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A key priority of the Leadership Campaign is to
recruit and support world-class faculty through the establishment
of endowed professorships and chairs.
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| The Finnegan Chair has
been funded by a $1.5 million gift from Northeastern trustee
Jean C. Tempel, managing partner of First Light Capital.
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The Neal F. Finnegan Distinguished Chair in Economics,
for example, was created to strengthen Northeastern's program in that
field. The chair's inaugural holder, John
E. Kwoka Jr., a renowned scholar who formerly taught at George
Washington University, is making tremendous progress toward this goal.
In just eighteen months, Kwoka has helped develop
a new specialized PhD program in applied
economics; coordinated a monthly public forum featuring economic
policy experts from across the university; brought a major economics
journal to campus; and put together the first-ever international conference
for leaders in the field of industrial organization.
The Finnegan Chair has been funded by a $1.5 million
gift from Northeastern trustee Jean C. Tempel, managing partner of
First Light Capital. The chair is named in honor of Neal F. Finnegan,
BA'61, H'98, chairman of Citizens Bank of Massachusetts and of Northeastern's
Board of Trustees.
Campaign Update spoke recently with Kwoka.
| Q: |
What attracted you to Northeastern? |
| A: |
I've spent my career studying applied economics, which related
economic theory to real-world business issues. Northeastern's
practice-oriented, real-world approach to education is an ideal
fit with my work. |
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| Q: |
What makes NU special? |
| A: |
Several things. The applied orientation of its faculty and students,
its commitment to the community, and certainly its determination
to elevate itself into the upper tier of higher education. This
is really an exciting place to be right now. |
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| Q: |
How would you describe NU students? |
| A: |
Hard-working. Students who choose Northeastern are already thinking
about their future professional lives and are prepared to work
hard to reach their goals. |
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| Q: |
What are you doing that is most relevant to current events? |
| A: |
My specialties include regulation and antitrust, which are very
relevant to many of today's hot issues, such as the Microsoft
case, California's energy crisis, and the Enron scandal. |
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| Q: |
Any comments on the current economic climate? |
| A: |
I think we would be in recovery if not for the situation in
Iraq. A global economy like ours depends on global stability.
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| Q: |
Tell us about your efforts to raise NU's profile in economics. |
| A: |
The Economics department is poised for major advancement. With
our existing faculty, new topflight junior faculty, and a new
PhD program, we think we can be the best graduate program around
in applied economics. |
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| Q: |
How has your appointment affected NU's reputation? |
| A: |
I have been able to promote the university wherever I go, to
bring people to campus who might not otherwise set foot here,
and to undertake important projects that will have Northeastern's
name attached to them. |
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| Q: |
Why is private support important to NU's goals? |
| A: |
All of the nation's top universities enjoy significant private
support. In order for Northeastern to reach its goal for joining
them, it needs more than tuition revenues to ensure topnotch teaching
and research. |
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