NJIT’s Black-Tie Benefit Dinner Set for Nov. 9, 2007
New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) will hold its annual black-tie benefit dinner, called Celebration, on Nov. 9, 2007, at The Palace at Somerset Park, Somerset. Newark Mayor Cory A. Booker will serve as the special guest master of ceremonies and Joe Piscopo will be the celebrity entertainer.
“Dinner proceeds will endow scholarships for students at NJIT,” said Jacquelynn Rhodes, associate vice president for development at NJIT. “Many NJIT students are the first in their families to attend college, and most of them rely upon merit and need-based scholarships.”
A festive evening of dinner and dancing, Celebration also honors individuals for achievements of benefit to New Jersey and our nation, as well as those organizations that have been exceptional in their commitment to the university’s mission.
Jeffrey Vanderbeek, of Warren, owner of the New Jersey Devils hockey team, will receive NJIT’s highest honor—the President’s Medal.
Vincent Naimoli, of Tampa, Fla., chairman of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays baseball team and a member of the NJIT Board of Overseers, will be given NJIT’s Outstanding Alumnus Award. Naimoli graduated from NJIT in 1962 with a master of science in mechanical engineering.
Verizon Communications Inc., headquartered in New York, will be named the outstanding corporate partner of the year. The company is a leader in delivering broadband and other wireline and wireless communication innovations to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers.
Suwah Amara, of Newark, a student in the Newark College of Engineering, will be the guest speaker. Amara is majoring in biomedical engineering.
Since 1995, many of NJIT’s most generous supporters have gathered annually for Celebration, which has raised nearly $3 million in scholarship funds at New Jersey’s preeminent technological university. For more information, visit the Celebration 2007 website: http://www.njit.edu/celebration/.