Welcome Back and Happy Labor Day

Published: Friday, August 29, 2025

Dear Highlanders,

I hope you have enjoyed a summer that has been both productive and rejuvenating, and that you are relaxing this Labor Day weekend or celebrating with family and friends as we prepare for the beginning of the fall semester.

While many of us have enjoyed the summer, I believe the beginning of the fall semester is the most exciting time of the year at a university. Our campus is filled with new and familiar faces, and is vibrant with activity as we begin the academic year. While there is much to look forward to, I want to briefly share some very good news from these past few months.

The Princeton Review has, once again, named NJIT as one of the best universities in the U.S. We are featured in this year’s edition of The Best 391 Colleges, which recognizes just 15% of all four-year colleges and universities nationwide. The publication also names NJIT the #27 best value among public universities and the only New Jersey institution to rank in the top 50. Additionally, we were ranked #10 for best career placement, #36 for game design, and #44 for entrepreneurship.

Money’s 2025 rating of the best universities in the nation gave NJIT 4 ½ stars out of 5, tied for the highest rating among public institutions in the state.

We also earned national recognition as part of Forbes’ America’s Best-In-State Employers list. Among the 90 organizations in New Jersey that earned a spot on the list, NJIT #1 among educational institutions, #4 among entities headquartered in New Jersey, and #13 overall in our state.

In varsity athletics, our Highlanders posted a 33rd consecutive semester with a collective 3.0 GPA or higher, boasting a 3.446 department-wide GPA. Additionally:

  • All 19 of NJIT's programs earned a 3.0 or higher GPA this past spring with 66 individual student-athletes recording perfect 4.0 GPA, 221 earning List honors, and 273 with a 3.0 term GPA or higher.
  • The America East Conference also named 13 student-athletes from NJIT as America East Presidential Scholar-Athletes for their outstanding academic achievements throughout their entire career.
  • Holden deJong was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 11th round of the 2025 Major League Baseball draft, making him the highest-drafted Highlander to date.

And earlier today, we welcomed the newest class of talented undergraduate Highlanders as we celebrated Convocation.

Now we embark upon a fall semester that will be filled with opportunity and achievement. On Tuesday, classes will begin, and I encourage you to embrace the new semester by setting ambitious goals, working diligently, and getting immersed in campus life. But first, come to the West Plaza of the Campus Center between 8:30 am  and 10:30 am on Tuesday to have pancakes with me and First Lady Gina Lim. Then start the year off by taking and posting some selfies with our new NJIT Makes sign on the campus green, marking your calendars for Homecoming (October 16-18), and preparing for the arrival of the FIFA World Cup next spring by visiting the fan sentiment and analysis platform developed and managed by students and faculty at NJIT’s Martin Tuchman School of Management, which will be launched in the near future and will capture and evaluate real-time reactions from fans throughout the year leading up to the FIFA World Cup 2026™.  

This is going to be a great year at NJIT, and it is my pleasure to welcome you!

 

Sincerely,

NJIT President Teik C. Lim