Northeastern University, Boston
Encyclopedia
Northeastern University (NU), is a private
Private university
Private universities are universities not operated by governments, although many receive public subsidies, especially in the form of tax breaks and public student loans and grants. Depending on their location, private universities may be subject to government regulation. Private universities are...

, secular, coeducational research university in Boston, Massachusetts. Northeastern has eight colleges and offers undergraduate majors in 65 departments. At the graduate level, the university offers more than 125 programs and awards masters, doctoral, and professional degrees.

Founded in 1898, Northeastern describes itself as a leader in interdisciplinary research, urban engagement, and the integration of classroom learning with real-world experience. The university is the home of more than 35 specialized research and education centers. Northeastern is classified as a RU/H institution (high research activity) by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Northeastern's faculty members have garnered international recognition:. Several Guggenheim Fellows are currently or have been previously associated with Northeastern. Among Northeastern's other distinguished faculty are a MacArthur Foundation
MacArthur Foundation
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is one of the largest private foundations in the United States. Based in Chicago but supporting non-profit organizations that work in 60 countries, MacArthur has awarded more than US$4 billion since its inception in 1978...

 "Genius Award" winner, a former Democratic nominee for President of the United States, and a Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...

 winner. In 2011, Northeastern received 43,000 undergraduate applications for the fall semester, a new record and the largest for any private university in the United States.

Northeastern’s cooperative education (co-op)
Cooperative education
Cooperative education is a structured method of combining classroom-based education with practical work experience. A cooperative education experience, commonly known as a "co-op", provides academic credit for structured job experience...

 program was one of the first of its kind in the world. Through the co-op program, students complete eight semesters of full-time study and up to three six-month terms of paid full-time work. The program has been regularly ranked as the best co-op program in the country, with many corporate and non-profit co-op partners both in the United States and abroad. Employers have included major newspapers, popular television shows, top ranked international law firms, banks, government offices, and corporations and many Fortune 500
Fortune 500
The Fortune 500 is an annual list compiled and published by Fortune magazine that ranks the top 500 U.S. closely held and public corporations as ranked by their gross revenue after adjustments made by Fortune to exclude the impact of excise taxes companies collect. The list includes publicly and...

 companies. Participating students typically receive their undergraduate degree in five years, however a four year option is also available for most majors with fewer co-ops.

Northeastern’s 73 acres (295,420.8 m²) award winning campus is located in the Fenway Cultural District
Fenway-Kenmore
Fenway–Kenmore is an official neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. While it is considered one neighborhood for administrative purposes, it is composed of numerous distinct sections and in casual conversation are almost always referred to as "Fenway," "Kenmore Square," or "Kenmore."...

 of Boston. In 2010 and 2011, US News & World Report rated Northeastern as the No. 2 "Best Up-and-coming" National University.
Northeastern ranked No. 4 in Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...

as one of "America's Most Entrepreneurial Campuses." The School of Architecture was ranked #12 by the Key Institute National Rankings. The university campus was ranked 4th by the "UI Green Metric Ranking of World Universities 2010", the only rankings that measure each university participants in its commitment in developing an ‘environment friendly’ infrastructure as its indicator.

History

Northeastern was established in 1898 as the "Evening Institute for Younger Men" at the Huntington Avenue YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...

. Its first class was held October 3, 1898. The institute catered to the needs of the rapidly growing immigrant population in Boston. Within a few years of its formation, it offered classes in law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...

, engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...

 and finance
Finance
"Finance" is often defined simply as the management of money or “funds” management Modern finance, however, is a family of business activity that includes the origination, marketing, and management of cash and money surrogates through a variety of capital accounts, instruments, and markets created...

. In 1909 the school began offering day classes and it moved to a new location on Huntington Avenue in 1913. The school was officially organized as a college in 1916 and in 1922 it was renamed "Northeastern University of the Boston Young Men's Christian Association." In a period of rapid campus expansion, the university purchased the Huntington Avenue Grounds (former Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...

 ballpark) in 1929, but did not build on the land due to financial constraints during The Great Depression.

In 1935, the College of Liberal Arts was added to Northeastern, and the university's name was simplified to "Northeastern University." In 1937 The Northeastern University Corporation was established, creating a board of trustees made up of 31 members of the NU Corporation and 8 members of the YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...

. In 1948 Northeastern separated itself completely from the YMCA.

Following World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, Northeastern began admitting women, and in the boom of post-war college-bound students, Northeastern created a College of Education (1953), University College (now called the College of Professional Studies) (1960), College of Pharmacy and College of Nursing (1964). The College of Pharmacy and College of Nursing were subsequently combined into the Bouvé College of Health Sciences. Northeastern also added the College of Criminal Justice (1967) and College of Computer Science (1982), since renamed the College of Computer and Information Science
Northeastern University College of Computer and Information Science
The College of Computer and Information Science is one of the eight colleges of Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts.The College offers Bachelor of Science , Bachelor of Arts , Master of Science , and doctoral degrees in computer science , as well as undergraduate and graduate degrees...

.

Similar to a number of urban universities, Northeastern began as a commuter school with many part-time and evening students, and by the early 1980s had grown to 60,000 enrollees. In the 1990s, the university reduced the number of enrolled students in order to become a "smaller, better" university and began building more residence halls on campus. It cut its freshman class size from around 4500 students to 2800 students.

From 1996 to 2006, President Richard Freeland led an institutional change; average SAT scores increased more than 200 points, retention rates rose dramatically, and applications doubled. President Freeland oversaw Northeastern’s largest expansion ever, opening $455 million in new facilities, including residence halls, academic and research facilities, and athletic centers. The institution also became substantially more selective, leading to a more academically talented student body.
During the transition, students experienced a re-organization of the co-operative education system to better integrate classroom learning with workplace experience. The university also switched its full-time undergraduate and graduate programs to a new academic calendar comprising two traditional semesters and two summer "minimesters", replacing the four-quarter system. This new calendar allowed students to delve more deeply into their academic courses and to experience longer, more substantive co-op placements.

Throughout the transformation, President Freeland's oft-repeated goal was to crack the Top 100 of the U.S. News rankings , which was accomplished in 2006. With this goal accomplished and the transformation from commuting school to national research university complete, he stepped down from the presidency on August 15, 2006. His successor is Dr. Joseph Aoun, formerly a dean
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...

 at University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...

. Since coming into office in the fall of 2006, President Aoun has implemented a decentralized management model, giving the academic deans of the university more control over their own budgets, faculty hiring decisions, and fundraising.

As part of Northeastern's five-year, $75 million Academic Investment Plan, the University is concentrating on three areas: undergraduate education, core graduate professional programs, and centers of research excellence. The Plan centers around the addition of 100 tenured and tenure-track professors between 2004 and 2009. This plan was recently expanded to provide for the hiring of an additional 300 tenure and tenure-track faculty in interdisciplinary fields. Aoun has also placed more emphasis on improving town relations by reaching out to leaders of the communities surrounding the university. In addition, Aoun has created more academic partnerships with other institutions in the Boston area including Tufts, Hebrew College
Hebrew College
Hebrew College is an accredited college of Jewish studies in Newton Centre, near Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1921, Hebrew College is committed to Jewish scholarship in a transdenominational academic environment. The president of the college is Rabbi Daniel Lehmann...

 and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts.

Under Aoun's leadership, the university continues to climb in the rankings. In the 2012 edition of U.S. News and World Report's
U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...

 "Best Colleges Guide", Northeastern increased its ranking to , up 7 spots from 2011.

More information on Northeastern's history can be found on the President's website.

Presidents

Presidents of Northeastern (with years of tenure and campus buildings named in their honor):
  • Frank Palmer Speare
    Frank Palmer Speare
    Frank Palmer Speare was the first president of Northeastern University, serving from 1898-1940. He began the evening program at the Boston YMCA that later became Northeastern...

     (1898–1940, Speare Hall residence hall)
  • Carl Stephens Ell (1940–1959, Ell Hall and the former Ell Student Center, now the Curry Student Center)
  • Asa S. Knowles
    Asa S. Knowles
    Asa Smallidge Knowles was the ninth President of the University of Toledo and the third President of Northeastern University...

     (1959–1975, Knowles Hall law school building)
  • Kenneth G. Ryder
    Kenneth G. Ryder
    Kenneth Gilmore Ryder was the 4th president of Northeastern University from 1975–1989. Ryder began his career in education as a history teacher in 1949 and moved into administration in 1955...

