NJIT will ensure that the human, physical and technological resources for student learning and faculty research have the highest priority. The university’s faculty will continue to grow in numbers and renown. They will work in the best laboratories with the highest-quality equipment and technology infrastructure. All classrooms will accommodate a variety of instructional layouts and will offer the latest technology. A multiyear campus plan for student learning, faculty, research and community investment will propel NJIT to state, regional, national and international prominence.
OBJECTIVES
EDUCATIONAL INVESTMENT—To provide the level of educational support that allows for the achievement of excellence in undergraduate, graduate and continuing professional education.
Promote Teaching Excellence
- Develop the Institute for Teaching Excellence under the direction of a community of teaching scholars. This will enhance teaching by providing consultation, resources and programs to facilitate the professional development of faculty, lecturers, adjuncts and graduate students.
- Provide guidance to instructors, through the Office of Academic Assessment and university instructional designers and technologists, in developing the most appropriate delivery mechanism to enhance teaching effectiveness. This will facilitate academic course and program assessment.
Improve Academic Support
- Develop a University Commons to serve as the center of academic support at NJIT. This will create an integrated learning space for academic excellence encompassing many of the presently disparate locations across campus where advising, collaborative learning and tutoring take place.
- Create spaces for student study and interaction, especially in proximity to large lecture halls and classrooms. This will promote student interaction and collaboration.
Revise Non-Tenure Track Compensation and Career Tracks
- Revise the current compensation and advancement structure for non-tenure track instructional positions to ensure competitive salary ranges and benefits. This will improve recruitment and retention of highly qualified instructors.
- Create a non-tenure-track, full-time Professor of Practice position. This will bring academic, business, industry and government leaders into the instructional community of NJIT.
FACULTY RENEWAL—To hire, develop and retain faculty, especially those with excellence in strategic educational and research areas.
Engage in Strategic Hiring
- Develop five-year hiring plans for each department, college and school. This will build strength in areas that address departmental, college and university needs while considering projected enrollment growth.
- Encourage joint academic appointments and development of clear guidelines for rewarding faculty participation in education and research activities in multiple departments. This will strengthen collaborative research and education.
- Develop a plan for hiring tenure-track and tenured faculty in interdisciplinary areas. This will enhance multidisciplinary research initiatives and provide collaborative approaches to student mentoring.
- Maintain a balance among the various faculty ranks. This will allow the continuous infusion of new ideas and methods into the academic community, sustaining traditional research directions and launching new initiatives.
- Enhance faculty diversity through a targeted recruitment and retention process by making available a competitive pool of funds for salary and startups to departments, schools and colleges. This will increase the academic strength of the university.
- Develop family-friendly hiring policies, including the accommodation of academic couples. This will make NJIT more attractive to potential employees with concerns about family-life issues.
- Develop a mentoring plan for both faculty and instructional staff. This will yield a variety of benefits, from augmented external funding for research to excellence in teaching.
Refine Metrics for Faculty Achievement
- Understand the key factors in faculty success. This will allow development of better metrics for faculty achievement and improvement of faculty hiring decisions.
- Benchmark teaching assignments based on levels of scholarly research and funding at comparable institutions. This will inform the relationship between teaching and research, and ensure equitable workloads.
- Implement a transition-to-retirement program where faculty can reduce hours, responsibilities and compensation while continuing to contribute their expertise to the academic community. This will encourage continued contributions by senior faculty at NJIT and allow for faculty renewal.
RESEARCH INVESTMENT—To develop an infrastructure that provides effective support for current and future researchers and administrators.
Automate Pre- and Post-Award Administration
- Achieve excellence in the delivery of services in Sponsored Research Administration through automation. This will promote systematic and efficient administrative processes for managing awards, including budgeting, approvals, reporting, compliance, and renewal.
- Streamline grant management and accounting operations in Grants and Contracts Administration through automation. This will ensure accuracy and efficiency in invoice generation, processing, approvals, accounting and audit operations.
Improve Research Resources, Services, Equipment and Facilities
- Strengthen research resources and services for STEM and non-STEM disciplines. This will expand the range of academic scholarship.
- Collaborate with other universities for enhanced sharing of scholarly assets such as library resources. This will expand the range of available services and promote high-quality research.
- Promote environmental health and safety programs. This will assure a healthy and environmentally sustainable education and research environment.
- Update existing common equipment through the Facilities Master Plan. This will reduce costs for core facilities use.
- Develop a university policy on lab space through the Facilities Master Plan. This will allow administrative allocation and reallocation of space based upon researchers’ activities as indicated by publications, grants and other appropriate quantitative measures.
Enhance Institutional Support for Non-faculty Research Staff
- Develop a policy for professional growth and institutional support of post-doctoral fellows, research professors and other non-faculty research staff. This will increase the productivity of research.
- Promote the engagement of post-doctoral fellows, research professors and other non-faculty research staff in the academic community. This will improve the learning experiences for students and the quality of scholarship.
INFRASTRUCTURE SUPPORT FOR FACILITIES AND TECHNOLOGY—To create a campus community that engages in planning for a visually appealing campus environment, state-of-the-art technology and other needs of an evolving research university.
Update and Follow the Facilities Master Plan for Physical Planning Decisions
- Update the Facilities Master Plan, including the evaluation of space utilization for effective physical planning decisions. This will prepare the campus for the demands of contemporary educational, research and community needs while adhering to industry standards for space utilization, capital improvements, and facility maintenance.
- Ensure that the Facilities Master Plan includes considerations for digitally-enabled common, instructional and collaborative spaces; short-term major construction projects; construction of an event center; renewal of capital assets; and parking. This will improve instructional, research and recreational spaces, thereby enhancing student and faculty satisfaction.
Use the Technology Plan for Campus Technology Decisions
- Update the Technology Plan for campus technology decisions. This will allow the university to benefit from the latest advances in computing, information and communications technology.
- Evaluate the current use of funds for technology renewal in the annual capital budget. This will secure resources for adequately investing in technology renewal.
The Senior Vice President for Finance and CFO, Vice President for Real Estate Development and Operations, and the Provost are responsible for overseeing the implementation of strategies and tactics under Strategic Priority Five. Their success will be measured by the following Key Performance Indicators: