Academic Plan
Academic and Alumni Audiences
Northeastern University created a new plan in 2007 to guide the
University’s academic growth and development in the coming years. During
the life of the plan, Northeastern’s marketing and branding efforts will
align with the strategies and initiatives articulated here.
We include this summary purely as a reference and a guide to broad message
development. The Office of Marketing and Communications, the Office of the
President, and the Office of Provost together oversee all print and online
vehicles promoting or publicizing the academic plan and its constituent
initiatives.
To view the academic plan in its entirety, visit www.northeastern.edu/planning.
For more information, please contact the director of strategic marketing and brand management at (617) 373-5389.
The Northeastern community stands on the threshold of change in the twenty-first century, eager to embrace the challenges and opportunities that will define our future and shape our destiny. We have approached the development of the academic plan with great optimism and momentum, yet mindful of the increasing competitive pressures that will continue to surface in the years ahead. Our success in attaining the outcomes we seek for Northeastern University will be based on our commitment to the guiding principles of Excellence, Distinctiveness, and Innovation.
STRATEGIES AND INITIATIVES
Enhance Student Outcomes through Experiential Learning
Northeastern University adopted experiential learning nearly a century ago,
with the emergence of cooperative education. These initiatives will extend
our experiential learning model to a host of new areas, including study
abroad, undergraduate research, and graduate training:
• Transformative student experiences that are fully integrated with in-class learning. Best practices, such as team learning, self-organizing student interest groups, and integrative capstone courses will be emphasized.
• Groundbreaking experiential learning research into the cognitive and developmental impacts of this educational design. We will pioneer in developing a better understanding of how this model fosters student learning in higher education.
Address Global and Societal Challenges through Interdisciplinary and
Translational Research
The creation of new knowledge and new technologies continues to accelerate
rapidly. Universities will increasingly play a critical role in shaping
this research agenda. These initiatives are designed to open new
opportunities for the University to build a distinctive research program:
• Enhancing existing and emerging centers of excellence in fundamental, interdisciplinary, and translational research. We will strengthen our partnerships with industry and research hospitals, with institutions that promote the common good and justice, and with international institutions.
• Innovative education that builds on University-wide graduate groups that supersede the traditional boundaries between academic units.
Enrich Intellectual Life and Creative Expression
The development of intellect and creativity is fundamental to all
educational experiences—from the classroom to the conference room, from the
library to the lab, and from the studio to the stage. These initiatives
will broaden and enrich intellectual life and creative expression on campus
and in the wider community:
• Integrating the tools of contemporary life into the curriculum, helping Northeastern students develop their skills and abilities in abstraction, creativity, and composition; visual, aural, and media literacy; and critical thinking and logical reasoning.
• Partnerships that encourage the development and dissemination of creative works on campus and throughout the world. By promoting collaborations with artists and institutions, Northeastern will enrich creative and intellectual opportunities.
Strengthen Urban Engagement
In order for Northeastern University to thrive in the twenty-first century,
our institution must be engaged locally and globally in urban settings that
represent an increasing portion of the world’s population.
These initiatives will serve as the catalyst for these efforts:
• Partnerships with neighboring communities that maximize our effectiveness in urban engagement and social responsibility. Northeastern will build new partnerships with our surrounding communities, linking them to us and to each other.
• Shared expertise in urban policy and research through mutual learning. Our capacity to draw on the experience of other communities in global urban settings is a resource that will be shared with the region, the nation, and the world.
Embrace Global Opportunities
The world and the world of higher education are undergoing enormous change.
The global university, characterized by campuses in several countries and a
strong presence in cyberspace, is rapidly becoming commonplace. These
initiatives will accelerate Northeastern’s development as a more global
institution:
• Enhance university-wide global awareness by adopting a global perspective. Northeastern will expand language and cultural literacy, and creative opportunities for faculty and students to work and learn together in international settings.
• Extend the University’s global presence through technology and global communications. We will expand and refine our capacity to deliver lifelong learning programs worldwide, drawing increasing numbers of international students and faculty to Northeastern.