     (1975–1989, Ryder Hall arts and humanities classroom building)
  • John A. Curry
    John A. Curry
    John A. Curry was the President of Northeastern University from 1989 to 1996. Prior to serving as President, Curry was the University's Exeutive Vice President...

     (1989–1996, Curry Student Center)
  • Richard M. Freeland
    Richard M. Freeland
    Richard Middleton Freeland was President of Northeastern University from 1996 to 2006. He currently serves as the Commissioner of Higher Education for Massachusetts ....

     (1996–2006, West Campus)
  • Joseph Aoun (2006–Present)

Satellite Campuses

The university plans a number of remote campuses in several cities in the United States. The first campus, in Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...

. opened in October, 2011; a Seattle campus is planned for 2012, and Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a term which refers to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California in the United States. The region is home to many of the world's largest technology corporations...

 (California), Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...

, and Minneapolis;for future years.

Admissions

Northeastern ranks as the top private American university in the number of applications it receives annually. Barrons College Guides rates admission to Northeastern University as "highly competitive". U.S. News and World Report rates Northeastern as "more selective." The middle 50% of admitted students for Fall 2011 had weighted GPA's of 3.7 - 4.2, SAT scores of 1890 - 2140 and ACT scores of 29 - 32.

A report by The Huntington News, NU's newspaper, claimed that for the 114th entering class, Northeastern University received 42,948 applications from prospective freshman for the fall term. This represented a 15% surge from last year's record of 38,000 applications. For this particular year, Northeastern University beat Boston University and New York University in terms of "the most applied-to private university in the United States".

For the same year, the admissions rate dropped to a record-low 34.3%. Approximately 3,000 students enrolled, one-sixth of them international students.

Academics

Northeastern offers undergraduate majors in 65 departments. At the graduate level, there are more than 125 programs. Academics at Northeastern is grounded in the integration of classroom studies with experiential learning
Experiential learning
Experiential learning is the process of making meaning from direct experience. Simply put, Experiential Learning is learning from experience. The experience can be staged or left open. Aristotle once said, "For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them." David A...

 opportunities, including cooperative education
Cooperative education
Cooperative education is a structured method of combining classroom-based education with practical work experience. A cooperative education experience, commonly known as a "co-op", provides academic credit for structured job experience...

, student research, service learning, and global experience. The university's cooperative education program places about 5,000 students annually with more than 2,500 co-op employers in Boston, across the United States, and around the globe. In 2010, College Prowler
College Prowler
College Prowler is an American publishing company for guidebooks on top colleges and universities in the United States.The company creates guidebooks written by current college students, for prospective college students, giving an insider's view...

 gave Northeastern an "A-" rating for the quality of classes, professors, and overall academic environment.

Colleges and schools

Colleges listed including schools and degrees offered:

  • College of Arts, Media and Design (BA
    Bachelor of Arts
    A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...

    , BS
    Bachelor of Science
    A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...

    , MS
    Master of Science
    A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...

    , MA
    Master of Arts (postgraduate)
    A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...

    , MPA
    Master of Public Administration
    The Master of Public Administration is a professional post-graduate degree in Public Administration. The MPA program prepares individuals to serve as managers in the executive arm of local, state/provincial, and federal/national government, and increasingly in nongovernmental organization and...

    , Ph.D.
    Doctor of Philosophy
    Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...

    )
    • School of Architecture
    • School of Journalism
  • College of Business Administration (BSBA, BSIB, MBA, MS
    Master of Science
    A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...

    )
    • School of Technological Entrepreneurship (MS
      Master of Science
      A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...

      )
  • College of Computer Information and Science
    Northeastern University College of Computer and Information Science
    The College of Computer and Information Science is one of the eight colleges of Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts.The College offers Bachelor of Science , Bachelor of Arts , Master of Science , and doctoral degrees in computer science , as well as undergraduate and graduate degrees...

  • College of Engineering (BS
    Bachelor of Science
    A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...

    )
  • Bouvé College of Health Sciences (BS
    Bachelor of Science
    A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...

    , MS
    Master of Science
    A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...

    , Pharm.D
    Doctor of Pharmacy
    A Doctor of Pharmacy is a professional doctorate degree in pharmacy. In some countries, it is a first professional degree, and a prerequisite for licensing to exercise the profession of pharmacist.-Kenya :...

    , Ph.D
    Doctor of Philosophy
    Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...

    )
    • The School of Nursing (BS
      Bachelor of Science
      A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...

      , MS
      Master of Science
      A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...

      , MPH
      Master of Public Health
      The Master of Public Health and the Doctor of Public Health are multi-disciplinary professional degrees awarded for studies in areas related to public health....

      , DPT
      Doctor of Physical Therapy
      The Doctor of Physical Therapy or Doctor of Physiotherapy is a post-baccalaureate three-year degree conferred upon successful completion of a professional clinical doctoral level professional or post-professional physical therapist education program for the licensed physical therapist...

      , Au.D
      Doctor of Audiology
      The Doctor of Audiology is a first professional degree for an audiologist. The Au.D. program is designed to produce audiologists who are skilled in providing diagnostic, rehabilitative, and other services associated with hearing, balance, and related audiological fields. There is an emphasis on...

      )
    • The School of Pharmacy
      Northeastern University School of Pharmacy
      Northeastern University's School of Pharmacy is a member of the Marjorie Bouvé College of Health Sciences. The school is one of six specialties offered in the college, an interdisciplinary community which encourages cooperation between members of the healthcare team...

       (Pharm.D
      Doctor of Pharmacy
      A Doctor of Pharmacy is a professional doctorate degree in pharmacy. In some countries, it is a first professional degree, and a prerequisite for licensing to exercise the profession of pharmacist.-Kenya :...

      , MS
      Master of Science
      A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...

      , Ph.D
      Doctor of Philosophy
      Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...

      )
  • College of Professional Studies (AS, BA
    Bachelor of Arts
    A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...

    , BS
    Bachelor of Science
    A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...

    , MA
    Master of Arts (postgraduate)
    A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...

    , MS
    Master of Science
    A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...

    , M.Ed
    Master of Education
    The Master of Education is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in a large number of countries. This degree in education often includes the following majors: curriculum and instruction, counseling, and administration. It is often conferred for educators advancing in...

    , Ed.D.
    Doctor of Education
    The Doctor of Education or Doctor in Education degree , in Latin, Doctor Educationis, is a research-oriented professional doctorate that prepares the student for academic, administrative, clinical, or research positions in educational, civil, and private organizations.-Differences between an Ed.D...

    , LP.D.)
    • School of Education
    • English Language Center
    • Lowell Institute School
    • World Languages Center
  • College of Science
  • College of Social Science and Humanities
    • School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (BS
      Bachelor of Science
      A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...

      , MS
      Master of Science
      A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...

      , Ph.D.
      Doctor of Philosophy
      Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...

      )
    • School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs
    • Department of Law and Public Policy (MS
      Master of Science
      A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...

      , Ph.D.
      Doctor of Philosophy
      Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...

      )
  • School of Law (J.D.
    Juris Doctor
    Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...

    )

Honors Program

The University Honors Program offers selected students an enhanced curriculum. Starting with the First Year Reading Project and moving on to participating in a wide range of courses during the undergraduate years, the program gives students a variety of academic choices. The culminating experience is advanced specialty work in a major field through college-specific choices including specialized advanced honors seminars and an independent research project. In addition, students in the Honors Program exclusively can live in a Living-Learning Community housed in West Village F and Kennedy Hall. Since Fall 2009, first-year Honors students are housed in the North Tower of the newly constructed International Village residence hall.

Senior Capstone

The Senior Capstone is an advanced level course related to the student's major. The course requires the student to integrate what they have learned through their academic coursework and their experiential learning experience (co-op, research, study abroad, and service).

Pre-Med Program

The university recently partnered with Tufts University School of Medicine
Tufts University School of Medicine
The Tufts University School of Medicine is one of the eight schools that constitute Tufts University. Located on the university's health sciences campus in the Chinatown district of Boston, Massachusetts, the medical school has clinical affiliations with thousands of doctors and researchers in the...

 to create an early acceptance BA/MD Program. Northeastern's campus is just a few blocks from the Longwood Medical and Academic Area
Longwood Medical and Academic Area
The Longwood Medical and Academic Area is a medical campus in Boston....

 where Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....

 and Harvard School of Dental Medicine
Harvard School of Dental Medicine
Harvard School of Dental Medicine is one of the graduate schools of Harvard University. It is an American dental school located in the Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. In addition to the DMD degree, HSDM offers specialty training programs, advanced training programs, a Ph.D...

 are located along with their associated world class teaching hospitals. These institutions provide NU pre-med students with soignificant internship opportunities. Boston is also home to a burgeoning biotechnology industry

Study abroad

Northeastern has semester-long study abroad programs with placements in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and South America. Some participating schools include: University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...

