Northeastern University, Boston

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Northeastern University (NU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, in the New England region of the United States. Its campus is located among Boston's Back Bay, Fenway, and Roxbury Crossing neighbourhoods, generally in the vicinity of and along the broad street known as Huntington Avenue.

NU is perhaps best known for its distinctive "co-op" program, which encourages students to alternate semesters of study with periods of paid work-study (on-the-job-training) with co-operative partners in business and industry taking on the co-op students in their field.

Northeastern, as of 2005, is ranked in the top-tier of the "National Research Universities" category in the US News and World Report college rankings. In 2003, Northeastern ranked #1 in the Best Co-ops/Internships category in the same publication. In 2006, the undergraduate business school ranked #37 in the nation by Business Week. Additionally, Northeastern draws the fourth-largest application volume of private universities in the US.

History

The Henderson Boathouse

Northeastern began in 1898 as the "Evening Institute for Younger Men" at the Huntington Avenue YMCA. The Institute catered to needs of the rapidly growing immigrant population in Boston. Within a few years of its formation, it offered classes in law, engineering, and finance. In 1909 the school began offering day classes and it moved to a new location on Huntington Avenue in 1913. The school was officially organized as a college in 1916, and in 1922 it was renamed "Northeastern University of the Boston Young Men's Christian Association." The University continues to rent space for undergraduates in the adjacent Huntington Avenue YMCA. In a period of rapid campus expansion, the University purchased the Huntington Avenue Ground (former Boston Red Sox ballpark) in 1929, but was unable to build on the land due to financial constraints during The Great Depression.

In 1935, the College of Liberal Arts was added to Northeastern, and the University's name was simplified to "Northeastern University." In 1937 The Northeastern University Corporation was established, creating a board of trustees made up of 31 members of the NU Corporation and 8 members of the YMCA. In 1948 Northeastern separated itself completely from the YMCA.

Following World War II, Northeastern began admitting women, and in the boom of post-war college-bound students, Northeastern created a College of Education (1953), University College (now called the School of Continuing and Professional Studies) (1960), College of Pharmacy and College of Nursing, which were subsequently combined into the Bouvé College (1964), College of Criminal Justice (1967) and College of Computer Science (1982).

In 1980s, the University decided to drastically reduce the number of enrolled students. Since 1996, President Richard Freeland has ushered in an extraordinary stage of institutional progress: average SAT scores increased more than 200 points, retention rates rose dramatically, and applications have doubled. President Freeland oversaw Northeastern’s largest expansion ever, opening $455 million in new facilities. Additionally, $75 million has been recently invested in hiring new faculty. The Boston Globe called Freeland’s tenure, “one of the most dramatic institutional transformations in recent higher education history”. Since the 1980s – when more students commuted to school – Northeastern has become a very attractive place to live and study. In recent years, the institution has become substantially more selective in addition to expanding academics.

The Campus

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Snell Library

Snell is home to the Favat Center; a comprehensive and current collection of children's literature and K-12 curriculum resources, instructional materials, and related information in a variety of formats to support courses offered by the NU School of Education for the practice of teaching. Snell is also home to three labs operated by Information Services Customer Services. The InfoCommons and InfoCommons II are labs available to all NU students, staff, and alumni. The other lab is used as a teaching lab.

The NU Libraries received federal depository designation in 1962 under the sponsorship of Massachusetts Congressman John W. McCormack. As a selective depository, the Libraries receive forty-five percent of the federal publication series available to depository libraries.

The Snell Library opened in 1990. It was designed by the Cambridge-based firm The Architect's Collaborative (TAC). The cost of the building was $35 million.

