Man with a plan
When Richard M. Freeland, who leaves the university's presidency this summer after ten years on the job, said he wanted Northeastern to rise to the top tier
of national universities, many held their breath. Now, they've exhaled.

Photos by Jorg Meyer. Text By Karen Feldscher.

"It's possible Richard M. Freeland's best gift to Northeastern was that he didn't work there— at least not for very long— before becoming president.

That's because, in the decades leading up to the century's end, the university faithful had an unfortunate tendency to view themselves with something less than high regard. Sure, Northeastern had its signature co-op program, hard-working students, dedicated professors. But, with its tired gray-brick buildings and safety-school reputation, it seemed unable to shake a lingering inferiority complex, born in the shadow of loftier neighbors like Harvard and MIT.

Yet Freeland, who arrived at Northeastern as its sixth president in fall 1996, saw the university's potential from a newcomer's vantage point. He knew it could aim higher than it ever had before.

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