, Scotland; CEFAM
CEFAM
CEFAM is an international business school located in Lyon, France. The main majors are Marketing, Finance and Risk Management....

, France; University of Cape Town
University of Cape Town
The University of Cape Town is a public research university located in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. UCT was founded in 1829 as the South African College, and is the oldest university in South Africa and the second oldest extant university in Africa.-History:The roots of...

, South Africa; University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...

 and London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...

, England; University of Auckland
University of Auckland
The University of Auckland is a university located in Auckland, New Zealand. It is the largest university in the country and the highest ranked in the 2011 QS World University Rankings, having been ranked worldwide...

, New Zealand; Swinburne University of Technology
Swinburne University of Technology
Swinburne University of Technology is an Australian public dual sector university based in Melbourne, Victoria. The institution was founded by the Honourable George Swinburne in 1908 and achieved university status in June 1992...

, Australia; Obirin University
Obirin University
is a private university in Machida, Tokyo, Japan. The university's name was derived from that of pastor and philanthropist J. F. Oberlin, and the name also shows the university's historical ties with Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio, which the university's founders attended...

, Japan; American College of Thessaloniki, Greece and Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Chile and also Antarctica

Northeastern's International Business program is a member of the International Partnership of Business Schools
International Partnership of Business Schools
The International Partnership of Business Schools is a partnership of eight leading business schools throughout Europe and America. With over 1600 students the IPBS is the largest fully integrated university network in Europe. Every course consists of four years of studies, two of which are spent...

. Through this program International Business students have the opportunity to be awarded a dual-degree from Northeastern as well as from a sister school in Europe, Mexico or Hong Kong.

Northeastern also has the notable Dialogues of Civilizations program, which features dozens of one month-long programs (usually taking place in the summer) where a faculty member will lead a group of students in the country of their choice. A sort of "mini" study abroad, each program has an area of focus - for example, the Geneva program focuses on small arms and multilateral negotiations while the South Africa program is based in non-governmental organizations. This program is meant to be a communicative experience and an exchange of ideas and cultures. It is open to all majors and all years, and is the most popular study abroad option at Northeastern.

Recently, the school has also been emphasizing co-op abroad, in an effort to make the school more global and internationally engaged. There are many programs being offered including social entrepreneurship in the Dominican Republic, Belize, and South Africa.

Research

Research Centers and Institutes at Northeastern include:

  • Advanced Scientific Computation Center
  • Anti
    Sterilization (microbiology)
    Sterilization is a term referring to any process that eliminates or kills all forms of microbial life, including transmissible agents present on a surface, contained in a fluid, in medication, or in a compound such as biological culture media...

    -microbial
    Microorganism
    A microorganism or microbe is a microscopic organism that comprises either a single cell , cell clusters, or no cell at all...

     Discovery Center
  • Barnett Institute of Chemical
    Chemical substance
    In chemistry, a chemical substance is a form of matter that has constant chemical composition and characteristic properties. It cannot be separated into components by physical separation methods, i.e. without breaking chemical bonds. They can be solids, liquids or gases.Chemical substances are...

     and Biological
    Biology
    Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...

     Analysis
  • Bernard M. Gordon Center for Subsurface Sensing and Imaging
    Remote sensing
    Remote sensing is the acquisition of information about an object or phenomenon, without making physical contact with the object. In modern usage, the term generally refers to the use of aerial sensor technologies to detect and classify objects on Earth by means of propagated signals Remote sensing...

     Systems
  • Brudnick Center on Violence and Conflict
  • Center for High-Rate Nanomanufacturing
  • Center for Communications and Digital Signal Processing
    Digital signal processing
    Digital signal processing is concerned with the representation of discrete time signals by a sequence of numbers or symbols and the processing of these signals. Digital signal processing and analog signal processing are subfields of signal processing...

  • Center for Community Health
  • Center for Family Business
  • Center for Microcontamination Control
  • Center for Microwave
    Microwave
    Microwaves, a subset of radio waves, have wavelengths ranging from as long as one meter to as short as one millimeter, or equivalently, with frequencies between 300 MHz and 300 GHz. This broad definition includes both UHF and EHF , and various sources use different boundaries...

     Magnetic
    Magnetism
    Magnetism is a property of materials that respond at an atomic or subatomic level to an applied magnetic field. Ferromagnetism is the strongest and most familiar type of magnetism. It is responsible for the behavior of permanent magnets, which produce their own persistent magnetic fields, as well...

     Materials and Integrated Circuits
    Electronic circuit
    An electronic circuit is composed of individual electronic components, such as resistors, transistors, capacitors, inductors and diodes, connected by conductive wires or traces through which electric current can flow...

  • Center for Labor Market Studies
  • Center for Pharmaceutical
    Pharmaceutics
    Pharmaceutics is the discipline of pharmacy that deals with all facets of the process of turning a new chemical entity into a medication able to be safely and effectively used by patients in the community. Pharmaceutics is the science of dosage form design...

     Biotechnology
    Biotechnology
    Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...

     and Nanomedicine
    Nanomedicine
    Nanomedicine is the medical application of nanotechnology. Nanomedicine ranges from the medical applications of nanomaterials, to nanoelectronic biosensors, and even possible future applications of molecular nanotechnology. Current problems for nanomedicine involve understanding the issues related...

  • Center for Urban Environmental Studies
  • Center for Urban and Regional Policy
    Urban economics
    Urban economics is broadly the economic study of urban areas; as such, it involves using the tools of economics to analyze urban issues such as crime, education, public transit, housing, and local government finance...

  • Center for Work and Learning
  • Domestic Violence
    Domestic violence
    Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...

     Institute
  • Electronic
    Electronics
    Electronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...

     Materials Research Institute
  • Institute for Complex Scientific
    Science
    Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...

     Software
    Computer software
    Computer software, or just software, is a collection of computer programs and related data that provide the instructions for telling a computer what to do and how to do it....

  • Institute for Global Innovation Management
    Institute for Global Innovation Management
    Located in Boston, Massachusetts, the Institute for Global Innovation Management was founded in 2002 as a research institute affiliated with the College of Business Administration at Northeastern University...

  • Institute for Information Assurance
    Information Assurance
    Information assurance is the practice of managing risks related to the use, processing, storage, and transmission of information or data and the systems and processes used for those purposes...

  • Institute for Security
    Security
    Security is the degree of protection against danger, damage, loss, and crime. Security as a form of protection are structures and processes that provide or improve security as a condition. The Institute for Security and Open Methodologies in the OSSTMM 3 defines security as "a form of protection...

     and Public Policy in Criminal Justice
    Justice
    Justice is a concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, or equity, along with the punishment of the breach of said ethics; justice is the act of being just and/or fair.-Concept of justice:...

  • Institute on Race and Justice
  • Institute on Urban Health Research
  • Marine Science
    Oceanography
    Oceanography , also called oceanology or marine science, is the branch of Earth science that studies the ocean...

     Center
  • National Education and Research Center for Outcomes Assessment in Healthcare
  • New England Inflammation and Tissue
    Tissue (biology)
    Tissue is a cellular organizational level intermediate between cells and a complete organism. A tissue is an ensemble of cells, not necessarily identical, but from the same origin, that together carry out a specific function. These are called tissues because of their identical functioning...

     Protection Institute
  • Public Health
    Public health
    Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...

     Advocacy Institute
  • Sport in Society (previously the Center for the Study of Sport in Society)
  • STEM
    STEM fields
    STEM fields is a US Government acronym for the fields of study in the categories of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The acronym is in use regarding access to work visas for immigrants who are skilled in these fields. Maintaining a citizenry that is well versed in the STEM fields...

