New Jersey Institute of Technology, an urban university known for providing opportunities to underrepresented students, kicked off its Black History Month schedule this week with the theme of "Embodying Black Excellence."

New Jersey Institute of Technology’s new vice provost for enrollment management, Susan Gross, brings 20 years of experience in admissions and financial aid at universities and law schools.

Gross, who starts Jan. 17, arrives after more than eight years at Stevens Institute of Technology, where she was assistant vice president for enrollment management and earlier, director of financial aid. During that period, Stevens saw applications nearly double, enrollment increase by more than a third and the percentage of female and underrepresented students rise steadily.