The start of a new academic year is an excellent time to take stock of recent accomplishments and recognition—and to assess our progress in advancing Northeastern's mission. This fall, there is much for us to celebrate.
We welcomed a new freshman class—women and men from across the country and around the world, diverse in every sense of the word and remarkably accomplished—and a new group of faculty scholars who are changing the shape of their fields.
We continue to expand our innovative programs across the country and around the world, through our graduate campus initiative, new research partnerships, and experiential learning on seven continents.
Vital support from our alumni and friends has helped make these achievements possible, so it is fitting that the year was crowned by a historic philanthropic investment by Richard D'Amore and Alan McKim, launching the D'Amore-McKim School of Business. Their act of vision and generosity will inspire others and have an impact on the university that resonates forever.
The momentum we have today is precious. I look forward to working with the Northeastern community to build on these magnificent achievements and multiply their impact across all dimensions of our university.
Sincerely,
Joseph E. Aoun
President
The university continues to expand co-op and experiential learning opportunities around the world, providing students the skills that give them a distinct advantage in the competitive job and graduate education arenas. Northeastern is also expanding on its innovative approach to higher education by offering advanced degrees linked to industry needs through a new graduate campus system, starting in Charlotte, N.C., and soon in Seattle.
7,571co-op placements in 2011-2012
2,904co-op employers in the U.S. and around the world
269%increase in global co-op employers since 2006-2007
Number of countries where Northeastern provided experiential learning opportunities:
2,153
undergraduates had a global learning experience in 2011–2012
130%
increase in countries where Northeastern provided experiential learning opportunities since 2006
87%of 2011 graduates who are employed full-time are doing work related to their major
50%of 2011 graduates received a job offer from a previous co-op employer
2 new graduate campuses offering advanced degrees—the first in Charlotte, N.C., and a second in Seattle opening in early 2013
40 new undergraduate interdisciplinary majors since 2006
31new graduate degree programs since 2006
The university continues to recruit top faculty and academic leaders from around the world. Their expertise in established and emerging areas of knowledge strategically aligns with Northeastern's research and academic enterprise.
8new deans since 2010, bringing creative vision and innovative thinking to their schools and colleges
Many of the 333 faculty members who joined the university over the past six years have joint appointments in fields that intersect across colleges and disciplines.
Northeastern faculty members are advancing the frontiers of knowledge in emerging fields that include the following:
Five faculty members were recognized with 2012 National Science Foundation CAREER awards (18 since 2006), the NSF's top award for junior faculty who exemplify the role of the teacher-scholar:
Peter Desnoyers, assistant professor of computer and information science
Deniz Erdogmus, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering
Ashkan Vaziri, assistant professor of mechanical and industrial engineering
Marsette Vona, assistant professor of computer and information science
Benjamin Webster, assistant professor of mathematics
J. Murray Gibson, dean of the College of Science, was recently appointed to the National Science Foundation MPS Division of Materials Research's NSF Materials 2022—a subcommittee of the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Advisory Committee.
Maura Iversen, professor and chair of the physical therapy department, was honored with the 2011 Distinguished Scholar Award by the American College of Rheumatology/Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals.
Ban-An Khaw, professor of pharmaceutical sciences, was named a finalist for this year's MassChallenge, an annual $1 million global startup competition and accelerator program for entrepreneurs.
Clinical instructor Sonya L. Larrieux received an American Physical Therapy Association Minority Faculty Development Scholarship Award in July 2011.
Hope Lewis, professor of law, last year earned the American Bar Association's Mayre Rasmussen Award for the Advancement of Women in International Law.
Alexandros Makriyannis, the George D. Behrakis Chair in Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, received the annual Award in Medicinal Chemistry from the American Chemical Society. Makriyannis' award propelled him into the society's Hall of Fame alongside other pioneers of medicinal chemistry.
Fareena Sultan, professor of marketing, was awarded a "Top Scholar" designation by the University of Bocconi in Milan, Italy.
In 2011, Sternberg Family Distinguished University Professor of Physics Alessandro Vespignani was elected to the physics and engineering sciences branch of the Academy of Europe.
Northeastern's new levels of external support for its research is built upon the university's proven track record for solving the world's most pressing challenges—particularly in health, security, and sustainability.
93external research awards of $1 million or more since 2006
$104.8Mexternal research awards in 2012
External research awards received in millions of dollars, each year since 2006:
Northeastern opened the George J. Kostas Research Institute for
Homeland Security at the Burlington, Mass., campus. The state-of-the-art facility, funded by a $12 million investment from George J.,
E'43, H'07, and Angelina Kostas, is advancing Northeastern's
leadership in security research.
This spring, Northeastern faculty led a congressional briefing in
Washington addressing vulnerabilities in cybersecurity that threaten
consumers, industry, and government. The team of experts included
faculty members Engin Kirda, the Sy and Laurie Sternberg Interdisciplinary
Associate Professor of Information Assurance, William Robertson,
assistant professor in the College of Computer and Information
Science and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering,
and Stephen Flynn, professor and founding co-director of the university's
Kostas Research Institute for Homeland Security, as well as Melvin
Bernstein, senior vice provost for research and graduate education.
The university was selected to host the National Science Foundation's
Engineering Research and Innovation Conference this past July.
The four-day conference serves as the focal point for many NSF activities
in key areas, including industrial innovation and partnerships and
translational research across a broad range of engineering disciplines.
