Move to semesters set for 2003
In what is viewed as a key step forward in Northeastern's quest to be
recognized as one of the top 100 research universities in the country by
the end of the decade, faculty members last spring threw their overwhelming
support behind President Freeland's proposal to move from a quarter-based
to a semester-based academic calendar system at Northeastern, beginning
in 2003.
Nearly 70 percent of voting faculty members backed the adoption of a
four-by-four semester model, so called because the typical undergraduate
student would take four 4-credit courses per semester.
"[This vote] provides a very solid basis for moving forward,"
Freeland said. "I believe it's something the entire university community
should feel good about."
The Board of Trustees gave final approval to the plan in June.
A change in the academic calendar has been discussed off and on at Northeastern
for the past decade, primarily at the urging of faculty, who say longer
terms will improve the quality of classes; better facilitate scholarship
and research; promote collaborative efforts with academic, professional,
and industrial partners; improve retention rates; and allow the university
to respond better to the needs of co-op employers, who generally favor
six-month over three-month work assignments.
Under the four-by-four model, the academic year would be divided into
two 15-week semesters, consisting of 14 weeks of instruction and 1 week
of exams, and two summer sessions of 7 weeks each, plus 2 set aside for
exams each term. In order to graduate in five years, the typical undergraduate
would have to attend classes for seven full semesters and two summer sessions
and complete three 26-week co-ops.
Executive vice provost Coleen Pantalone has been tapped by Freeland
and provost David Hall to head the transition effort. She will be assisted
by nearly a dozen standing committees that will be responsible for reviewing
such areas as curriculum, advising, co-op, and academic policies.
New residence halls, parking garage come
on line
Answering the city's call to ease the strain on the
local rental market and spur economic growth in lower Roxbury, Northeastern
this month will open two new residence halls on the west side of campus
and a new parking garage at Renaissance Park.
West Village Residence Halls B and C, part of the $41 million West Village
complex designed by the nationally recognized architecture firm William
Rawn Associates, will add an additional 460 beds to the university housing
stock. President Freeland has hailed the development as symbolic of Northeastern's
maturity from a "commuter school" to a residential campus in
the heart of Boston.
The ten-story, 980-car parking structure, developed in cooperation with
Columbia Plaza Associates, will provide parking for employees and visitors
of Renaissance Park, university students, faculty, and staff, and any future
development on Parcel 18. The project furthers N.U.'s commitment to the
economic revitalization of lower Roxbury through the development of the
former Registry of Motor Vehicles site and three adjacent parcels, which
the university purchased for $17 million in 1997.
Seven inducted into athletic hall of fame
Seven new members were inducted into the Northeastern Hall of Fame last
spring in a ceremony at Matthews Arena. They are:
Charlie Huck, '77, ice hockey-His 93 goals and 192 career assists
rank second in Husky history.
Andre LaFleur, '88, basketball-One of the nation's premier point
guards during the '80s, his 894 career assists rank ninth in NCAA history.
Patrick Manning, '90, crew-He helped lead the 1988 team to the
school's first IRA Championship.
Harold Scott, '91, football-A powerful fullback, he set the single-season
school mark with 1,282 rushing yards in 1988.
Jerry Shea, '78, football-Captain of the 1975 squad, he earned
three letters as a defensive lineman.
Kelly Toole-Conte, '86, track and field-A stellar hurdler, she
was the first woman in school history to compete in the NCAA Indoor Championships.
Kimerle Watterson, '95, volleyball-A two-time All-Conference
selection, she holds the school career record for kills with 1,256.
On the Move
Recent appointsments:
Don Brown, former
defensive coordinator at the University of MassachusettsAmherst, to
head football coach. He succeeds Barry Gallup, who left Northeastern for
an administrative athletics position at Boston College.
Sandra King,
former vice president for marketing at Babson College, to director of university
relations. She'll lead the development and implementation of strategic
marketing at the university and oversee the units of communications and
public relations, publications, conference and event planning, university
Web services, university photography, the faculty-staff newspaper, and
Northeastern University Alumni Magazine.
Mark Putnam,
former interim associate provost at Connecticut College, to director of
university planning and research. He will oversee the university's academic
programs and budget-planning initiatives.
Willette White,
former associate head women's basketball coach at UCLA, to head women's
basketball coach. She succeeds Joy Malchodi, who moves to athletics administration
after compiling a 339330 record during twenty years of coaching.
Stephen Zoloth,
former associate vice provost at Hunter College in New York City, to dean
of Bouvé College of Health Sciences. He succeeds Patrick Plunkett,
who held the post on an interim basis for the past two years.
New assignments:
Leonard Brown,
associate professor of music, to associate vice provost for academic opportunity.
Patricia Meservey,
special assistant to the president, to vice provost for faculty and budget
and acting vice president of enrollment management.
Daughter of Northeastern; wife of veep?
The road to the White House may run through Northeastern.
Hadassah (Freilich) Lieberman, wife of Democratic vice presidential
candidate Joseph Lieberman, is a graduate of N.U., having earned her master's
in political science here in 1971.
Soon after, she took a job in New York City in marketing and promotions.
She met Joseph Lieberman in 1982 after both had gone through painful divorces,
and they married the following year.
Today, the couple have four children, ranging in age from twelve to
thirty-two.
In political circles, Mrs. Lieberman has a reputation as a smart and
supportive wife who keeps her husband's feet planted firmly on the ground.
"He likes being a regular Joe," Michael Lewan, Lieberman's
first Senate office chief of staff, told the Associated Press in a recent
interview. "And she helps him be a regular Joe."
In a story Lieberman likes to tell, the couple were at a state function
where speakers were laying it on thick, calling Lieberman one of the standout
leaders in the history of the Western world.
On the way home, a puffed-up Lieberman asked his wife, "How many
truly great leaders are there in the Western world today?"
She replied: "One less than you think."
Take a BOW!
Clare Dalton, professor
of law and founding director of the law school's Domestic Violence Institute,
was selected as the university's newest Matthews Distinguished Professor.
The two-year award carries with it a $10,000 prize and release time from
teaching to pursue research interests.
Richard Katula, professor
of communications studies, was presented the 2000 Everett Lee Hunt Award
by the Eastern Communication Association for his documentary The Gettysburg
Address: A Speech for the Ages.
Pran Nath, professor
of physics, received the Alexander Von Humboldt Award for his research
achievements in particle physics.
Neeta Fogg, an
economist in the Center for Labor Market Studies, was awarded the Boston
Private Industry Council's Achiever Award for her outstanding contributions
to the group.