The construction plans for a $2 million apartment for NJIT President Dr. Teik Lim was revealed through an NJ.com article published this August. Andrew Christ, Senior Vice President for Real Estate Development and Capital Operations, along with Dr. Marybeth Boger, Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students, are overseeing the construction of the presidential apartment until its completion.
“When Lim joined NJIT in 2022, there were discussions amongst some members of the Board of Trustees about his willingness to live on campus,” Christ explained in an email interview. “The renovation was decided and approved by the Board of Trustees, which is a requirement for any project over $1 million in value.”
Lim and his wife, Gina Lim, previously resided in one of several guest apartments located in the John Martinson Honors Residence Hall for the first few months of his presidency, which is currently being renovated into the presidential apartment. Christ additionally shared that that Teik and Gina Lim intend to make the apartment their full-time residence beginning in Spring 2025. He also commented that there are no finalized plans for the presidential apartment to be relocated elsewhere, at this time.
“In fact, it is the expectation that any future sitting president of NJIT will take up residence on campus similar to many other higher education institutions in New Jersey,” Christ outlined, referencing Kean University, Montclair State University, and Rutgers University-Newark as institutions with on-campus residences for their presidents.
Construction has also begun on the Honors Green, a lawn utilized by the Albert Dorman Honors College (ADHC), residents of Greek Way, and other students. The purpose of the construction is to install “two parking spaces for any sitting president and his [sic] family residing in the Martinson Hall presidential apartment,” Christ clarified. He also wrote that “notifications [of the construction] were made to impacted parties.”
Boger noticed poor utilization and operating costs for the guest apartments in the Hall. This observation encouraged this location to be the site of the presidential apartment after she was “informed of the discussion between the Board of Trustees, Lim, and Christ to develop a permanent residence for a sitting president.”
As Boger works closely with students through her official role, she noted that the feedback from the student survey was considered. Ultimately, due to the amount of progress made on the project, the survey results did not interfere with the decision to continue with construction. Moving forward, Boger believes that Lim’s presence, or any future president, will strengthen the connection between the student population and the president as well as bolster NJIT’s commitment to supporting the campus community.
Once Lim begins to live on campus, Boger will serve to support the relationship built to bring about a positive and welcoming view of the president’s position in the community.
Dr. Louis Hamilton, Dean of ADHC, finds that the apartment sends a vital message regarding NJIT’s place in the greater Newark community: “Hosting distinguished alumni here on campus in the president’s apartment sends a really positive message about the city and the university and the relationship between the two of them.”
He also clarified that the redistribution of office space amongst the Honors faculty was quite beneficial — even providing an Honors advisor a new office with windows — but ensured that the permanent location of the administrative offices will remain on the second floor of the Hall. However, he did mention future plans of “grow[ing] the Honors College, and that may require a shuffling of spaces, but that’s not [due to] the apartment.” Hamilton declined to comment on the Honors Green construction, citing that student concerns mattered more.
Brian Dong, Student Senate’s Vice President of Student Affairs and third-year Information Technology major, helped pass a Senate resolution that requested “transparency in future campus projects by actively seeking student feedback prior to the commencement of any construction,” fueled by the results of a Google Form survey sent to the general NJIT student body regarding the presidential apartment.
“While there were people who supported Lim living on campus, it’s only a small number compared to how many people were completely against it,” recollected Dong. At a private meeting with Student Senate President Marina Samuel and Lim, Dong mentioned the president’s surprise to the news: “We brought up to Lim about how students felt about his apartment, and he had no idea, because, to his face, no student is going to be like, ‘I don’t want you living on campus.’”
Lim emphasized his excitement to live on campus, and his determination to do so in the most efficient manner possible. “My presence in Martinson Hall will enable me to engage with students, community members, and donors even more than I do so now. The goal was for Gina and me to be on campus, not specifically in a residence hall. The selected location was the most feasible and affordable option to make that happen,” he said. “My goal is not to monitor what they are doing or to make them feel as though I need to be included in their daily lives. Students should be able to go about their routines on campus, including extracurricular activities, as they always have.”