Toronto and Seattle: A Thriving Network
When Northeastern University established a campus in Seattle in 2012 it was seen as an audacious move by an east coast university. Beyond the obvious issues with the institution’s name, Seattle was already home to a world-class research university and had a thriving economy. But educational gaps in the market did exist, and were slowing the region’s ability to staff critical jobs. Northeastern University – Seattle would become the state’s first private top-ranked research university with degree programs tailored to the growing and developing economy. Fast forward to today and many of the same questions are emerging as Northeastern establishes its campus in the heart of Canada’s most vibrant city – Toronto.
But that’s not where the similarities end. Both Seattle and Toronto share many similarities as exciting, fast-paced innovation hubs in North America. Iconic companies such as Microsoft, Nordstrom, and Amazon have found a welcome home in each city, and the two economies are integrally connected. According to the Canadian Consulate office in Seattle, economic back and forth between Washington State and Canada is very robust. Bilateral trade in 2016 reached $21.5 billion US. Both cities boast iconic soaring towers, which serve as beacons to a rich and diverse ethnic population. (The Space Needle in Seattle and the CN Tower in Toronto.)
As we seek to position our students for maximum employability, we are not ignoring the economic interconnectivity of these two regions. The emerging Northeastern regional campus system is becoming the world’s leading networked university system. Our campuses are connected not only by our programs, but also by our dedication to experiential education and our focus on employability. These broad goals require not only a focus on our local market, but a deep awareness of the broader developments happening beyond those local markets. In the case of Seattle and Toronto, the focus on biomedical research, cloud computing and the rapidly growing technology sectors puts Northeastern University and its programs at the centre of these cities’ growth strategies. These expanding sectors need an educated population that is keenly aware of developments happening globally.
This is not to say that our programs and campuses are the same. In fact they are distinct in their own rights. Toronto, for example, has Canada’s largest financial services sector and food manufacturing infrastructure. Seattle is a national transportation hub for the nation’s trade with Pacific Rim nations. The campuses do not strive to be cookie cutter replicas, but rather unique representations of their local market and local culture. What binds us together is our core values around experiential education, high quality and innovative instruction as well as our dedication to serving our community.
These core principles and our common academic heritage mean that our students, regardless of their campus of origin, should be able to have a home campus wherever Northeastern establishes a campus. In the future, we aspire to have our students and faculty experience the very best that Northeastern has to offer, regardless of campus location. This notion was endorsed most recently by our entire academic community in Northeastern’s 2025. The free flow of ideas and connections is what makes this model exciting for students in Canada as well as those in the US Pacific Northwest. So, we see Seattle and Toronto as well positioned to maximize our students’ ability to be “Networked for Life.”
John G. LaBrie, Founding Principal Northeastern Toronto
Scott McKinley, CEO and Dean, Northeastern Seattle