NJIT was founded in 1881 when the city of Newark matched a grant from the state legislature to fund the creation of the Newark Technical School. The first 88 students enrolled in 1884 and took classes in a rented building until construction on the physical campus began two years later. In the early 1900s, the technical school was changed to the Newark College of Engineering and in 1975 an architecture school was added, broadening the mission and changing name of the college to New Jersey Institute of Technology. Since the name change, NJIT has added four other colleges to expand the focus beyond engineering and architecture including management, computing sciences, and science and liberal arts.
NJIT’s 26 modern buildings are compactly situated on 45 acres in the heart of the city. The urban campus is laid out on a grid, so it’s easily navigable and quick to get between classes. New buildings seem to pop up every year, like the Campus Center which serves as a student hub with dining options, meeting rooms, lounges, and a game room. There is also a new off-campus residence hall that opened in 2007 as well as the fully renovated Alumni Center.
NJIT is located in Newark, New Jersey just five miles west of Manhattan. Newark is a vibrant stomping ground for college kids and the school is situated in the center of the urban city. Next to the NJIT campus is Rutgers University—Newark, so the two colleges are able to share facilities and expose students to a larger collegiate community. The town has a lively downtown where students can blow off steam afterhours, and anyone itching for the big city can make the convenient commute into NYC for shopping, eating, entertainment, attractions, and of course, nightlife.
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Beatrice Hicks (1939) founded the Society of Women Engineers.
John J. Mooney (1960 MS) was involved in inventing the catalytic converter.
Vince Naimoli (1962) was the founding owner of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
Pierre Ramond (1965) helped develop the superstring theory.
The NJIT Highlanders compete in NCAA Division I and are members of the Great West Conference. NJIT is new to D-I and the teams haven’t exactly been formidable threats to others in the conference. Perhaps with experience and recruiting, future classes will see more success and school pride. Varsity sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, fencing, ice hockey, soccer, swimming, tennis, track and field, and volleyball. Students can also choose from one of the many club and intramural sports on campus.
The NJIT mascot is the Highlander.
NJIT is one of few colleges to have classes in video game development.
Four NJIT faculty members have received Fulbright awards.
NJIT has four residence halls that house about a quarter of the undergraduate population. Redwood Hall is the oldest of the dorms and is home to 200 freshmen who live in double rooms with community bathrooms. Cypress and Laurel halls are laid out with two room suites that share bathrooms. Cypress holds students of all years, but Laurel is the newer of the two and is reserved for upperclassmen. Oak Hall is the other upper-class residence hall and has an apartment-style setup with two and three-person rooms as well as five-person apartments.
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