West Village

The following buildings make up West Village with their respective opening dates:

West Village A's High Rise or "Tower"

Residential Buildings:

• West Village A - 1999
• West Village B - 2001
• West Village E - 2002

• Behrakis Health Science Center (West Village D) - 2002

• West Village C - 2001
• West Village G - 2004
• West Village H - 2004

• West Village F - Fall 2006

South Campus (Columbus Avenue)

Northeastern University's southernmost section of campus is located along Columbus Avenue in Roxbury, parallel to the Orange line. The University expanded south into Roxbury at the same time as they were building West Village. In 2001, Davenport Commons was opened, providing 585 students housing in two new, state-of-the-art residence halls while 75 families representing a range of incomes have been able to purchase a condo or townhouse at or below Boston’s market value. Davenport Commons also created more than 2000 square feet of commercial space on Tremont Street and has received an enthusiastic response from city residents, students and its occupants. ^{[#endnote_Davcommons]}

In the spring of 2004, the Student Government Association and NU's Administration announced plans to build an athletic complex and football field where the Columbus Parking Lot now stands by 2014.

During the summer of 2006, Northeastern University proposed a new residence hall further away from the main campus on Tremont Street, which has recieved little support from the student body or the community ^{[#endnote_tremontdorm]}

The following buildings make up the Southern Campus, with their respective opening dates: Residential Buildings

• Davenport Commons A - 2000
• Davenport Commons B - 2000
• 780 Columbus Avenue - 2001
• 10 Coventry - 2003

• Columbus Place (712 Columbus Ave) - 1997
• Renaissance Park (1135 Tremont St)

• Badger and Rosen Facility (Squashbusters) - 2003

• Renaissance Parking Garage
• Columbus Parking Lot & Garage

Public Transportation

Presidents

• Frank Palmer Speare (1898-1940, Speare Hall residence hall)
• Carl Stephens Ell (1940-1959, Ell Hall and the former Ell Student Center, now the Curry Student Center)
• Asa S. Knowles (1959-1975, Knowles Hall law school building)
• Kenneth G. Ryder (1975-1989, Ryder Hall arts and humanities classroom building)
• John A. Curry (1989-1996, Curry Student Center)
• Richard M. Freeland (1996-2006, Announced his retirement in August 2005, effective August 2006.)
• Joseph Aoun (2006-Present, was formally named as the future President on June 1, 2006, and will take office on August 15, 2006.)

Academics

Because of Northeastern's historical orientation toward professional education, a sizable portion of the University's undergraduate degree programs are professionally accredited, including all of the programs in the College of Engineering, the College of Business Administration, and the College of Nursing; most of those in Bouvé College; and significant numbers in other units. The School of Professional and Continuing Studies offers part-time evening undergraduate programs which are administered under the supervision of faculty from the day colleges.

Northeastern University recently allotted $75 million towards the "Academic Investment Plan" (AIP). Over five years, the University plans to enhance its academic programs in three areas: undergraduate education, core graduate professional programs, and centres of research excellence. The cornerstone of the Academic Investment Plan is the expansion of University faculty by 100 tenured and tenure-track professors between 2005 and 2009. Additionally, the University plans to expand its undergraduate majors and advance research in areas of interdisciplinary sciences and engineering, namely biotechnology, nanotechnology, and sensing and imaging.

Northeastern offers undergraduate degrees through the University's seven undergraduate day colleges listed below.

Colleges and schools

• [Bouvé College of Health Sciences] (Associate's, BS, Pharm.D)
• * [The School of Health Professions] (BS)
• * [The School of Nursing] (BS)
• * [The School of Pharmacy] (BS)
• [The College of Arts and Sciences] (BA, BS)
• * [The School of Education]
• * [The School of Journalism]
• [The College of Business Administration] (BS, MS, MBA)
• [The College of Computer and Information Science] (BA, BS)
• [The College of Criminal Justice] (BS)
• [The College of Engineering] (BS)
• * [The School of Engineering Technology] (Associate's)
• [The School of General Studies] (BS)
• [The School of Law] (JD)
• [The School of Professional and Continuing Studies] (BA, BS)
• [The School of Technological Entrepreneurship] (BS)

