Early this year, President Freeland plans to unveil a multiyear initiative aimed at strengthening academics at Northeastern.

The initiative—being created through the provost’s office, with input from the college deans, the faculty senate, and other groups—will focus on several major topics, such as improving faculty salaries, increasing the number of tenured and tenure-track faculty, upgrading classroom space, enhancing research infrastructure, and creating “centers of conspicuous excellence,” according to Freeland. The president says the plan will necessitate making tough decisions.

Other ideas include boosting graduate research by offering increased financial aid and stipends, and giving the colleges larger operational budgets.

“We will get to the [U.S. News & World Report] top one hundred as an institution, part by part, at varying rates,” Freeland told faculty senate members in the fall. “Once we’re there, we need to go about raising the whole level of the institution.”

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