(Photo by Ethan O’Malley)
The exterior wall of Campbell Hall’s corridor and the interior wall of the hall adjacent to the Center for Counseling & Psychological Services, or C-CAPS, will soon host a mural reflecting “NJIT CARES.” Students currently enrolled at NJIT can submit potential designs — either as individuals or teams — to compete for their artwork to be displayed on the walls.
“Having been a member of the NJIT community — both academically and residentially — since Fall 2017, I have borne witness to both visible and non-visible evolutions within our campus,” said third-year biomedical engineering graduate student Sebastian Fine. “During the early return to campus in Fall 2021, the paradigm shift of ‘normalcy’ and what environmental contributions provided towards that sense left me wondering around a campus I was already intensely familiar with.”
“In particular, the Campbell and Colton Hall corridor drew my attention, as I recognized I both infrequently navigated the space but also held the impact of the departments within it to high esteem,” he continued. “In my aspirations to become a professional, I pondered about the allure of the corridor’s facade and how, as either NJIT faculty or an NJIT student, this could impact an individual.”
As this year’s spring semester approached, he began drafting a proposal that offered the opportunity for NJIT students to present their own perspective and artistic interpretation of the space. “Each pathway in academia comes with a variety and uniqueness in challenges, and sometimes, the cross between community and professional assistance is utilized as a resource. I would be remiss if I did not expand on how community-driven these spaces are, from the Educational Opportunity Program and Pre-College Programs, to educationally with the Civil Engineering Department and their fundamental importance in classes of NJIT students’ collegiate successes,” he added.
After reaching out to Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Dr. Marybeth Boger and Sr. Vice President for Real Estate Development and Capital Operations Andrew Christ, Fine discussed the logistics of the initiative through a virtual meeting. They eventually met at the site to properly explore the space available for the mural, leading to Fine’s designated point of contact to become Associate Dean Sean Dowd in order to continue developing the project.
Dowd mentioned that Fine incorporated guidance from senior administration in the Albert Dorman Honors College, the Hillier College of Architecture and Design, or HCAD, and C-CAPS as partners for this competition. Fine also assisted in developing the website that includes all the submission guidelines, which can be found at the following link: https://www.njit.edu/dos/campbell-hall-design-competition.
Christ committed resources that will result in increased lighting and the installation of hanging banners within the corridor representing the offices of C-CAPS, the Educational Opportunity Program, and the Center for Pre-College Programs, according to Dowd.
Both Dowd and Fine envision the beautification of the corridor through this initiative, while also allowing students to leave a lasting artistic legacy on campus. Fine added that the initiative can work towards “further de-stigmatization of any NJIT student who utilizes C-CAPS as a resource by having a community driven spotlight and showcasing of hidden talents within the community.”
He would like to thank Dowd, Boger, Christ, Albert Dorman Honors College Dean Dr. Louis Hamilton, HCAD’s Associate Dean for Academic Affairs John Cays, Assistant Vice President for Campus Planning, Design, and Construction Todd Miller, C-CAPS Director Dr. Phyllis Bolling, and the Office of Strategic Communications.
Any questions about the competition can be emailed to Fine at [email protected].