Northeastern University (NU), is a private, secular, coeducational research university in Boston, Massachusetts. Northeastern has eight colleges and offers undergraduate majors in 65 departments.^[3] 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.^[4] 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.^[5] 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 "Genius Award" winner,^[6] a former Democratic nominee for President of the United States,^[7] and a Pulitzer Prize winner.^[8] In 2012, Northeastern received 44,189 applications for the 2,800 seats of the fall freshman class,^[9] a new record increasing from what already was the largest for any private university in the United States in 2011.

Northeastern’s cooperative education (co-op) 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 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-acre (300,000 m²) award winning campus^[10] is located in the Fenway Cultural District of Boston.^[11] In 2010 and 2011, US News & World Report rated Northeastern as the No. 2 "Best Up-and-coming" National University.^[12] Northeastern ranked No. 4 in Forbes as one of "America's Most Entrepreneurial Campuses."^[13] The School of Architecture was ranked #12 by the Key Institute National Rankings.^[14] 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[link]

The Huntington Avenue YMCA circa 1920, site of the "Evening Institute for Younger Men"

Northeastern was established in 1898 as the "Evening Institute for Younger Men" at the Huntington Avenue YMCA.^[4] 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, engineering and finance. 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 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. In 1948 Northeastern separated itself completely from the YMCA.^[15]

Following World War II, 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)^[16] (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.

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 $485 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^{[citation needed]}, which was accomplished in 2015. 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 at University of Southern California.^[17] 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,^[18] 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.^[19] In addition, Aoun has created more academic partnerships with other institutions in the Boston area including Tufts, Hebrew College and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts.^{[citation needed]}

This article is outdated. Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. Please see the talk page for more information. (November 2011)

Under Aoun's leadership, the university continues to climb in the rankings. In the 2012 edition of U.S. News and World Report's "Best Colleges Guide", Northeastern increased its ranking to 62nd, up 7 spots from 2011.

More information on Northeastern's history can be found on the President's website.^[20]

Presidents[link]

Northeastern's historic Ell Hall on Huntington Avenue

Presidents of Northeastern (with years of tenure and campus buildings named in their honor):

• Frank Palmer Speare (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 (1959–1975, Knowles Hall law school building)
• Kenneth G. Ryder (1975–1989, Ryder Hall arts and humanities classroom building)
• John A. Curry (1989–1996, Curry Student Center)
• Richard M. Freeland (1996–2006)
• Joseph Aoun (2006–Present)

Satellite Campuses[link]

The university plans a number of remote campuses in several cities in the United States. The first campus, in Charlotte, North Carolina. opened in October, 2011; a Seattle campus is planned for 2012, and Silicon Valley (California), Austin, Texas, and Minneapolis;for future years.^[21]

Admissions[link]

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".^[22] 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.^[23]

A report by The Huntington News, NU's newspaper, claimed that for the 114th entering class, Northeastern University received 42,948 applications from prospective freshmen for the fall term.^[24] 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%.^[25] Approximately 3,000 students enrolled, one-sixth of them international students.

Academics[link]

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 opportunities, including cooperative education, 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 gave Northeastern an "A-" rating for the quality of classes, professors, and overall academic environment.^[26]

Colleges and schools[link]

Colleges listed including schools and degrees offered:^[27]

Honors Program[link]

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.^[28] In addition, students in the Honors Program exclusively can live in a Living-Learning Community housed in West Village C^[29] and Kennedy Hall. Since Fall 2009, first-year Honors students are housed in the North and West Towers of the newly constructed International Village residence hall.

