New NJIT president is first person of color to lead one of state's most diverse colleges

The beatings and taunts still haunt Teik Lim, four decades later.

Lim, the incoming president of New Jersey Institute of Technology, grew up in Malaysia, the son of a Chinese oil-refinery worker. As an ethnic minority in the Southeast Asian country, he recalls being mercilessly berated. One of his high school friends tried to take his own life.

He immigrated to America in 1983 and tried to forget his past, focusing on a promising future in engineering. But the memories would creep back at unexpected moments. Late at night, he would cry out in his sleep, startling his wife, Gina, awake.

To move forward, you have to forget the pain of the past, Lim said. That became harder last spring after eight people, including six Asian American women, were shot to death in Atlanta.

"All of a sudden, the incident of hatred brought back years of racism and bigotry," Lim, 57, said in an interview last week. "It all came flooding back."

Lim said he'll draw on his own experience of being ostracized and growing up in a working-class family as he takes the helm at NJIT. The school in Newark is among the most diverse public colleges in the state, with students of color comprising 60% of enrollment.

Lim was selected unanimously by the board of trustees this month after a national search. He will be NJIT's ninth president, and the first Asian American and person of color to hold the position.

"I grew up with limited means, supported myself through college and became the first member of my family to earn a college degree," he said in a video posted by the school. "A public institution like NJIT is a tremendous engine of social mobility. I experienced it firsthand."

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A mechanical engineer by training, Lim has spent the last two years as interim president of the University of Texas at Arlington, a school with 46,000 graduate and undergraduate students. He'll start in July at NJIT, where he will also be a professor of mechanical engineering.

Reflecting on his own history, Lim said establishing a strong connection with the surrounding community in Newark will be a priority. He's been in touch with Mayor Ras Baraka and wants to promote education as a pathway to success, viewing science, technology and engineering degrees as one of the surest ways of climbing the socioeconomic ladder.

Upward mobility

Lim came to the U.S. on a scholarship and attended Michigan Technological University, where he earned a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering in 1985 after just two years. His family couldn't afford to send him to college, but the financial aid proved to be a gateway to a new life in America.

He went on to earn a doctorate in mechanical engineering from The Ohio State University and spent several years in private industry before his first faculty appointment.

He is a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors and received the Distinguished Alumni Award for Academic Excellence from Ohio State in 2019.

Katie Gosa, 25, worked with Lim while he was provost and she was student body president at UTA. As a first-generation college student, Gosa said, she appreciated Lim's open communication style and his thoughtful intelligence.

"Dr. Lim is one of those leaders that empowers others to succeed," Gosa said.

Now vice president of the Downtown Arlington Management Corp., Gosa collaborated with Lim on college and city initiatives, such as making Arlington more of a college town, supporting the growth of walkable neighborhoods.

Majority minority college

Lim arrives at a time of growth for NJIT. There are 11,901 students enrolled this academic year, the largest class ever and a 25% increase over the last decade. Ten percent of students are Black, 25% are Hispanic, 22% are Asian and 5% come from outside the U.S.

"He has a clear understanding of what NJIT is about, who we serve, and what we need to do to continue the upward trajectory of this great university," Robert Cohen, chair of NJIT’s board of trustees, said about Lim in a statement.

In the same statement, Lim said he wants to embrace the "digital revolution" sweeping through higher education and also establish new educational partnerships with industries in the surrounding area. The school's strategic plan needs to be refreshed "to reflect the new circumstances created by and lessons learned through the COVID-19 pandemic," he said.

Beyond a focus on finances and grades, Lim said he wants to establish a sense of belonging, especially for first-generation students.

Lim would like to boost the number of female students, who currently account for 29% of enrollment at NJIT. Understanding as an engineering educator that women students care about humanitarian issues, he hopes to stir interest by addressing how science fields can be mission-oriented.

An empty-nester with three adult children — all of them engineers — Lim said he's eager to begin house-hunting with his wife. He said he appreciates NJIT's strong commitment to social mobility. Coupling that with its position as a top public polytechnic research university, he knew it was the right opportunity.

While he's troubled by memories of bullying in his youth, Lim said he has forgiven his perpetrators. A Christian, Lim said his faith has helped him heal.

"I'm grateful for what this country has done for me," he said. "It took me in and gave me a good education."

Mary Chao 趙 慶 華 covers the Asian community and real estate for NorthJersey.com. To get unlimited access to the latest news out of North Jersey, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: mchao@northjersey.com

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJIT president: Teik Lim first Asian leader for state college