     Education Center

The university provides undergraduate students with an opportunity to engage in research through the Center for Experiential Education, CenSSIS Research Experience for Undergraduates, Honors Research, Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation program, and Provost's Office research grants. In FY 2007, annual external research funding exceeded $78 million. In FY 2009-2010, the research funding is close to $82 million. In 2002, Northeastern's Center for Subsurface Sensing and Imaging Systems was designated an NSF Engineering Research Center. In 2004, Northeastern was one of six institutions selected by the National Science Foundation as a center for research in nanotechnology. In 2010, Northeastern was granted $12 million by an alum for a Homeland security
Homeland security
Homeland security is an umbrella term for security efforts to protect states against terrorist activity. Specifically, is a concerted national effort to prevent terrorist attacks within the U.S., reduce America’s vulnerability to terrorism, and minimize the damage and recover from attacks that do...

 research facility, to be named the George J. Kostas Research Institute for Homeland Security, after its chief benefactor.

Faculty

Many of Northeastern's 1,423 full-time and part-time faculty members have garnered national and international acclaim for their achievements in teaching and research, with particular strength in interdisciplinary scholarship. Northeastern faculty members direct more than 35 research and education centers, including a National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...

 (NSF) Engineering Research Center, an NSF Nanomanufacturing
Nanomanufacturing
Nanomanufacturing is a term used to describe either the production of nanoscaled materials, which can be powders or fluids, or to describe the manufacturing of parts "bottom up" from nanoscaled materials or "top down" in smallest steps for high precision, used in several technologies such as laser...

 Center, and two NSF Integrated Graduate Education and Research Traineeship programs.

See Notable Northeastern University Faculty

Co-op/Internship Program

Northeastern has one of the largest co-op/internship programs in the world. Started in 1909, NU's co-op program is one of the oldest in the nation. In the co-op program, students alternate periods of academic study with periods of paid professional employment related to their major. Most majors offer a four-year graduation option with fewer co-op placements, but the five year program is more popular with students. The co-op program typically starts sophomore year (after a traditional freshman year).

Co-op placements range from small dynamic start-up companies to large multinational companies with thousands of employees, including many Fortune 500
Fortune 500
The Fortune 500 is an annual list compiled and published by Fortune magazine that ranks the top 500 U.S. closely held and public corporations as ranked by their gross revenue after adjustments made by Fortune to exclude the impact of excise taxes companies collect. The list includes publicly and...

 corporations. The program also places students with government agencies, branches of government, nonprofits, and non-governmental organizations. Northeastern students can be found interning in the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....

, the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...

, United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...

, and at NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...

. Student placements usually last six months, and are mostly paid. Students may live in the university residence halls on campus during co-op employment, and the university currently leases housing for students co-oping in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 and Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

 and assists elsewhere.

Northeastern University is also a partner with the Boston Youth Fund
Boston Youth Fund
The Boston Youth Fund is a program run by the City of Boston, at the behest of Mayor Thomas Menino, that offers employment during the summer and after school to youth workers from the City of Boston that are between the ages of 15-17...

, which is run by the Boston Youth council and provides summer job and enrichment placement for the City of Boston.

Student Activities

Northeastern has over 19 varsity teams in the NCAA, over 30 club sport teams, and over 200 student organizations. Several prominent student-run organizations, including the Resident Student Association (RSA), Student Government Association (SGA), Northeastern University Television (NUTV), Fraternity and Sorority Life (FSL), and the Council for University Programs (CUP) organize activities for Northeastern students as well as the surrounding community.

Athletics

Fourteen of eighteen Northeastern varsity sports teams have been competing in NCAA Division I's Colonial Athletic Association
Colonial Athletic Association
The Colonial Athletic Association is a NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose full-time members are located in East Coast states from Massachusetts to Georgia. Most of its members are public universities, with five in Virginia alone, and the conference is headquartered in Richmond,...

, since 2005.

The school sponsors the following sports teams:
  • (M) Baseball
    Baseball
    Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

  • (M), (W) Basketball
    Basketball
    Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

  • (M), (W) Cross Country
    Cross country running
    Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...

  • (W) Field Hockey
    Field hockey
    Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...

  • (M), (W) Hockey
    Hockey
    Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...

     (in Hockey East
    Hockey East
    Hockey East Association is a NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey conference which operates in New England. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference....

    )
  • (M), (W) Rowing
    Rowing (sport)
    Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...

     (in Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges
    Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges
    The Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges is a college athletic conference of eighteen men's college rowing crews. It is an affiliate of the Eastern College Athletic Conference .-Members:...

     and Eastern Association of Women's Rowing Colleges
    Eastern Association of Women's Rowing Colleges
    The Eastern Association of Women's Rowing Colleges is an American athletic conference of eighteen women's college rowing crew teams. The conference is an affiliate of the Eastern College Athletic Conference .-Members:*Boston College...

    )
  • (M), (W) Soccer
  • (W) Swimming & Diving
  • (M), (W) Track and Field
    Track and field
    Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...

  • (W) Volleyball
    Volleyball
    Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...



The NU mascot is Paws
Northeastern University Paws
Paws or Paws, the Husky is the live mascot of the Northeastern University.The original mascot of the Northeastern University was live Siberian Husky named Mr. and Mrs. Husky, who first appeared in the university on March 4. 1927. Northeastern University adopted the nickname Huskies in 1927 with...

. The school colors are red and black with white trim. The fight song, "All Hail, Northeastern," was composed by Charles A. Pethybridge, Class of 1932.

Some notable athletes have played for Northeastern's sports teams. Dan Ross
Dan Ross (American football)
Daniel R. Ross was a professional American football tight end who played for the Cincinnati Bengals , the Seattle Seahawks , and the Green Bay Packers . He also played for the New Orleans/Portland Breakers of the USFL in 1984-1985.-College football:Before his NFL career, Ross played football at...

 played football at Northeastern long before setting the Super Bowl record for receptions in a game. Reggie Lewis
Reggie Lewis
Reggie Lewis was an American professional basketball player for the NBA's Boston Celtics from 1987 to 1993.-Early life:...

 still holds the men's basketball career scoring record. Carlos Pena
Carlos Peña
Carlos Felipe Peña is a Dominican professional baseball left-handed first baseman. He played previously with the Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics, Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago Cubs.Although he was born in Santo Domingo and his family is from San Francisco de Macorís,...

 was named Major League Baseball's American League Comeback Player of the Year in 2007 and an AL Gold Glove winner in 2008. The U.S. Olympic women's ice hockey teams have included Northeastern alumni Shelley Looney
Shelley Looney
Shelley Looney is an American ice hockey player. She won a gold medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics and a silver medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics. Looney played collegiately at Northeastern University from 1991–94, winning multiple awards including ECAC All-Star, 1993 ECAC Tournament MVP and ECAC...

 and Chanda Gunn
Chanda Gunn
Chanda Leigh Gunn is an American ice hockey player. She won a bronze medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics. At the games in Turin, she played close to 250 minutes and had 50 saves with a save percentage of 89.3%.-Northeastern:In the 2003-04 season, Chanda Gunn was in her senior season led the Huskies...

. The NU mascot is Paws
Northeastern University Paws
Paws or Paws, the Husky is the live mascot of the Northeastern University.The original mascot of the Northeastern University was live Siberian Husky named Mr. and Mrs. Husky, who first appeared in the university on March 4. 1927. Northeastern University adopted the nickname Huskies in 1927 with...

.

The baseball team has competed in one College World Series
College World Series
The College World Series or CWS is an annual baseball tournament held in Omaha, Nebraska that is the culmination of the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, which determines the NCAA Division I college baseball champion. The eight teams are split into two, four-team, double-elimination brackets,...

 and played in the NCAA regionals seven times.

In its first year in the CAA, the men's basketball team finished in 6th place (out of 12 teams) and advanced to the semifinals of the conference tournament. The CAA proved to be a competitive conference in the 2006 NCAA Basketball Tournament
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...

, as George Mason University
2005-06 George Mason Patriots men's basketball team
The 2005–06 George Mason Patriots men's basketball team represented George Mason University in the 2005–2006 NCAA Basketball season, and is best known for their success in the NCAA Tournament, having reached the Final Four.-Season notes:...

 advanced all the way to the Final Four
Final four
Final Four isa sports term that is commonly applied to the last four teams remaining in a playoff tournament, most notably NCAA Division I college basketball tournaments. The term usually refers to the four teams who compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final round...

. In 2007, its second year in the CAA, the women's track team captured the conference championship, while the volleyball team finished second. The women's basketball team won 10 more games in 2008 than the previous year, the biggest one-year turnaround in the CAA, and advanced to the tournament quarterfinals.