Northeastern celebrated the opening of the new home of the Waters
Laboratory at 140 The Fenway. The lab, designated as a Waters
Center of Innovation, is run by John R. Engen, professor of chemistry,
and is the cornerstone of the university's 40-year partnership with the
Massachusetts-based Waters Corporation, a world-leading supplier of
laboratory analytical instruments.
Northeastern has been designated as a National Center of Academic
Excellence in Cyber Operations by the National Security Agency.
The program provides students the advanced technical training and
skills to tackle emerging cyberthreats in their professional careers.
Northeastern is one of only four universities nationwide to earn
this esteemed distinction in the newly launched program, part of President
Barack Obama's National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education.
Northeastern has built a diverse community of accomplished, entrepreneurial, and highly motivated students from around the world—the perfect match for the university's experiential approach to learning on the global stage.
Rise in undergraduate applications, fall 2007–fall 2012:
Percentage of entering freshmen ranked in top 10% of high school class:
9,434students participate in more than 320 campus organizations
30number of Living Learning Communities—themed on-campus residences—offered to freshmen, up from 19 last year. Themes range from science and sustainability to globalization and creative expression.
In the classroom:
185number of varsity athletes who made the Dean's List with a GPA of at least 3.5 in 2011–2012
59student athletes were named "Top Dogs," with GPAs of 3.8 or higher, including 14 who earned a 4.0 and 11 who earned a 3.9
In competition:
Comparison of fall 2012 incoming class with fall 2006 incoming class:
23%increase in students of color
105%increase in enrollment from outside New England and Mid-Atlantic states
352%increase in international students
Support for Northeastern has never been stronger, as alumni, parents, and friends deepen their connection to the university and invest in its future.
Alumni Richard A. D'Amore and Alan S. McKim have made the largest gift in university history to name the D'Amore-McKim School of Business.
As business visionaries, D'Amore, BA'76, a general partner at venture capital firm North Bridge Venture Partners, and McKim, MBA'88, founder, president, and CEO of Clean Harbors, believe in the business school's founding commitment to global experiential learning, entrepreneurship and innovation, and use-inspired research.
They share a vision of a school that sets a new standard for entrepreneurial, global business education.
Student support and financial aid
Henry J. and Michele Nasella
Nasella Family Endowment Fund
Hermann Foundation
International Business Program in Spain
Samuel and Nancy Altschuler
Samuel and Nancy Altschuler Scholarship, Torch Scholarship Program
Georgia Wall Gogel and Donald Gogel
Wall Fund for Experiential Learning
Michael and Deborah Shomberg Gries
Michael and Dr. Deborah Gries Center for Sports Medicine and Performance
Faculty advancement and expansion
Sy and Laurie Sternberg
Sternberg Family Distinguished University Endowed Chair
Sy and Laurie Sternberg Interdisciplinary Endowed Professorship
Jeffrey S. and Jill M. Crocker Bornstein
Jeffrey Bornstein Faculty Fellow
Arthur W. and Lisa Zafiropoulo
Art Zafiropoulo Endowed Chair in Engineering
Gordon H. and Jane Slaney
Gordon Slaney Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Support Fund
Innovation funds for education and research
Edward and Cathie Galante
Galante Engineering and MBA Program
Davis Educational Foundation
Davis Educational Foundation Fund for Online Writing Center in College
of Professional Studies
Marlene Goldstein
In memory of Arnold Goldstein, Goldstein Simulation Laboratories Suite
George J. and Angelina Kostas
Kostas Research Institute for Homeland Security
Lucille R. Zanghi and James M. Dow
Lucille R. Zanghi and James M. Dow Endowed Mathematics Fund
28%increase in Annual Fund participation
41%increase in individual donors
58%increase in number of parent donors
114%increase in annual fundraising—including a record $81.5 million in 2011–2012
25domestic
8international
Ankara (Turkey)
France
Greece
Hong Kong
Istanbul (Turkey)
Pan Arab
Singapore
United Kingdom136%increase in alumni chapters since 2006 (14 to 33)
315
in 2011-2012, compared to 150 in 2006
Northeastern's unprecedented momentum garnered recognition from numerous external organizations, and the university has become a leading voice in higher-education policy.
That makes five consecutive years that our career services have ranked in the top four in the United States, including three years at No. 1.
The student-run Entrepreneurs Club was ranked 6th worldwide by FledgeWing, an online entrepreneurship support network.
Our undergraduate entrepreneurship education program was ranked 9th in the nation by The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur Magazine.
That makes four consecutive years that our university has made the Green Honor Roll, which recognizes excellence in campus sustainability.
Over the past six years, Northeastern has made the greatest leap in the U.S. News & World Report ranking of any university.
Innovation and entrepreneurship are core values at Northeastern. The Center for Research Innovation helps bring faculty research discoveries to market, while IDEA Venture Accelerator provides student and alumni entrepreneurs with guidance, gap funding, and links to investors.
75number of active ventures in IDEA's 2011–2012 portfolio
Led by President Aoun, Northeastern is influencing public policy across a range of critical issues. As an appointed member of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Academic Advisory Committee, President Aoun has worked with federal officials and other university presidents to preserve the vital role universities play in national security research. The president has also pressed the Obama Administration to maintain federal student financial aid programs. President Aoun is currently serving as chair of the American Council on Education, the nation's largest higher-education advocacy group.