Senior Capstone[link]

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).^{[30][31][32][33]}

Pre-Med Program[link]

The university recently partnered with Tufts University School of Medicine to create an early acceptance BA/MD Program.^[34] Northeastern's campus is just a few blocks from the Longwood Medical and Academic Area where Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Dental Medicine are located along with their associated world class teaching hospitals. These institutions provide NU pre-med students with significant internship opportunities. Boston is also home to a burgeoning biotechnology industry

Study abroad[link]

Northeastern has semester-long study abroad programs with placements in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and South America. Some participating schools include: University of Edinburgh, Scotland; CEFAM, France; University of Cape Town, South Africa; University of Cambridge and London School of Economics, England; University of Auckland, New Zealand; Swinburne University of Technology, Australia; Obirin University, Japan; American College of Thessaloniki, Greece and Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Chile and also Antarctica^[35]

Northeastern's International Business program is a member of the International Partnership of Business Schools. 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.^{[citation needed]}

Recently,^[when?] 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. Also, a Chic-Fil-A was supposed to be brought on campus, but the faggots ruled against it. It really is not fair, all these liberal douche bags walking around. No great chicken for me, while they can shove stuff up their bums.

Research[link]

Research Centers and Institutes at Northeastern include:^[36]

The university provides undergraduate students with an opportunity to engage in research through the Center for Experiential Education,^[46] CenSSIS Research Experience for Undergraduates,^[47] Honors Research, Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation program,^[48] and Provost's Office research grants.^[49] In FY 2007, annual external research funding exceeded $78 million.^[50] In FY 2009-2010, the research funding is close to $82 million.^[51] 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 research facility,^[52] to be named the George J. Kostas Research Institute for Homeland Security, after its chief benefactor.^[52]

Faculty[link]

Many of Northeastern's 973 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 (NSF) Engineering Research Center, an NSF Nanomanufacturing Center, and two NSF Integrated Graduate Education and Research Traineeship programs.

See Notable Northeastern University Faculty

Co-op/Internship Program[link]

Northeastern has one of the largest co-op/internship programs in the world.^[53] 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 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, the White House, United Nations, and at NASA. 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 and Washington, D.C. and assists elsewhere.

Northeastern University is also a partner with the Boston Youth Fund, which is run by the Boston Youth council and provides summer job and enrichment placement for the City of Boston.

Student Activities[link]

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[link]

Fourteen of eighteen Northeastern varsity sports teams have been competing in NCAA Division I's Colonial Athletic Association, since 2005.^[54]

The school sponsors the following sports teams:^[54]

• (M) Baseball
• (M), (W) Basketball
• (M), (W) Cross Country
• (W) Field Hockey
• (M), (W) Hockey (in Hockey East)
• (M), (W) Rowing (in Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges and Eastern Association of Women's Rowing Colleges)
• (M), (W) Soccer
• (W) Swimming & Diving
• (M), (W) Track and Field
• (W) Volleyball

The NU mascot is Paws. 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 played football at Northeastern long before setting the Super Bowl record for receptions in a game. Reggie Lewis still holds the men's basketball career scoring record. Carlos Pena 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 and Chanda Gunn.

The baseball team has competed in one College World Series and played in the NCAA regionals seven times.^[54]

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, as George Mason University advanced all the way to the Final Four. 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 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.^[55] In the 2008 National Championship, the team made the Grand Finals and placed fourth behind University of Wisconsin–Madison, University of Washington, and University of California, Berkeley, while beating Brown University, Princeton University, University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University.^[56]

Northeastern offers 40 club sports, including judo, rugby, lacrosse, squash, cycling 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 won the largest annual tournament 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.^[57] 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.^[58]

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 program. According to president Joseph Aoun, "Leadership requires that we make these choices. This decision allows us to focus on our existing athletic programs."^[59]

Campus[link]

A photograph of the Cy Young statue by sculptor Robert Shure in 1993, located in front of Churchill Hall on the former Huntington Avenue Grounds.