Northeastern's men's and women's hockey teams compete in the Hockey East
Hockey East
Hockey East Association is a NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey conference which operates in New England. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference....

 Conference. During the 2007-08 season, the men's team ranked as high at #7 in the country and held the top spot in the conference before finishing the season in sixth place in Hockey East. Both teams also participate in the annual Beanpot tournament between the four major Boston-area colleges. Northeastern's men's team has won the annual event 4 times in its 54-year history, while the women's team has captured the Beanpot 14 times. During the 2008-2009 season, the men's team ranked as high as 3rd in the nation and held the top spot in Hockey East until the last weekend of the season; the team made the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1994, the Beanpot championship game for the first time since 2004, and goalie Brad Thiessen made the Hobey Hat Trick, only the second Northeastern player to do so.

The Northeastern Crew team consistently ranks as one of the top 10 teams in the nation. In the 2008 National Championship, the team made the Grand Finals and placed fourth behind University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...

, University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...

, and University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...

, while beating Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...

, Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....

, University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...

 and Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...

.

Northeastern offers 40 club sports, including judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...

, rugby
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...

, lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...

, squash
Squash (sport)
Squash is a high-speed racquet sport played by two players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball...

, cycling
Cycling
Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...

 and ultimate frisbee. In 2005 the women's rugby team finished third in the nation in Division II, while in the same year the men's rugby team
Northeastern University Rugby Club
The Northeastern University Rugby Football Club is a college rugby union team representing Northeastern University, competing in East Coast Rugby Conference and governed by USA Rugby...

 won the largest annual tournament
Beast of the East
The Beast of the East is the largest college rugby tournament in the world. In 2010, the 27th annual tournament, 84 college rugby teams participated in five divisions. The tournament is hosted by Providence Rugby Football Club on six rugby fields at The Glen in Portsmouth, Rhode Island.- Past...

 in the United States. The men's lacrosse team began the 2008 season ranked in the Top 10 nationally. The men's and women's squash team finished the 2008 season ranked in the Top 20 nationally. In the 2008-2009 academic year the Northeastern Club Field Hockey and Women's Basketball teams won their respective National Championships. From 2007 to 2009, the Northeastern Club Baseball team won three straight New England Club Baseball Association championships. On May 25, 2010 the club baseball team defeated Penn State to win the National Club Baseball Association Division II World Series and national championship.

Citing sparse attendance, numerous losing seasons and the expense to renovate Parsons Field to an acceptable standard, the university Board of Trustees voted on November 20, 2009, to end the football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 program. According to president Joseph Aoun, "Leadership requires that we make these choices. This decision allows us to focus on our existing athletic programs."

Campus

Northeastern is located in Boston's Fenway
Fenway-Kenmore
Fenway–Kenmore is an official neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. While it is considered one neighborhood for administrative purposes, it is composed of numerous distinct sections and in casual conversation are almost always referred to as "Fenway," "Kenmore Square," or "Kenmore."...

, Roxbury and Back Bay neighborhoods adjacent to Huntington Avenue near the Museum of Fine Arts
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, is one of the largest museums in the United States, attracting over one million visitors a year. It contains over 450,000 works of art, making it one of the most comprehensive collections in the Americas...

 and Symphony Hall
Symphony Hall, Boston
Symphony Hall is a concert hall located at 301 Massachusetts Avenue in Boston, Massachusetts. Designed by McKim, Mead and White, it was built in 1900 for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, which continues to make the hall its home. The hall was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1999...

. The area is also known as the Fenway Cultural District
Fenway-Kenmore
Fenway–Kenmore is an official neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. While it is considered one neighborhood for administrative purposes, it is composed of numerous distinct sections and in casual conversation are almost always referred to as "Fenway," "Kenmore Square," or "Kenmore."...

.

Although located in the heart of Boston, the NU campus is still filled with trees, flowers, and grassy quads. Since the late 1990s, Northeastern has been considered a model of design for urban universities and has twice won the “most beautiful new or renovated exterior space” award (presented by the American Institute of Architects) in 2001 and 2004.

Matthews Arena

Opened in 1910 and widely known as the Boston Arena, Matthews Arena is the world's oldest surviving indoor ice hockey arena. Located on the east edge of Northeastern University's campus, it is home to the Northeastern Huskies
Northeastern Huskies
The Northeastern University Huskies are the athletic teams representing Northeastern University. They compete in thirteen varsity team sports: men's and women's hockey ; men's baseball, men's and women's basketball, women's field hockey and volleyball, swimming, and men's and women's soccer , and...

 men's and women's hockey teams, and men's basketball team as well as the Wentworth Institute of Technology's
Wentworth Institute of Technology
The Wentworth Institute of Technology is an independent, co-educational, technical design and engineering college located in Boston, Massachusetts...

 men's hockey team. The arena is named after former Chair of the Board of Trustees George J. Matthews and his wife, the late Hope M. Matthews. The arena is the original home of the NHL Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...

 and the WHA New England Whalers (now the NHL Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League , and play their home games at the 18,680-seat RBC Center...

). It was also the secondary home to the NBA Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...

 in the 1940s. It has hosted all or part of the America East Conference
America East Conference
The America East Conference is a NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose members are located mainly in the northeastern United States. The conference was known as the ECAC North from 1979 to 1988 and the North Atlantic Conference from the fall semester of 1988 to the end of the spring...

 men's basketball tournament a total of seven times and hosted the 1960 Frozen Four. The arena also served as the original home to the annual Beanpot (Ice Hockey) tournament between Boston's four major college hockey programs.

Marino Recreation Center

On the first floor, the atrium gives students, faculty, and staff a place to socialize, with two cafés and a food market. The second floor includes a student exercise area, a multipurpose room is used for aerobics classes and martial arts clubs. The gymnasium consists of three basketball courts. On the third floor, a state-of-the-art resistance training area sand a fully equipped free weight room. A three-lane suspended track is available for either walking or jogging, and rowing ergometers are available.

Library facilities

The NU Libraries include the Snell Library, the John D. O'Bryant African-American Institute Library, and the library at the NU Marine Science Center in Nahant, Massachusetts
Nahant, Massachusetts
Nahant is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,632 at the 2000 census. With just of land area, it is the smallest municipality by area in the state...

. The NU School of Law Library is separately administered by the NU School of Law.

Snell Library opened in 1990 at a cost of $35 million and contains 1.3 million volumes. The Digital Media Design Studio within the library is a collaborative and interdisciplinary learning environment for creating course-related multimedia presentations, projects and portfolios. The library is home to the Favat Collection, a current collection of children's literature and K-12 curriculum resources, instructional materials, and related information to support courses offered by the School of Education. It contains three computer labs operated by NU Information Services. Two are available to all NU students, faculty, and staff; the other is a teaching lab. .

The NU Libraries received federal depository designation in 1962. As a selective depository, the Libraries receive forty-five percent of the federal publication series available to depository libraries.

The Snell Library is also home to the Northeastern University Archives and Special Collections department, which includes the Benjamin LaGuer
Benjamin LaGuer
Benjamin LaGuer is a convicted rapist serving a life sentence in Massachusetts. He has not acknowledged the crime for which he was convicted, claiming innocence. His case achieved prominence in the late 1980s when reporting by John King discovered a juror who said that other members of the...

 papers collection. The Special Collections focus on records of Boston-area community-based organizations that are concerned with social justice issues.

Snell Library is also opened 24 hours a day, allowing students to study at any given time.

Spiritual Life Center and Sacred Space

Within the urban environment that characterizes the campus as a whole, NU has carved out a quiet, peaceful space in the centrally located Ell Building for the Spiritual Life Center's Sacred Space. The nondenominational Sacred Space, the Center's main assembly hall, can be configured with carpets, mats or chairs. It has a distinctive ceiling consisting of 3 hanging domes made of overlapping aluminum tiles with an origami-like effect, warm wood floors and accents, and glass-panelled walls that lean outward slightly, their shape and material giving a sense of openness and volume to the space. Faucets for ablution are available in a flanking antechamber, and the Center also contains a smaller meeting space and library. The Sacred Space opened in 1998. The architects Office dA (Nader Tehrani & Monica Ponce de Leon) received the 2002 Harleston Parker Medal
Harleston Parker Medal
The Harleston Parker Medal was established in 1921 by J. Harleston Parker to recognize “such architects as shall have, in the opinion of the Boston Society of Architects. ....

 from the Boston Society of Architects for the design.

