In 2020, NJIT created the Hispanic and Latinx Leadership Council, which is made up of students, faculty, staff and alumni as well as business and community leaders who work collaboratively to address recruitment, retention, engagement and persistence among Latinx students. The Council worked with the university to ensure it received federal Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) designation, which requires that at least 25% or higher of the undergraduate full-time enrollment be Hispanic or Latinx. The goal was to achieve these numbers by 2025, but NJIT hit its target by the spring of 2024.
The Council raises funds and provides scholarships to Latinx students, and, on September 19, as part of NJIT’s kickoff for Hispanic Heritage Month, the Council, along with NJIT president Dr. Teik C. Lim, hosted a campus celebration of the school’s HSI designation. It was also a time to strategize on ways to retain Latinx students, which includes building additional initiatives to support student success.
“Diversity is among NJIT’s greatest strengths because it is a catalyst for learning and innovation,” says Lim. “Bringing together people with varied backgrounds, from different cultures, with unique life experiences and with a broad range of talents and insights informs thinking while spurring creativity and enhancing problem solving. We consciously strive to create an environment where all members of our community feel welcomed and respected.”
Since 2022, Dr. David E. Jones, NJIT chief diversity officer, has led the school’s Office of Inclusive Excellence. In this role, he advocates for the necessary resources both in institutional funding and staffing so that services, resources and support can be provided for Latinx students and student organizations.
“My approach to this work has been very intentional, very interpersonal, very collaborative, very much wanting to understand the stories and narratives of our Latinx students, ensuring that their voices are included in the programs, policies and procedures that we implement, and they feel that sense of affirmation and belonging here at NJIT,” says Jones.
Jones proudly notes that NJIT is the only polytechnic institution in New Jersey to have both Research 1 and HSI status. In addition to undergraduate degrees, NJIT offers master’s and doctoral programs.
“One of the things I’ve done is building out an institutional agenda for our heritage month celebrations,” Jones says. “These are opportunities to celebrate the rich history, culture and the people from underrepresented communities.”
There is also a courageous conversations series monthly for faculty and staff led by the Office of Inclusive Excellence. Jones explains that the office works with faculty to ensure they have the cultural capacity to build scholarship in the classroom that resonates with the students that NJIT serves.
“We make sure through training and education to provide our faculty with adequate learning experiences that allow them to think about how you create inclusive classroom practices and pedagogy,” Jones says. “Whether it’s engineering, computing, business management or architecture, there are ways in which to build a DEI agenda in each of those particular disciplines.”
In his first year on campus, Jones met with many of NJIT’s academic departments to infuse that thinking. He also hosts an annual DEI forum.
A motivator for NJIT students is knowing that companies that are seeking diversity in their hiring often reach out to the institution for prospective candidates. Jones notes that the school helps students get placed in internships, which increases the possibilities for full-time positions after graduation.
There is a chapter of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers on campus. Students are able to join and attend the organization’s national conference as well as career fairs and network with companies.
Preparation for success begins long before students enroll as undergraduates. There is a robust pre-college program that starts as early as fourth grade that students can participate all the way through high school. A long-time offering is the NJIT Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), which identifies, recruits and provides financial assistance to underrepresented students in New Jersey. This transitional high school to college summer program has a cohort model. There is also a new student orientation, a first-year experience class and the Newark Mayor’s Scholars program.
Jones is currently working with NJIT’s institutional effectiveness team to assess and gather data to gain a thorough understanding of areas of improvement and areas that need additional attention. A campus climate survey is planned for fall 2025 to see how the Office of Inclusive Excellence is building a sense of belonging at NJIT.
“Hispanic and Latinx students are getting more involved,” Jones says. “They’re finding their voice and they’re being advocates.”
