Joseph E. Aoun
President, Northeastern University
Joseph E. Aoun, an internationally known scholar in linguistics, is the seventh president of Northeastern University—a preeminent global, experiential, research university. Since his presidency began in August 2006, he has charted an ambitious and distinctive course to advance Northeastern. At the heart of his vision is a commitment to strengthen the University’s leadership position in experiential and cooperative education; create global programs with an urban perspective; foster a research environment where faculty uncover solutions to real-world problems; and build innovative partnerships so that Northeastern can better serve its students, its home city, the nation, and the world.
President Aoun is spearheading an innovative model of undergraduate education. Under his leadership, Northeastern expanded its signature cooperative and experiential education program by launching NU Core, the first University-wide general education program, which includes an experiential learning requirement for all students. The Presidential Global Scholars initiative, established in 2009, will double the number of students participating in international co-op programs, which are now available in more than 50 countries around the world.
Further evidence of Northeastern’s advancement under President Aoun’s leadership can be seen in the number of students who now seek admission. From 2006 to 2009, the number of undergraduate applications increased 25 percent. Concurrently, graduate enrollment increased 47 percent.
In fostering an interdisciplinary approach to research, President Aoun has created an environment where faculty pioneer emerging fields and tackle problems with societal relevance. The university is now home to seven federally recognized research “centers of excellence” and is seeing a dramatic increase in federal research support.
President Aoun has also made strengthening Northeastern’s faculty ranks a central priority, launching an interdisciplinary hiring initiative and a research support program for mid-career faculty.
His passion for building partnerships and urban engagement is enriching both the University and its partners. He has formed collaborative joint-degree programs with the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and Hebrew College in Newton, Massachusetts, and was instrumental in forming a joint research platform between Greece and the University. He also launched the Stony Brook Initiative, a comprehensive University-neighborhood partnership for youth and community development.
President Aoun is recognized as a leader in higher education policy and serves on the board of directors of the American Council on Education as well as the Boston Private Industry Council, Boston World Partnerships, Jobs for Mass, and the New England Council. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Massachusetts Business Roundtable and Massachusetts Math & Science Initiative, and serves on the Leadership Council for the Massachusetts Life Sciences Collaborative and as cochair of the City to City Boston initiative.
President Aoun came to Northeastern from the University of Southern California’s College of Letters, Arts & Sciences—the largest school within the university, where he was the inaugural holder of the Anna H. Bing Dean’s Chair. He received his PhD in linguistics and philosophy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1981; his Diploma of Advanced Studies in General and Theoretical Linguistics from the University of Paris (France) VIII in 1977; and his Masters in Oriental Languages and Literature from Saint Joseph University (Beirut, Lebanon) in 1975. In 2006 he was presented with the Chevalier de L’ordre des Palmes Academiques (Knight of the Order of the Academic Palms) from the French Government, and in May of 2007 Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion presented him the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa. President Aoun has published seven books and written more than 40 articles.
Educational Summary
• Masters Oriental Languages and Literature, Saint Joseph University, Beirut, Lebanon, 01/1975
• Diploma of Advanced Study General and Theoretical Linguistics, University of Paris VIII, Paris, France, 01/1977
• Ph.D. Linguistics and Philosophy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 01/1981
Selected Publications
Epithets in Natural Languages and Linguistics Theory, Kluwer Academic Press, 2000
Resumption and Last Resort, in D.E.L.T.A., Journal of the Brazilian Association of Linguistics Society of America, 2000
The Syntax of Scope, (J. Aoun, A. Li), The MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass., 1993
Generalized Binding: The Syntax and LF of WH-Interrogatives, Foris Publications, Dordrecht, 1986
Professional Memberships
Generative Linguistics of the Old World (GLOW)
Linguistics Society of America
Honors and Awards
Doctor of Humane Letters, American College of Thessaloniki, 2009
Doctor of Humane Letters, Hebrew Union College, 2007
Endowed Chair, Anna H. Bing Dean's Chair in the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
USC Associates Award For Creativity In Research And Scholarship, 1997
USC Phi Kappa Phi Faculty Recognition Award, Award for The Syntax of Scope (wih A. Li), 1993
USC Phi Kappa Phi Faculty Recognition Award, Award for A Grammar of Anaphora, 1988
Editorships of Major Journals
Cambridge University Press
Natural Language and Linguistic Theory
Oxford University Press
The Linguistic Inquiry, Member of Editorial Board
The Linguistic Review
“We cannot merely be a mirror of what society is; we should be a model of what society can do.”
--Joseph Aoun, Inaugural Address, March 26, 2007