West Village

The West Village complex includes eight buildings serving mainly as residence halls and classrooms.
  • Building A (opened 1999): Residence Hall (two sections, West Village A North and South).
  • Building B (opened 2001): Residence Hall.
  • Building C (opened 2001): Residence Hall (several floors for upperclassmen honors students) and one classroom.
  • Building D - Behrakis Health Science Center (opened 2002): classrooms, laboratories, and Admissions Visitor Center.
  • Building E (opened 2002): Residence Hall.
  • Building G (opened 2004): Residence Hall and several classrooms.
  • Building H (opened 2004): Residence Hall. Open to students who are over the age of 21 . New home of the College of Computer and Information Science (several classrooms, offices and computer labs).
  • Building F (opened 2006): Residence Hall for upper-class honors students, Honors Program office, classrooms, John D. O'Bryant African-American Institute.


The plans for Building K, a 22-story high rise housing 600 beds, have been suspended indefinitely as a result of the troubled economy.

South Campus (Columbus Avenue)

Northeastern University's southernmost section of campus is located along Columbus Avenue in Roxbury, parallel to the Orange line
Orange Line (MBTA)
The Orange Line is one of the four subway lines of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. It extends from Forest Hills in Jamaica Plain, Boston in the south to Oak Grove in Malden, Massachusetts in the north. It meets the Red Line at Downtown Crossing, the Blue Line at State, and the Green...

. The University expanded south into Roxbury at the same time as they were building West Village. In 2001, Davenport Commons was opened, providing 585 students housing in two residence halls while 75 families representing a range of incomes have been able to purchase a condo or townhouse at or below Boston’s market value. Davenport Commons also created commercial space on Tremont Street .

During the summer of 2006, Northeastern University proposed a new residence hall further away from the main campus, at the corner of Tremont Street and Ruggles Street. Construction began in late February 2007. The building opened in Fall 2009 and has a total of 22 stories. In the Spring of 2009, The complex was named International Village and opened later that Summer. Its nicknames include "IV" and "INV." It consists of three residence halls, an office complex and administration building, and a gym. The residence halls house honors freshman and all levels of upperclassmen. A 400 seat dining hall available to all members of the Northeastern community as well as the public, along with several fast food locations.

The following buildings make up the South Campus,:
Residential buildings
  • Davenport Commons A - 2000
  • Davenport Commons B - 2000
  • 780 Columbus Avenue - 2001 (converted lofts; formerly South End Auto Supply)
  • 768 Columbus Avenue (faculty/graduate students)
  • 10 Coventry - 2005
  • International Village - 2009


Administrative buildings
  • Columbus Place (716 Columbus Ave) - 1997
  • Renaissance Park (1135 Tremont St)
  • International Village Office Building - 2009


Athletic buildings
  • Badger and Rosen Facility (Squashbusters) - 2003

Dodge Hall

Dodge Hall is mainly used for Northeastern's business programs (Before Snell Library opened in 1990, it served as the university's main library). Dodge Hall has five floors. The basement houses a computer lab and is connected to the university's large network of underground tunnels which connects many buildings.

Classrooms and a lounge area occupy the first floor. The Undergraduate School of Business Administration office is on the second floor. The Graduate School of Business Administration office is on the third floor. The School of Professional Accounting office is on the fourth floor.

Sustainability

In order to reduce the campus’ environmental impact, Northeastern has formed a Sustainability Committee that meets several times a year to create proposals to the President’s Office.
The 22-story residence Hall (International Village) will be the campus’ second LEED certified building, with the renovation of Dockser Hall the first building on campus to achieve LEED certification. The Clean Plates initiative, which encourages students to separate their leftover food in dining halls, has allowed dining services to compost seven to eight tons per week. Consequently, initiatives, the University was awarded an overall grade of “B” on the Sustainable Endowments Institute’s College Sustainability Report Card 2009.
In addition, in 2010 the Princeton Review rated Northeastern as one of the top 15 "Green Colleges" in the nation.

Public safety

The University Police Department is a full service law enforcement agency with full powers of arrest on university property or property used by Northeastern students and faculty. The campus is adjacent to the Boston Police Department
Boston Police Department
The Boston Police Department , created in 1838, holds the primary responsibility for law enforcement and investigation within the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the oldest police departments in the United States...

's Headquarters. A 2008 Reader's Digest survey ranked NU as the second safest school in the United States after Johns Hopkins University in Maryland.

Public transportation

Boston's public transportation system (MBTA
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, often referred to as the MBTA or simply The T, is the public operator of most bus, subway, commuter rail and ferry systems in the greater Boston, Massachusetts, area. Officially a "body politic and corporate, and a political subdivision" of the...

) runs through the Northeastern campus. with stations near all university facilities.

Campus development background

Northeastern's campus is mostly located along Huntington Avenue in an area known as the "Fenway Cultural District
Fenway-Kenmore
Fenway–Kenmore is an official neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. While it is considered one neighborhood for administrative purposes, it is composed of numerous distinct sections and in casual conversation are almost always referred to as "Fenway," "Kenmore Square," or "Kenmore."...

" which is part of Boston's Fenway and Back Bay neighborhoods. Other notable institutions in the district include: the Museum of Fine Arts
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, is one of the largest museums in the United States, attracting over one million visitors a year. It contains over 450,000 works of art, making it one of the most comprehensive collections in the Americas...

, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum or Fenway Court, as the museum was known during Isabella Stewart Gardner's lifetime, is a museum in the Fenway-Kenmore neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, located within walking distance of the Museum of Fine Arts and near the Back Bay Fens...

, Symphony Hall
Symphony Hall, Boston
Symphony Hall is a concert hall located at 301 Massachusetts Avenue in Boston, Massachusetts. Designed by McKim, Mead and White, it was built in 1900 for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, which continues to make the hall its home. The hall was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1999...

, the Huntington Theater, New England Conservatory, Boston Conservatory
Boston Conservatory
The Boston Conservatory is a performing arts conservatory located in the Fenway-Kenmore region of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It grants undergraduate and graduate degrees in music, dance and musical theater...

, Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...

, Christian Science Center, Mary Baker Eddy Library
Mary Baker Eddy Library
The Mary Baker Eddy Library is a lending library and museum as well as the repository for the papers of Mary Baker Eddy, an influential American author, teacher, and religious leader who founded Christian Science...

 and Harvard School of Public Health
Harvard School of Public Health
The Harvard School of Public Health is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University, located in the Longwood Area of the Boston, Massachusetts neighborhood of Mission Hill, which is next to Harvard Medical School. HSPH is considered a significant school focusing on health in the...

.

Northeastern's campus is something of an urban oddity; despite its location in central Boston, Northeastern is home to a remarkable amount of green open space and quads.

A site master planning competition awarded a contract to revive and rejuvenate the campus; the process was started in 1988 with the creation of the new Northeastern Quad and Mt Ryder. A small oval of land centrally located at the campus main entrance was refurbished by the donations of the graduating class of 1989.

What was once a concrete square, outside of the library and student center, was transformed with brick pavers and granite curb stones, in a scalloped design that would eliminate all square corners, a concept developed by the outgoing class of 1989 in a “Northeastern News” poll and suggestion to the President Box that was presented to the board of Trustees in March 1988. The “No Corners” campaign kicked off with a fund raiser at the Ell Student Center on Parents weekend in October 1988. The later selection of a nationally recognized green space landscape architect in 1990 started a renewal plan that continues today. Since the late 1990s Northeastern has twice won the “most beautiful new or renovated exterior space” award presented by the American Institute of Architects in 2001 and again in 2004. In 2008, West Village Building F was recognized in American Institute of Architects New England 2008 Merit Awards for Design Excellence.

In 2003, Northeastern was awarded the prestigious gold medal by the Massachusetts Horticultural Society for its Dedham Campus.

Rankings

Northeastern is one of the fastest rising schools in the U.S. News rankings. Since 2001, Northeastern has moved up 88 spots in the rankings. In the 2012 edition, US News and World Report rated Northeastern 62nd in the Top National Universities category, ranking the university as a Tier 1 National Research University.

