Paterson native and NJIT alumnus, Vincent J. Naimoli, a successful businessman who went on to found the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team, has now written his life story, Business, Baseball & Beyond. Naimoli will be at NJIT on Dec. 3, 2009, from 10:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m., in the Campus Center for an exclusive book signing. The public is invited to this special event for which the book’s purchase price has been discounted to $20 one book; $35 for two. >>

In Business, Baseball & Beyond, NJIT alumnus Vince Naimoli traces his roots from his childhood in a poor, working-class neighborhood in Paterson to the creation of a Fortune 500 business empire and a foray into the world of professional sports. >>

Tony Award-winning choreographer Savion Glover thrilled friends of NJIT at the university’s recent annual black-tie benefit dinner, Celebration.  >>

Mark Panczyk, who received his bachelor of science in chemical engineering from NJIT in May 2008, was recognized by the American Chemical Society's Division of Colloid and Surface Chemistry for his outstanding poster contribution at the Fall 2009 ACS national meeting in Washington, D.C.  Panczyk, who is currently pursuing doctoral studies at the University of Delaware, won one of five awards in a competition that featured some 200 posters.  >>

Leean “Coco” Orama, a senior majoring in engineering technology and president of the NJIT Student Senate, was one of only four students nationwide selected to receive an all-expense-paid scholarship to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) GreenBuild International Conference and Expo in Phoenix today through tomorrow. >>

Jason Peist '08, a member of the design team at TMR and Associates, P.C. in Rutherford, was named the AIA NJ Intern Architect of the Year for 2009. An early graduate of the 5-year bachelor of architecture program and the Albert Dorman Honors College in December 2008, Jason is currently enrolled in the Master of Science in Professional and Technical Communication program at NJIT.  >>

Norma J. Clayton '81, vice president of learning, training and development at The Boeing Company and a member of the NJIT Board of Overseers, was named 2009 Technologist of the Year by Black Engineer.com. Clayton, who graduated from NJIT with a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering, received the university's Outstanding Alumnus Award in 2006. >>

Joel Bloom, vice president for academic and student services and dean, Albert Dorman Honors College, Charles R. Dees, Jr., vice president for university advancement, and Dick Sweeney '82, co-inventor of the Keurig single-cup coffee machine, recently participated in a coffee “cupping" session at Green Mountain Coffee Roasters in Waterbury, Vermont. Green Mountain and its partner Simatelex, in China, the manufacturer of the Keurig single-cup coffee maker, have endowed a $100,000 scholarship at NJIT. >>

An estimated 3,000 students, faculty, staff, alumni and their families participated in the university's annual fall festival, NJIT Day 2009, on Oct. 10. NJIT Day highlights included carnival rides and student organization game booths. Other weekend events included the Young Alumni Club Chili Cook-Off (at left), wins for men’s soccer and women's volleyball, Highlander Games, NJIT Parents Association Sports and Celebrity Memorabilia Auction, 30th Anniversary of Residence Life alumni reception, and the Tour de Tech bike race. >>

The Fall 2009 issue of NJIT Magazine is now available on line. The issue’s cover feature, "NJIT and the Urban Vision," offers an overview of wide-ranging engagement in efforts to improve the quality of urban life in New Jersey and Newark. >>

On October 10, the NJIT community will celebrate NJIT Day 2009: Red, White and Wild, the sixth annual fall festival for students and their families, faculty, staff and alumni, featuring carnival rides and games, men's soccer and women's volleyball games, and much more. Call 973-596-3470 for information and further details. >>

Neil M. Maher, PhD, associate professor, chair and graduate coordinator of the department of history, received the 2009 Robert Van Houten Award for Teaching Excellence from the NJIT Alumni Association on June 13. Maher recently published Nature's New Deal: The Civilian Conservation Corps and the Roots of the American Environmental Movement (Oxford University Press, 2008) and is currently researching and writing an environmental history of the space race during the 1960s and 1970s. >>

The NJIT Alumni Association annually honors a select group of distinguished alumni for their notable achievements in their professional careers, community activities, and/or support of NJIT. This year’s event will honor a group of New Jersey residents who made their marks in the fields of architecture, engineering and more. Set for Saturday, June 13, 2009, at 4 p.m. at NJIT, the event caps Alumni Weekend at the University.  >>

NJIT Magazine, published by NJIT's Office of University Communications, has received the 2009 Award of Excellence sponsored by the International Academy of the Visual Arts and the Communicator Awards. >>

NJIT’s 2009 Commencement Ceremony will be held Saturday, May 16, 2009, at the Prudential Center, Newark from 9 a.m.-noon. During the ceremony, more than 2,000 honorary doctoral degrees and earned doctoral, master’s, and bachelor’s degrees will be conferred on the Class of 2009. >>

The NJIT community mourns the passing this morning of Bernard Coopersmith, a 1944 graduate of Newark College of Engineering and friend of the university. Coopersmith received the NCE Distinguished Alumni Service Award in 2000 and served as the president of the NJIT Alumni Association in 1969. Last year, Coopersmith joined those about to become alumni at Commencement 2008, receiving special recognition from NJIT President Robert A. Altenkirch as the “most mature” alumnus to participate in the ceremony. >>

Chuck Daniels of ACBB-BITS, Inc., a highly successful entrepreneur and NJIT alumnus (BS '80) who received NJIT’s Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award in 2000, will be the guest speaker at a Monthly Entrepreneurs' Gathering on April 2, 10 a.m.-12:30 pm at the Enterprise Development Center, 211 Warren St., Room 407. RSVP to Kelly Carthens or 973-643-4063 would be appreciated. >>

Have a great idea for a business or invention but don't know where to turn? Then consider yourself a candidate for the Young Alumni Club's Entrepreneurial Network program. On Saturday, Jan. 24, the Alumni Association of NJIT’s Young Alumni Club and the NJIT Enterprise Development Center co-sponsored a workshop for aspiring entrepreneurs that was attended by 90 alumni and guests. For more information about the program, go to www.njit.edu/alumni/yac. >>

Have a great idea or invention but don’t know where to turn? Then consider yourself a candidate for an upcoming day of four workshops for first-time entrepreneurs sponsored by the NJIT Enterprise Development Center and the Alumni Association of NJIT. >>