Northeastern is located in Boston's Fenway, Roxbury and Back Bay neighborhoods adjacent to Huntington Avenue near the Museum of Fine Arts and Symphony Hall. The area is also known as the Fenway Cultural District.^[11]

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.^{[citation needed]}

Matthews Arena[link]

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 men's and women's hockey teams, and men's basketball team as well as the Wentworth Institute of Technology's 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 and the WHA New England Whalers (now the NHL Carolina Hurricanes). It was also the secondary home to the NBA Boston Celtics in the 1940s. It has hosted all or part of the America East Conference 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[link]

The Marino Center features on its first floor an atrium 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 and 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[link]

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. 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 papers collection. The Special Collections focus on records of Boston-area community-based organizations that are concerned with social justice issues.^[60]

Snell Library is also opened 24 hours a day, allowing students to study at any given time.^[61]

Spiritual Life Center and Sacred Space[link]

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.^[62] The Sacred Space opened in 1998. The architects Office dA (Nader Tehrani & Monica Ponce de Leon) received the 2002 Harleston Parker Medal from the Boston Society of Architects for the design.^{[citation needed]}

West Village[link]

West Village A North

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.^[63]

South Campus (Columbus Avenue)[link]

Northeastern University's southernmost section of campus is located along Columbus Avenue in Roxbury, parallel to the Orange line. 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 .^[64]

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,:

Dodge Hall[link]

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^[65] office is on the third floor. The School of Professional Accounting office is on the fourth floor.

Sustainability[link]

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.^[66] 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.^[67] 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.^[68] In addition, in 2010 the Princeton Review rated Northeastern as one of the top 15 "Green Colleges" in the nation.^[69]

Public safety[link]

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'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.^[70][71]

Public transportation[link]

Northeastern is bracketed by the MBTA's Orange Line and Green Line "E" Branch. Six stations serve the campus: Massachusetts Avenue and Ruggles on the Orange Line; and Symphony, Northeastern, Museum of Fine Arts, and Longwood Medical Area on the Green Line. The Green Line is paralleled by the #39 bus. Ruggles also serves several of the southside lines of the MBTA Commuter Rail system.

Campus development background[link]

Northeastern's campus is mostly located along Huntington Avenue in an area known as the "Fenway Cultural District" which is part of Boston's Fenway and Back Bay neighborhoods. Other notable institutions in the district include: the Museum of Fine Arts, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Symphony Hall, the Huntington Theater, New England Conservatory, Boston Conservatory, Berklee College of Music, Christian Science Center, Mary Baker Eddy Library and Harvard School of Public Health.

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.^[72]

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^[who?]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.^[73]

In 2003, Northeastern was awarded the prestigious gold medal by the Massachusetts Horticultural Society for its Dedham Campus.^{[citation needed]}

Rankings[link]

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,^[79] 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 "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)^[80]
• 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)^[81]
• Northeastern is also listed among 25 “Cutting-Edge Schools” in the 2008 edition of “You Are Here,” a college guide by Kaplan Publishing.
• 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)^[82]
• 13th on the list of "Great College Towns" by the Princeton Review (2011)
• 14th in Architecture by the Key Institute (2009)^[83]
• 19th on the list of the "Most Desirable Large Schools" by Newsweek (2011)^[84]
• 39th in Pharmacy by (US News and World Report)(2012) .^[85]
• 47th by guidance counselors in the Top National Universities category (US News and World Report) (2010) .^[86]
• 61st on the list of "Best Computer Science Graduate Schools" (US News and World Report) (2009)^[87]
• Northeastern University College of Computer and Information Science - named as one of the top 10 innovative "IT Schools to Watch" by Computerworld magazine (2008)

Northeastern University College of Engineering

• 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)^[88]

College of Business Administration (undergraduate program)

• 1st in internships according to (Business Week) (2007)
• 13th for international business (US News) (2007)^[89]
• 4th in the U.S. in entrepreneurship (Entrepreneur magazine and The Princeton Review) (2009)^[90]
• 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)^[91]
• 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
• 1st in High Technology (MBA program) -"Top Techno MBA Survey" released by ComputerWorld Magazine.^[92]

