In his last State of the University address, delivered in late September, President Freeland urged the campus community to begin asking, What next?

Highlighting Northeastern's impressive gains over the past decade, including this year's rise to 115 in the influential U.S. News & World Report rankings, Freeland said that, although recent efforts have focused on vaulting the university into the top 100, it's now time to consider new goals.

"Do we raise our sights from the top 100 to the top 75 or top 50?" asked Freeland, who announced in August he would leave the presidency next year. "Do we increase our SATs from the mid-1200s to the mid-1300s? Do we alter our mix of emphases on undergraduate education and graduate education and research? Where do we go next with practice-oriented education and our flagship co-op program? What about the comparative sizes of the colleges? What about our urban mission?"

Crucial to Northeastern's future, he said, are two areas: alumni relations, and community and civic relations.

"To compete as a top-tier university," Freeland said, "we need to engage our alumni far more aggressively, creatively, and effectively."

Good community and civic relations are vital as Northeastern moves ahead with plans to build two new residence halls and complete a new master plan, Freeland said, reminding his listeners that the "success of these efforts will depend, ultimately, on the quality of our relationships with the city and our neighbors."

Freeland also emphasized the need to continue pushing for top-100 status. "We need to be in the top tier to survive as a high-cost private university," he said.

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