd "Her previous success in this difficult area of fundraising has made her an integral part of the University Advancement team," the NJIT Vice President for Advancement said.

     Rhodes joined NJIT in 1990 as an Associate Director, and was named Director for University Advancement, Corporate and Foundation Relations, in 1994. She was appointed to her most recent post in 1997.

     Prior to joining NJIT, Rhodes had been employed as a professional social worker. She was Program Director for Planned Parenthood of Essex County, Newark, where she directed the county's "Healthy Mothers/Healthy Babies Coalition and the "Program to improve Maternal and Infant Health," among other projects.

     Rhodes also previously served as Program Coordinator for the Family Panning Association of New Jersey, Trenton, where she directed state-wide AIDS Services Expansion Program for reproductive health care providers and provided training workshops for clinic, education and social service staffs on AIDs-related issues.

     Before that position, she was Program Coordinator for the Essex County Department of Health and Rehabilitation, Cedar Grove and had served as a Program Development Specialist for the New Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Newark.

     Rhodes holds a Masters in Social Work from Rutgers University, and a Master of Arts in Social Science and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Michigan State University. She is also an Adjunct Instructor at Rutgers, teaching graduate and undergraduate courses in social welfare policies and services.

     The executive has served on the boards of many community and professional organizations, including the Board of Concerned Citizens, University of Medicine and Dentistry; the National Committee for Prevention of Child Abuse, and the Family Service Bureau of Newark. She is currently a member of The National Association of Social Workers.

     NJIT is a public research university enrolling nearly 8,200 bachelor's, master's and doctoral students in 76 degree programs through its five colleges: Newark College of Engineering, School of Architecture, College of Science and Liberal Arts, the School of Management and the Albert Dorman Honors College. Research initiatives include manufacturing, microelectronics, multimedia, transportation, computer science, solar astrophysics, environmental engineering and science, and architecture and building science.

     Yahoo! Internet Life magazine recently ranked NJIT the "most wired" public university in the nation, and has ranked it one of the top ten "most wired" campuses among both public and private universities for three consecutive years. In addition, U.S. News and World Report's 1999 Annual Guide to America's Best Colleges ranked NJIT among the nation's top universities, and Money magazine's Best College Buys 1998 rated NJIT as the sixth best value among U.S. science and technology schools and among the top 100 overall.