Majors and concentrations

Dual majors

• Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Computer Science and Information Science
• Computer Science and Cognitive Psychology
• Computer Science and Mathematics
• Computer Science and Physics
• Computer Science and Biology
• Computer Science and Business
• Computer Science and Multimedia Studies
• Computer Science and Music Technology
• Information Science and Business
• Information Science and Cognitive Psychology
• Cinema Studies and Communication Studies
• Cinema Studies and English
• Cinema Studies and Journalism
• Cinema Studies and Modern Languages
• Cinema Studies and Theatre
• Graphic Design and Multimedia Studies
• Linguistics and English
• Linguistics and Psychology
• American Sign Language and Psychology
• American Sign Language and Human Services
• American Sign Language and Theatre

Minors

School Statistics & Awards

Ten-Year Highlights: 1995-2005

Endowment $282 (FY96) $558 (FY05)

External Funding $22M (FY96) $46M (FY05)

Applications Received for Freshmen Admissions 11,800 (Fall 95) 24,500 (Fall 05)

Acceptance Rate for Freshmen Admissions 1995- 85% 2005- 47%

Average SAT Scores of Entering Freshmen 1995-1008 2005-1224

Freshmen in Top 10% of High School Class 1995-16% 2005-36%

Freshmen from Outside Massachusetts 1995-49% 2005-66%

Freshman of Color 1995-21% 2005-25%

Awards & Recognition

• In 2002, the campus was designated an Engineering Research Center by the National Science Foundation.
• Since 2002, NU has received three major awards for design excellence including the 2005 Harleston Parker Medal from the Boston Society of Architects.
• In 2003, the first and only year in which this ranking was done by US News, Northeastern ranked #1 in the country for universities that connect classroom study and workplace experience.
• In 2004, NU was one of six institutions to be selected by the National Science Foundation as a center for research in Nanotechnology.

Notable alumni

• Kevin Antunes
• Harry Barnes, 1969 San Diego Rockets, NBA
• Joe Callahan, 1939-40 Boston Braves
• Adam Chapman
• Richard Egan
• Damien Fahey
• Jim Fahey
• Shawn Fanning (dropped out freshman year)
• Fernie Flaman Hockey Hall of Famer
• Alex Garcia
• "Wild" Bill Hunnefield, 1926-31 Chicago White Sox, 1931 Cleveland Indians, Boston Braves, and NY Giants
• Gregory Jarvis
• James Franklin Jeffrey
• Sean Jones (defensive end), LA Raiders, Houston Oilers, Green Bay Packers
• Aisha Kahlil
• Lyndon LaRouche (dropped out)
• Reggie Lewis, Boston Celtics
• Hadassah Lieberman
• Roger Marino
• Sean McGarr
• Will McDonough, popular Boston Globe sportswriter, football expert
• Dan McGillis
• Perry Moss, 1986 Washington Bullets, Philadelphia 76ers, 1987 Golden State Warriors
• Chris Nilan, Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens, NY Rangers
• Russ Oasis
• Don Orsillo
• Carlos Peña
• Dan Ross
• Albert Sacco
• Jocko Thompson, 1948-51 Philadelphia Phillies, Red Sox draftee
• Johnny Tobin, 1932 NY Giants MLB
• Rick Weitzman, 1968 World Champion Boston Celtics
• Wendy Williams
• George Yankowski, 1942 Philadelphia A's, 1949 Chicago White Sox

Notable faculty

Governor Dukakis

• Governor Michael S. Dukakis
• Surendra M. Gupta
• Clare Dalton
• Nicholas Daniloff
• Robert B. Parker
• Gary Goshgarian
• Pran Nath
• Ravi Sundaram
• Matthias Felleisen
• Jack Levin
• Joe Castiglione
• Harlan Lane
• M. Shahid Alam
• William M. Fowler
• Raymond H. Robinson
• Albert Sacco

Student media

• [The Northeastern News] (newspaper)
• [Spectrum] (literary magazine)
• [The Onyx Informer] (cultural publication)
• [WRBB] (radio station)
• [NUTV] (television station)
• [NU Shuffle] (humor site)
• [NU Times New Roman] (humor newspaper)

References