Dear Colleagues,

Over the last several weeks, the United States federal government has issued a number of executive orders, memoranda, and other directives that may affect higher education in the United States. Many of these documents can be found in the Federal Register, and they call for changes to areas such as research funding, energy policy, immigration enforcement, gender identification, and diversity programming and resources. Some of these actions have resulted in legal challenges that are ongoing, and the situation remains fluid.

Most recently, on Friday, February 14, 2025, the United States Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights issued a “Dear Colleague” letter which provides an overview of how the Office of Civil Rights interprets the Supreme Court’s ruling in the 2023 case SFFA v. Harvard and its application to the nature of diversity programs and resources within educational institutions.

At NJIT, we are actively monitoring these federal developments and will continue to do so, reviewing all existing policies and practices to ensure compliance with the law. No preemptive action should be taken by individual departments or organizations. If you have any questions, please contact the senior university administrator for your area. Additionally, in order to be responsive to the issues affecting higher education, as well as the needs of our university community at this time, we have established an Ad Hoc Task Force on Federal Developments. This task force will have broad representation from faculty and staff and will help ensure that all concerns are heard.

Throughout our history, NJIT always has been a place where all students are afforded an opportunity to receive an education that can transform their lives and result in a better future for themselves and their families. We celebrate the diversity of our university and the core values that are our foundation, because we believe and have believed throughout our history that bringing together people from varied backgrounds spurs creativity and nurtures innovation.

We are proud of our history, our impact, and the work we do as an institution, and we are committed to maintaining a welcoming environment in which all members of our community are able to succeed and thrive.

Thank you for your dedication to NJIT, to our mission, to our values, and, most especially, to our students. We will continue to keep you informed as new developments occur and information becomes available.

Sincerely,

John A. Pelesko
Provost and Senior VP for Academic Affairs

Bill Brady
Vice President for Human Resources

David Jones
Chief Diversity Officer