Additional Northeastern rankings include:
  • 1st for Best Co-ops/Internships (US News and World Report) (2003, only time this characteristic was ranked)
    • Also in 2003, Northeastern's career services department was awarded top honors by Kaplan Newsweek's
      Kaplan, Inc.
      Kaplan, Inc. is a for-profit corporation headquartered in New York City and was founded in 1938 by Stanley Kaplan. Kaplan provides higher education programs, professional training courses, test preparation materials and other services for various levels of education...

       "Unofficial Insiders Guide to the 320 Most Interesting Colleges and Universities."
  • 1st for "Best Internships/Career Services" (Princeton Review) (2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011)
  • 2nd on the list of "Up-and-coming National Universities" US News and World Report (2010 and 2011)
  • 4th by the Boston Business Journal in terms of the number of graduates who are current CEOs of Massachusetts Companies behind Harvard, MIT, and Boston College (Boston Business Journal Book of Lists 2010)
  • 4th as one of "America's Most Entrepreneurial Campuses" (Forbes
    Forbes
    Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...

    )
  • Northeastern is also listed among 25 “Cutting-Edge Schools” in the 2008 edition of “You Are Here,” a college guide by Kaplan Publishing
    Kaplan, Inc.
    Kaplan, Inc. is a for-profit corporation headquartered in New York City and was founded in 1938 by Stanley Kaplan. Kaplan provides higher education programs, professional training courses, test preparation materials and other services for various levels of education...

    .
  • 12th in Criminology (graduate) US News (2009)
  • 12th on the list of "Top Entrepreneurial Programs" by the Princeton Review (2011)
  • 13th on the list of "Best Graduate Schools 2009" for Computer Science, Programming Languages specialty (US News) (2008)
  • 13th on the list of "Great College Towns" by the Princeton Review (2011)
  • 14th in Architecture by the Key Institute (2009)
  • 19th on the list of the "Most Desirable Large Schools" by Newsweek
    Newsweek
    Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...

     (2011)
  • 46th in Pharmacy by (US News and World Report)(2010) .
  • 47th by guidance counselors in the Top National Universities category (US News and World Report) (2010) .
  • 61st on the list of "Best Computer Science Graduate Schools" (US News and World Report) (2009)
  • Northeastern University College of Computer and Information Science - named as one of the top 10 innovative "IT Schools to Watch" by Computerworld
    Computerworld
    Computerworld is an IT magazine that provides information for senior IT leaders. It is published in many countries around the world under the same or similar names. Its publisher is International Data Group. Computerworld serves the needs of IT management via print and online...

     magazine (2008)


Northeastern University College of Engineering
Northeastern University College of Engineering
The College of Engineering is one of the nine colleges of Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. The college offers Bachelor of Science , Master of Science , and doctoral degrees in various Engineering fields, as well as undergraduate and graduate degrees in interdisciplinary,...

  • 56th on the list of "Best Engineering Undergraduate Schools" (US News and World Report)(2010)
  • 64th on the list of "Best Engineering Graduate Schools" (US News and World Report) (2011)

College of Business Administration
Northeastern University College of Business Administration
The Northeastern University College of Business Administration was founded in 1922 and the Graduate School of Business Administration in 1952. The College of Business Administration is accredited by AACSB International-The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. The Co-op M.B.A....

 (undergraduate program)
  • 1st in internships according to (Business Week) (2007)
  • 13th for international business (US News) (2007)
  • 4th in the U.S. in entrepreneurship (Entrepreneur magazine
    Entrepreneur Magazine
    Entrepreneur is a publication that carries news stories about entrepreneurialism, small business management, and business opportunities. It is published by Entrepreneur Media Inc., headquartered in Irvine, California....

     and The Princeton Review
    The Princeton Review
    The Princeton Review is an American-based standardized test preparation and admissions consulting company. The Princeton Review operates in 41 states and 22 countries across the globe. It offers test preparation for standardized aptitude tests such as the SAT and advice regarding college...

    ) (2009)
  • 2nd in the nation (Business Week)(2010)
  • In addition, Northeastern CBA students have dominated case competitions against other Boston area business schools winning 10 of the last 13 Business School Beanpot competitions.


Graduate School of Business Administration
  • 56th on the list of "Best Business Graduate Schools" (US News and World Report) (2011)
  • 56th in Full Time MBA, Top (2nd) Tier B-School, (Business Week) (2010)
  • 62nd on the list of "Best Business Graduate Schools" (US News and World Report) (2010)

  • Executive MBA program ranked in the top 50 in the nation by the Financial Times
    Financial Times
    The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....

  • 1st in High Technology (MBA program) -"Top Techno MBA Survey" released by ComputerWorld Magazine
    Computerworld
    Computerworld is an IT magazine that provides information for senior IT leaders. It is published in many countries around the world under the same or similar names. Its publisher is International Data Group. Computerworld serves the needs of IT management via print and online...

    .


School of Law
  • 1st in public interest law by the American Bar Association
    American Bar Association
    The American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...

    . The law school was also ranked first in the same category by the National Jurist and preLaw Magazine .
  • 71st - Top Graduate School of Law
    Northeastern University School of Law
    Northeastern University School of Law is a law school in Boston, Massachusetts. From the time of its founding in 1898, the law school's mission has focused on addressing the needs of students and of society....

     (US News and World Report) (2011)

Awards and recognition

  • In 2002, the Center for Subsurface Sensing and Imaging Systems was designated an Engineering Research Center by the National Science Foundation
    National Science Foundation
    The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...

    .
  • Since 2002, Northeastern has received three major awards for design excellence including the 2005 Harleston Parker Medal from the Boston Society of Architects.
  • In 2004, Northeastern was one of six institutions to be selected by the National Science Foundation
    National Science Foundation
    The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...

     as an engineering research center in nanotechnology
    Nanotechnology
    Nanotechnology is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally, nanotechnology deals with developing materials, devices, or other structures possessing at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometres...

    .
  • In 2008, Northeastern's College of Computer and Information Science and was selected as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Research by The National Security Agency
    National Security Agency
    The National Security Agency/Central Security Service is a cryptologic intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the collection and analysis of foreign communications and foreign signals intelligence, as well as protecting U.S...

     and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
  • In 2009, a team of NU College of Computer and Information Science students won the 2009 Regional Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition.
  • In 2009, a team of NU undergraduate business students took first place in the B-School Beanpot case competition (the school's 10th win out of the last 13 competitions).
  • In 2009, a team of NU undergraduate business students took first place in the Stockholm School of Economics
    Stockholm School of Economics
    The Stockholm School of Economics or Handelshögskolan i Stockholm is one of Northern Europe's leading business schools. Its Masters in Management program is ranked no. 2 in Northern Europe and no. 13 in Europe by the Financial Times...

     International Case Competition.
  • In 2009, a team of NU undergraduate engineering students took first place in the Chem-e-car
    Chem-e-car
    Chem-E-Car is an annual college competition for students majoring in Chemical Engineering. In this competition, students must design small-scale automobiles that operate by chemical means, along with a poster describing their research...

     competition.
  • In 2010, a team of NU students took first place in both the 2010 Northeast Regional Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition and the 2010 National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition

Northeastern University in popular culture

The 1957 story Galley Slave
Galley Slave
"Galley Slave" is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov, originally published in Galaxy, December 1957, and included in the collection The Rest of the Robots. Asimov identified it as his favorite among those of his robot stories featuring the character of Susan Calvin.The story is a...

, by Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...

, took place at Northeastern University in 2033. Involving a robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...

 that is essentially a word processor
Word processor
A word processor is a computer application used for the production of any sort of printable material....

, it is included in The Complete Robot
The Complete Robot
The Complete Robot is a collection of 31 science fiction short stories by Isaac Asimov written between 1939 and 1977. Most of the stories had been previously collected in the books I, Robot and The Rest of the Robots, while four stories had previously been uncollected and the rest had been...

compilation.

There is also mention of Northeastern, Snell Auditorium, and the Huntington YMCA in Stephen King
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...

's 1982 novel The Running Man
The Running Man
The Running Man is a science fiction novel by Stephen King, first published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman in 1982 as a paperback original. It was collected in 1985 in the hardcover omnibus The Bachman Books...

.


Northeastern's campus can be seen in the movie Field of Dreams
Field of Dreams
Field of Dreams is a 1989 American fantasy-drama film directed by Phil Alden Robinson and is from the novel Shoeless Joe by W. P. Kinsella...

 as Ray drives along Huntington Avenue while he rehearses how he will greet Terence Mann.

