Porter tapped to lead reinvigorated co-op
As part of their commitment to reform and reinvigorate
cooperative education, President Freeland and provost David Hall have appointed
mathematics professor Richard Porter to the post of acting vice president
of the co-op division.
"Rick Porter was selected because he has
a demonstrated track record of outstanding academic and administrative
leadership," Hall said in an interview. "He has also been very
involved in trying to integrate co-op into the academic experience in the
math department. He is a collaborative leader who is extremely thoughtful
and listens to those around him."
Porter's appointment comes less than two months
after Freeland and Hall issued a "call to action" plan for the
co-op division. The blueprint calls for enhancing co-op as an educational
experience, strengthening co-op as an employment experience, and reviewing
the format and structure of the division.
"Strengthening the cooperative education
program is a top priority for the university," Freeland and Hall wrote
in a memo to the co-op faculty. "It is an ongoing effort that must
involve many people across the university, in the colleges as well as in
the division of cooperative education. We are honored to have Professor
Porter leading co-op during this period."
Porter joined the Northeastern faculty in 1975
and has served as chair of the mathematics department since 1993. He is
credited with establishing an outstanding research record and has developed
a reputation for curriculum reform.
Freeland envisions "new model of
learning"
Asserting that Northeastern must do a better job preparing
students for the changing work environment, President Freeland last month
called for more effective integration between cooperative education and
academic programs to ensure that the university becomes a national leader
in practice-oriented education.
"We are pointed in the right direction, but we must acknowledge
that the steps taken so far have been partial and experimental," Freeland
said in his annual address to the university community in Blackman Auditorium.
Freeland noted that changes in the work environment-such as exploding
technologies, a diverse and global workforce, and organizations embracing
teamwork rather than hierarchical structures-have transformed the demands
on professional education, challenging institutions to upgrade and strengthen
their offerings.
As a result, he said, Northeastern must seize the moment and embrace
reform efforts in co-op and in intercollegiate programming that will make
the university a national leader in practice-oriented education.
"We will not realize our potential unless we build the bridges
between co-op and the classroom and between our professional programs and
the arts and sciences," Freeland said. "Fully implemented, these
changes would constitute a new model of education, a model perfect for
our times, that can properly be called 'practice-oriented.' "
Freeland also highlighted the accomplishments of the past year. He said
Northeastern is "in a position of remarkable strength," both
financially and academically. Fall enrollments are strong, with the best
prepared and most highly selective freshman class in a generation.
Take a BOW!
William Miles, professor of political science, has been appointed
the second Stotsky professor of Jewish historical and cultural studies.
Miles's writings on Jewish themes have appeared in publications such as
Midstream, Issue, International Migration Review, and the International
Journal on World Peace.
James Scorzelli, professor of counseling psychology, rehabilitation,
and special education, was awarded a Fulbright grant to Ratchasuda College
at Mahidol University in Thailand to strengthen rehabilitation counseling
in Thai institutions.
Steven Morrison, professor of economics, has been appointed managing
editor of the Journal of Transport Economics and Policy, the leading journal
in the field.
New on Campus
Robert Weir,
a former IBM executive, has been named vice president for information services,
replacing George Harris, who retired in June after twenty years at the
university. Weir has held numerous management positions at IBM since 1977,
most recently as general manager of Global Education Solutions for IBM's
global education industry.
Leon Zaborowski,
former dean of extended learning and communications services at Governors
State University in Illinois, began work in September as vice provost for
adult and continuing education and dean of University College. He succeeds
John Jordan, who retired in 1997. Arlene Greenstein held the post on an
interim basis for the past year.
N.U. "Speares" new historical
treasures
The granddaughter of Northeastern's first president,
Frank Palmer Speare, has given the university a treasure trove of materials
about her grandfather's personal and professional life.
Katherine Calvert-Harris and her family donated
the collection of photographs and documents to the university in July after
discovering the materials in a trunk in the family's Oregon home. One rare
photograph shows Speare receiving the university's first mascot, King Husky
I.
"The archives and special collections department
was pleased to receive this additional material because it fills in the
primary source material about Northeastern's first president-materials
that relate to him from an institutional sense and a personal sense,"
university libraries dean Alan Benenfeld said.
Calvert-Harris has made several donations of her
grandfather's belongings to the university over the past several years.
The collection, which consists of hundreds of Speare's personal papers,
photographs, and biographical materials, resides in Snell Library's archives
and special collections department.
New logo for a new century
Northeastern has introduced a new look for the new century.
The new university logo (above), unveiled by President Freeland last
month at his state-of-the-university address, features a flaming torch,
drawn from the official Northeastern seal, and the words "Northeastern
University" in red and gray type.
Officials said the new symbol, designed by the university publications
office, "builds on the spirit and tradition of the university's past
and visually represents the confident, forward-thinking leadership Northeastern
embodies today." The graphic identifier will be used on all Northeastern
stationery, signs, and banners.
The university also recently unveiled a new athletics
logo (right), featuring a rendering of a proud and confident blue-eyed
Husky. It will appear on all team uniforms and retail athletic gear, such
as T-shirts and caps.
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