History of NJIT
The New Jersey Institute of Technology that we know today has a rich history with its beginnings in the Industrial Age.
Like many of the port cities around the world, the Newark of the late 19th century was a thriving industrial center. Its factories churned out thread, metals, paints and leather goods. In Newark, Thomas Edison set his Ward Street factory for his later astounding achievements, and Edison rival Edward Weston established the first factory in the United States for commercial production of dynamo electric machines.
On March 24, 1880, the Essex County Assemblyman in the state Legislature introduced “An Act to Provide for the Establishment of Schools of Industrial Education.” The Newark Board of Trade sponsored the bill. The Act established three schools of industrial education: one in Newark, one in Trenton and one in Hoboken. The first Board of Trustees met July 1, 1884. The Newark Technical School opened Monday, February 9, 1885, with 88 students who attended despite a terrible snowstorm.
The Early Years
The first class, mostly evening students, attended classes in a rented building at 21 West Park Street. Soon the facility became inadequate to house an expanding student body. To meet the needs of the growing school, a second fundraiser—the institution’s first capital campaign—was launched to support the construction of a dedicated building for Newark Technical School. In 1886, under the leadership of the school’s dynamic first director, Dr. Charles A. Colton, the cornerstone was laid at the intersection of High Street and Summit Place for the three-story building later to be named Weston Hall in honor of the institution’s early benefactor. A laboratory building, later to be called Colton Hall, was added to the campus in 1913. Daniel Hodgdon served as the director of Newark Technical School from 1918 to 1920.
Under Dr. Allan R. Cullimore, who led the institution from 1920 to 1949, the modest Newark Technical School was transformed into the robust Newark College of Engineering. Campbell Hall was erected in 1925. During the lean years of the Depression and World War II, only the former Newark Orphan Asylum, now Eberhardt Hall, was purchased and renovated by the college.
The Postwar Period
The postwar period was one of enormous activity during which President Cullimore—like today’s post-Cold War university presidents— challenged the college to turn “war-time thinking into peace-time thinking.”
In 1946, about 75 percent of the freshman class had served in the armed forces. Robert W. Van Houten was acting president of NJIT from 1947 until 1950 when the board of trustees named him president. Cullimore Hall was built in 1958 and two years later the old Weston Hall was razed and replaced with the current seven-story structure. Doctoral-level programs were introduced and six years later, in 1966, an 18-acre, four-building expansion was completed. William Hazell succeeded Dr. Van Houten as president of NJIT in 1970.
Evolution of a Technological University
In 1973, with the addition of the New Jersey School of Architecture, the institution evolved into a technological university, emphasizing a broad range of graduate and undergraduate degrees and dedication to significant research and public service. Alumni were invited to submit new names for the institution, with a winning suggestion from alumnus Joseph M. Anderson '25. A stronger-than-ever Newark College of Engineering remained intact, but a new university name—New Jersey Institute of Technology— signified the institution’s expanded mission.
A Residential Campus and Four New Schools
A broadened mission called for the creation of a residential campus. The opening of NJIT’s first dormitory, Redwood Hall, in 1979 began a period of steady growth that continues today. Under the leadership of Saul K. Fenster, who served as president of NJIT from 1978 to 2002, four new schools were established at the university: the College of Science and Liberal Arts in 1982; the School of Management in 1988; Albert Dorman Honors College in 1995; and the College of Computing Sciences in 2001. During the administration of Robert A. Altenkirch, New Jersey School of Architecture was reconstituted as the College of Architecture and Design in 2008.
The Gateway Project
Under the leadership of Joel S. Bloom, NJIT completed the first phase of the Gateway Project in 2013, including the creation of Warren Street Village, a three-acre, a mixed-use residential housing complex that added 600 beds to NJIT’s existing inventory of residential housing. The complex includes the Honors College Residence Hall and five duplex homes for NJIT’s Greek organizations, as well as dining services, a convenience store, and fitness center for the university community.
On April 13, 2017, more than 200 students, alumni, faculty, staff and friends of the university witnessed the official ribbon cutting of the renovated Central King Building, part of a campus transformation designed to enhance the student experience and solidify NJIT’s position going forward as one of the nation’s leading public polytechnic universities.