In the November 1, 1996 broadcast of The Late Show with David Letterman, Mr. Letterman was seen in a racing shell with the Northeastern University Mens Crew team on the Charles River.

In the sixth season of the sitcom, Everybody Loves Raymond
Everybody Loves Raymond
Everybody Loves Raymond is an American television sitcom that originally ran on CBS from September 13, 1996, to May 16, 2005. Many of the situations from the show are based on the real-life experiences of lead actor Ray Romano, creator/producer Phil Rosenthal and the show's writing staff...

, episode 11, Raymond's father (played by Peter Boyle
Peter Boyle
Peter Lawrence Boyle, Jr. was an American actor, best known for his role as Frank Barone on the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, and as a comical monster in Mel Brooks' film spoof Young Frankenstein ....

) held for ransom a game-winning football from a Hofstra–Northeastern match.

Shawn Fanning
Shawn Fanning
Shawn Fanning is an American computer programmer, serial entrepreneur, and angel investor. He developed Napster, one of the first popular peer-to-peer file sharing platforms, in 1998. The popularity of Napster was widespread and Fanning was featured on the cover of Time magazine...

 created Napster
Napster
Napster is an online music store and a Best Buy company. It was originally founded as a pioneering peer-to-peer file sharing Internet service that emphasized sharing audio files that were typically digitally encoded music as MP3 format files...

 while enrolled as a student at Northeastern, though he dropped out before graduating. In the movie The Italian Job
The Italian Job (2003 film)
The Italian Job is a 2003 heist film directed by F. Gary Gray. The film stars Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, Edward Norton, Seth Green, Jason Statham, Mos Def, and Donald Sutherland. It is an American remake of a 1969 British film of the same name, and is about a team of thieves who plan to steal...

, Seth Green
Seth Green
Seth Benjamin Green is an American actor, comedian, voice actor, and television producer. He is well known for his role as Daniel "Oz" Osbourne in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as Dr. Evil's son Scott in the Austin Powers series of comedy films, Mitch Miller in That '70s Show, and the voice of Chris...

's character Lyle was Fanning's roommate and Fanning stole the Napster idea from him. Fanning cameoed as himself in the movie.

In the October 20, 2008 episode of The Daily Show
The Daily Show
The Daily Show , is an American late night satirical television program airing each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central. The half-hour long show premiered on July 21, 1996, and was hosted by Craig Kilborn until December 1998...

, Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart is an American political satirist, writer, television host, actor, media critic and stand-up comedian...

 made a shout-out to Northeastern and acknowledged their hockey team's defeat of defending champions Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...

. This was after his stand up act on campus the previous week.

During the 2010 special election
United States Senate special election in Massachusetts, 2010
The 2010 United States Senate special election in Massachusetts was a special election held on January 19, 2010, in order to fill the Massachusetts Class I United States Senate seat for the remainder of the term ending January 3, 2013...

 for a Massachusetts U.S. Senate seat, President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...

 made a public campaign appearance at Northeastern University for Democratic U.S. Senate candidate and state Attorney General Martha Coakley
Martha Coakley
Martha Mary Coakley is the Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Prior to serving as Attorney General, she was District Attorney of Middlesex County, Massachusetts from 1999 to 2007....

 on January 17, 2010.

Commencement speakers

Over the years, several notable individuals have spoken at commencement:
  • Leverett A. Saltonstall- Governor of Massachusetts (1935)
  • Godfrey Lowell Cabot
    Godfrey Lowell Cabot
    Godfrey Lowell Cabot was an American industrialist and philanthropist, who founded the Cabot Corporation.-Early life:...

     - American industrialist (1941)
  • Channing Pollock
    Channing Pollock (writer)
    Channing Pollock was an American playwright, critic and writer of film scenarios.-External links:* from Howard University*...

    - American playwright (1942)
  • Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.
    Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.
    Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. was a Republican United States Senator from Massachusetts and a U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, South Vietnam, West Germany, and the Holy See . He was the Republican nominee for Vice President in the 1960 Presidential election.-Early life:Lodge was born in Nahant,...

     - American statesman and noted historian (1943)
  • Igor Sikorsky
    Igor Sikorsky
    Igor Sikorsky , born Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky was a Russian American pioneer of aviation in both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft...

     - Ukrainian-American pioneer of aviation (1944)
  • Charles Sinclair Weeks - United States Secretary of Commerce (1948)
  • John F. Kennedy
    John F. Kennedy
    John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....

     - U.S. Senator, future President of the United States (1956)
  • Edward M. Kennedy - U.S. Senator (1965,1977)
  • Coretta Scott King
    Coretta Scott King
    Coretta Scott King was an American author, activist, and civil rights leader. The widow of Martin Luther King, Jr., Coretta Scott King helped lead the African-American Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.Mrs...

     - Wife of Martin Luther King, Jr.
    Martin Luther King, Jr.
    Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...

     (1971)
  • Edward J. King
    Edward J. King
    Edward Joseph "Ed" King was the 66th Governor of the U.S. state of Massachusetts from 1979 to 1983.Born in Chelsea, Massachusetts, and a graduate of Boston College and Bentley College, King played professional football as a guard with the All-America Football Conference Buffalo Bisons from 1948 to...

     - Governor of Massachusetts (1980)
  • Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. - Assistant to President John F. Kennedy
    John F. Kennedy
    John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....

     (1981)
  • Tip O'Neill
    Tip O'Neill
    Thomas Phillip "Tip" O'Neill, Jr. was an American politician. O'Neill was an outspoken liberal Democrat and influential member of the U.S. Congress, serving in the House of Representatives for 34 years and representing two congressional districts in Massachusetts...

     - Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives (1982)
  • Michael S. Dukakis - Governor of Massachusetts, 1988 presidential Candidate (1984)
  • Bill Clinton
    Bill Clinton
    William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...

     - President of the United States (1993)
  • Mikhail S. Gorbachev - former President of the Soviet Union (1998)
  • Madeleine Albright
    Madeleine Albright
    Madeleine Korbelová Albright is the first woman to become a United States Secretary of State. She was appointed by U.S. President Bill Clinton on December 5, 1996, and was unanimously confirmed by a U.S. Senate vote of 99–0...

     - first woman United States Secretary of State (2000)
  • Bill Richardson - former U.S. Secretary of Energy, Governor of New Mexico (2001)
  • Christine Todd Whitman
    Christine Todd Whitman
    Christine Todd "Christie" Whitman is an American Republican politician and author who served as the 50th Governor of New Jersey from 1994 to 2001, and was the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency in the administration of President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2003. She was New...

     - Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (2003)
  • Jeffrey Immelt - CEO of General Electric
    General Electric
    General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...

    , the second largest global company (2006)
  • Nicholas Negroponte
    Nicholas Negroponte
    Nicholas Negroponte is an American architect best known as the founder and Chairman Emeritus of Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab, and also known as the founder of the One Laptop per Child Association ....

     - Founder of the One Laptop Per Child outreach program (2007)
  • Christopher Cox - Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman (2008)
  • Stephen Breyer
    Stephen Breyer
    Stephen Gerald Breyer is an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1994, and known for his pragmatic approach to constitutional law, Breyer is generally associated with the more liberal side of the Court....

     - United States Supreme Court Justice (2008 - Law)
  • Kenneth Cole
    Kenneth Cole (designer)
    Kenneth Cole is an American clothing designer. Born in Brooklyn, New York, his father, Charles Cole, owned the El Greco shoe manufacturing company. Before learning the family business and starting his own company in 1982, Cole studied law at Emory University.- Birth of a shoe company :Kenneth Cole...

     - Founder of Kenneth Cole Productions
    Kenneth Cole Productions
    Kenneth Cole Productions, Inc. is an American fashion house founded in 1982 by Kenneth Cole. He originally named the company Kenneth Cole Incorporated in September 1982 and planned to showcase his new line of shoes during market week at the Hilton New York Hotel...

     (2009)
  • Kenneth Chenault
    Kenneth Chenault
    Kenneth Irvine Chenault is an American business executive. He has been the CEO and Chairman of American Express since 2001. He is the third African-American CEO of a Fortune 500 company.-Early life, education, and legal career:...

     - CEO and chairman of American Express
    American Express
    American Express Company or AmEx, is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in Three World Financial Center, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. Founded in 1850, it is one of the 30 components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is best...

     (2010)
  • Henri A. Termeer - Former CEO and chairman of Genzyme Corporation (2011)

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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