Architecture is an intellectual adventure that combines inspiration, judgment, and informed decision-making...it creates the preconditions for lifelong growth. Urs P. Gauchat Dean

We are at an interesting juncture. The design professions are emerging as a major force in business. In a world awash with manifesting capacity, it is difficult to make distinctions between competing products. Design is often the sole distinguishing characteristic between alternative solutions. Today's design not only gives form but adds value.

This is an exciting time for designers. Traditional design disciplines are expanding in scope as the boundaries between them are blurred more and more. New synergisms are emerging that take advantage of the differences between design fields. Invention, proprietary design and other forms of intellectual property have become one of the driving forces of American competitiveness.

Designers today not only have to be creative and inspired, but also be able to turn an idea into reality. In all of our design disciplines, we foster an entrepreneurial spirit and a rudimentary understanding of business principles. We are keenly aware of what knowledge, skills and attitudes are needed to succeed. We have fashioned our curricula so that graduates will be positioned for leadership within fifteen years after graduation.

NJIT, New Jersey's Technology University, is one of three state research universities. Within this context, the design disciplines here represent the intersection between art and technology. Design is based on careful analysis of individual and societal needs and harnesses technology to produce a better quality of life.

A most exciting new development is the impending Idea Factory. This facility is available to students, faculty and recent graduates. In it individuals and teams can create, invent and design proprietary ideas in collaboration with industry. It will be an advanced design laboratory that will design, prototype and test inventions, ideas and concepts. The Idea Factory will be a state of the art facility, a hotbed for ideas, an inspiring hub of activity which will be open 24/7.

Another cutting edge innovation is the Kepler System. Kepler is an electronic storage and retrieval system which was developed at NJSOA. It provides a remarkable way to electronically store all student work, including essays, drawings, 3D models and animations. Kepler provides students with an instant web-based portfolio; it gives teachers a means to calibrate their teaching in response to an individual student's record; it lets us assess the effectiveness of pedagogical changes; and finally, it acts as an encouragement to spur students on to even better work. In short, it is an exhilarating new development with great potential.

The study of design is a rewarding journey. The New Jersey School of Architecture provides an educational setting for students to explore design through a set of heuristic problems and unleash their creative talents to improve the quality of life of those around us.

Urs P. Gauchat
Dean