NJIT Today
As New Jersey’s science, technology and design university, New Jersey Institute of Technology has earned a solid reputation as one of the nation’s preeminent STEM-based educational and research institutions. The university is consistently ranked among the highest in the country in return-on-investment (ROI) for its graduates and ranks among the top U.S. polytechnic universities in terms of research expenditures. NJIT’s impact on the State of New Jersey exceeds $2.8 billion in total economic output each year, supporting more than 11,000 jobs and generating employment income of $560 million.
With six colleges, over 50 undergraduate degree programs, approximately 60 graduate degree programs (including 19 programs leading to a Ph.D. degree in a professional discipline), and more than 130 research institutes, centers and laboratories , NJIT is home to more than 11,900 students and nearly 500 full-time and adjunct faculty members.
NJIT also offers Continuing and Professional Education including on-site corporate training and non-degree certificate programs. Moreover, NJIT’s Career Development Services offers highly paid co-op and internship opportunities to provide students with an entrance into the workforce.
Economic Impact
NJIT is a driving force behind a large number of technology and innovation-based enterprises, as well as a wide range of business and industry public-private partnerships which have a significant impact on the economies of the state and the region. New Jersey receives substantial benefits from NJIT and its commitment to economic and workforce development. NJIT has the largest college of engineering, computing, architecture, and design, and is home to the largest technology and life science business incubator in the state. NJIT has research expenditures of over $160 million. As of 2021, NJIT had 266 patents and intellectual property assets.
A nonprofit corporate entity, New Jersey Innovation Institute (NJII), was established in 2014 to work directly with business, industry, and government for economic development. NJII has generated over $300 million in revenue.
Vision for the Future
In 2020, NJIT introduced Building on a Strong Foundation—NJIT 2025 to chart the university’s course during the second decade of the 21st century. It is the product of diverse perspectives, an exceptional breadth of talent and deep concern for all aspects of the university’s mission. The five core strategic priorities are:
- Students – To support and increase the number of high-achieving students who graduate
- Faculty – To pursue a robust program to develop a more engaged, recognized, and diverse faculty community
- Research – To achieve national and international preeminence through collaborative research, fostering innovation and entrepreneurship, the pursuit of industry and academic partnerships, and expansion of research support systems
- Resources – To enhance human resources, improve improve information technology, renew physical facilities, consider new facilities, and develop alternative sources of revenue while integrating the goal of sustainability into all operational and pedagogical systems
- Prominence – To increase university visibility, increase engagement with the City of Newark, promote alumni connections, and achieve a reputation for excellence
NJIT will realize this vision through ongoing assessment of our progress to ensure success. This continuous assessment will keep the university on course toward becoming one of the premier polytechnic institutions in the country, renowned for excellence in education, eminence in research, generosity in service and dedication to economic progress. To learn more about our strategic goals, visit NJIT 2025.
Focus on Students
NJIT’s commitment to its students goes far beyond increasing the number of high-achieving students. The university ensures that they have a full spectrum of the highest-quality educational, social and physical resources necessary to be successful both in and outside of the classroom. For this reason, the university continues to expand and diversify its faculty and to invest in facilities aimed at meeting the needs of our growing student population and at giving students the edge they need in today’s demanding high-tech marketplace.
In addition to construction of a new parking deck and a new, state-of-the-art Wellness and Events Center, the Central King Building has been transformed into a modern STEM teaching and learning hub, and renovations continue in Tiernan Hall, Faculty Memorial Hall and the Mechanical Engineering Center to ensure that NJIT students have the appropriate space and technology to be successful. A renovated Makerspace where students and businesses can prototype innovative ideas officially opened in December 2017. The second floor of Fenster Hall has been renovated to house Academic Advising, Academic Support and Student Affairs, and Career Development Services (CDS).
Community Engagement
NJIT also makes significant contributions to the community through initiatives such as its $1 billion Campus Gateway neighborhood redevelopment plan, which is helping to revitalize a 22-acre area adjacent to the university’s campus, as well as its annual Day of Service, Alternative Spring Break and numerous other community engagement service offerings that benefit the City of Newark, and the State of New Jersey as a whole. NJIT students served 268 nonprofit agencies and logged over 52,400 community service hours.
