New Jersey Institute of Technology - History

History

The New Jersey Institute of Technology has a history dating back to the industrial age.

In 1881, an act of the New Jersey State Legislature essentially drew up a contest to determine which municipality would become home to the state's urgently needed technical school. The challenge was straightforward: the state would stake "at least $3,000 and not more than $5,000" and the municipality that matched the state's investment would earn the right to establish the new school.

The Newark Board of Trade, working jointly with the Newark City Council, launched a feverish campaign to win the new school. Dozens of the city's industrialists, along with other private citizens, eager for a work force resource in their home town, threw their support behind the fund-raiser. By 1884, the collaboration of the public and private sectors produced success. Newark Technical School was ready to open its doors.

The first 88 students, 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 fund-raiser—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 1911.

Dr. Allan R. Cullimore led the institution from 1920 to 1949, transforming Newark Technical School into Newark College of Engineering. Campbell Hall was erected in 1925, but due to the Depression and World War II, only the former Newark Orphan Asylum, now Eberhardt Hall, was purchased and renovated by the college in the succeeding decades. Cullimore left an unpublished history of the institution dated 1955.

As of 1946, about 75% of the freshman class had served in the armed forces. 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 (7.3 ha), four building expansion was completed.

In 1975, with the addition of the New Jersey School of Architecture, the institution had evolved into a technological university, emphasizing a broad range of graduate and undergraduate degrees and dedication to significant research and public service. While Newark College of Engineering remains, a new university name—New Jersey Institute of Technology—was chosen to represent the institution's expanded mission.

The establishment of a residential campus and the opening of NJIT's first dormitory (Redwood Hall) in 1979 began a period of steady growth that continues today under the 2005 Landscape Master Plan. Two new schools were established at the university during the 1980s, the College of Science and Liberal Arts in 1982 and the School of Industrial Management in 1988. The Albert Dorman Honors College was established in 1994, and the newest school, the College of Computing Sciences, was created in 2001. As of 2008 there are 4 residence halls on campus: Redwood Hall, Cypress Hall, Oak Hall, and Laurel Hall.

In 2003, the launch of the new Campus Center on the site of the former Hazell Hall centralized campus social events. Construction of a new Atrium, Bookstore, Information Desk, Dining Hall, computer lab, and new student organization offices continued into 2004. In 2005, a row of automobile chop shops adjacent to campus were demolished. In 2006, construction of a new off-campus residence hall by American Campus Communities commenced in the chop shops' prior location. The new hall which opened in 2007 is dubbed the University Centre.

Also in 2005, Eberhardt Hall was fully renovated and re-inaugurated as the Alumni Center and the symbolic front door to the university. Its restored tower was the logo of the former Newark College of Engineering and was designed by Kevin Boyajian and Scott Nelson. A rebranding campaign with the current slogan, "NJIT - New Jersey's Science and Technology University - The Edge in Knowledge", was launched to emphasize NJIT’s unique position as New Jersey's preeminent science-and-technology-focused research university.

Recently, the school has changed its accredited management school into AACSB-accredited business school. The business school focuses on utilizing technology to serve business needs. The school benefits from its close location to New York City; the financial capital of the world. It is located 25 minutes from Wall Street. The school has also strong academic collaboration with Rutgers business school.NJIT has a tie-up with Heritage Institute of Technology for summer internships.

In 2009, the New Jersey School of Architecture was transformed into the College of Architecture and Design (CoAD). Within the college, the New Jersey School of Architecture continues, and it is joined by the newly-established School of Art + Design.

In June 2010, NJIT officially completed its purchase of the old Central High School building which sits in between NJIT and Rutgers-Newark campus. With the completion of the purchase, Summit Street (from Warren Street to New Street) would be totally converted into a pedestrian walkway from a public street. The existing old 'Central High School' building is earmarked to be extensively renovated, preserved and used as classrooms as per the Campus Master Plan which includes tearing down of Kupfrian Hall to create more greenery.

As of the fall of 2011, the university has 6.103 undergraduate students, 2,916 graduate students, over 10,000 continuing education students, 416 full-time faculty, 88 adjuncts, and over 44,000 alumni. The male-to-female student ratio is 4:1 and the student-to-faculty ratio is 13:1.