Jerry Fjermestad Receives the Excellence in Graduate Instruction Award at NJIT's University Convocation
Jerry Fjermestad, PhD, professor in NJIT's School of Management and Department of Information Systems, received the Excellence in Graduate Instruction on Sept. 15, 2010 at the NJIT University Convocation, an awards ceremony with a special welcoming ceremony for the freshman class. The event was held on Lubetkin Field at J. Malcolm Simon Stadium, on the NJIT campus. A reception for the award winners followed.
Traditionally, this event honors select NJIT faculty, staff, and students who have demonstrated the highest level of excellence over a sustained period. "We reward them not only for their achievement, but because their leadership serves as a testament to NJIT's commitment to excellence," said Ian Gatley, PhD, provost.
C. Stephen Cordes, managing director and member of the executive board of ING Clarion Partners, a leading investment advisory firm specializing in real estate, in New York City, delivered the keynote address. Cordes, who received NJIT's Edward F. Weston Medal for Professional Achievement last fall, graduated from NJIT in 1972 with a BS in industrial engineering. He heads the private equity real estate portfolio management group with assets under management of $23 billion. He holds a master's degree in public administration from Rutgers University and is chairman of the NJIT Albert Dorman Honors College Board of Visitors.
The citation read as follows:
Professor Jerry Fjermestad has been teaching at NJIT for 15 years, offering courses in both the School of Management and the Department of Information Systems. He has had an important impact on the development of the master's and PhD programs in Information Systems, and his work to reduce course redundancy has lead to greater diversity of material in these programs.
Over the years, Dr. Fjermestad has demonstrated impressive versatility, achieving excellence in on-campus, hybrid and e-learning modes. He incorporates technology extensively in his courses-including Moodle, WebCT, recording and posting lectures online-to foster interaction with and among students, and provides students with experience working in teams.
Students offer that Professor Fjermestad "brings out the best" in them. His assignments keep students engaged and align teaching with the corporate world by incorporating contemporary business software and applications. He brings his research into both his undergraduate and graduate courses, and has co-authored over thirty published research papers with his students. As one student notes, "Professor Fjermestad has armed us with the ideas, strategies, knowledge and information that we are all actually going to be using to be better supervisors, managers and maybe top executives."