School of Law

• 1st in public interest law by the American Bar Association.^[93] The law school was also ranked first in the same category by the National Jurist and preLaw Magazine .^[94]
• 71st - Top Graduate School of Law (US News and World Report) (2011)

Awards and recognition[link]

• In 2002, the Center for Subsurface Sensing and Imaging Systems was designated an Engineering Research Center by the National Science Foundation.
• Since 2002, Northeastern has received three major awards for design excellence including the 2005 Harleston Parker Medal from the Boston Society of Architects.^{[citation needed]}
• In 2004, Northeastern was one of six institutions to be selected by the National Science Foundation as an engineering research center in nanotechnology.
• 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 and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.^[95]
• 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 International Case Competition.^[96]
• In 2009, a team of NU undergraduate engineering students took first place in the Chem-e-car competition.^[97]
• In 2010, a team of NU students took first place in both the 2010 Northeast Regional Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition^[98] and the 2010 National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition^[99]

Commencement speakers[link]

Over the years, several notable individuals have spoken at commencement:^[100]

Notable alumni[link]

See also[link]

	Boston portal
	Massachusetts portal
	University portal

• Northeastern University (MBTA station)
• Ruggles (MBTA station)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Official Athletics website
• Undergraduate Admissions website
• Graduate Studies website
• Student Financial Services website

Colin Powell KCB MSC
65th United States Secretary of State
In office January 20, 2001 – January 26, 2005
President	George W. Bush
Deputy	Richard Armitage
Preceded by	Madeleine Albright
Succeeded by	Condoleezza Rice
12th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
In office October 1, 1989 – September 30, 1993
President	George H. W. Bush Bill Clinton
Deputy	Robert Herres David Jeremiah
Preceded by	William Crowe
Succeeded by	David Jeremiah
16th National Security Advisor
In office November 23, 1987 – January 20, 1989
President	Ronald Reagan
Deputy	John Negroponte
Preceded by	Frank Carlucci
Succeeded by	Brent Scowcroft
Personal details
Born	(1937-04-05) April 5, 1937 (age 75) New York City
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Alma Johnson
Alma mater	City College of New York, CUNY George Washington University
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1958–1993
Rank	General
Unit	3rd Armored Division 23rd Infantry Division
Commands	V Corps Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Forces Command
Battles/wars	Vietnam War Invasion of Panama Gulf War
Awards	Defense Distinguished Service Medal (4) Army Distinguished Service Medal (2) Defense Superior Service Medal Legion of Merit (2) Soldier's Medal Bronze Star Purple Heart

Colin Luther Powell ( /ˈkoʊlɨn/; born April 5, 1937) is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army.^[1] He was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African American to serve in that position.^[2][3][4][5] During his military career, Powell also served as National Security Advisor (1987–1989), as Commander of the U.S. Army Forces Command (1989) and as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1989–1993), holding the latter position during the Gulf War. He was the first, and so far the only, African American to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Early life[link]

Colin Luther Powell was born on April 5, 1937^[6] in Harlem, a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, to Jamaican immigrant parents Maud Arial (née McKoy) and Luther Theophilus Powell. He also has Scottish ancestry.^[7][8] Powell was raised in the South Bronx and attended Morris High School, a former public school in the Bronx, from which he graduated in 1954. While at school, he worked at a local baby furniture store where he picked up Yiddish from the shopkeepers and some of the customers.^[9] He received his Bachelor of Science degree in geology from the City College of New York in 1958 and was a self-admitted C average student. He was later able to earn a Master of Business Administration degree from the George Washington University in 1971, after his second tour in Vietnam.

Despite his parents' pronunciation of his name as /ˈkɒlɨn/, Powell has pronounced his name /ˈkoʊlɨn/ since childhood, after the heroic World War II flyer Colin P. Kelly Jr.^[10] Public officials and radio and television reporters have used Powell's preferred pronunciation.

Military career[link]

Powell described joining the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) during college as one of the happiest experiences of his life; discovering something he loved and could do well, he felt he had "found himself." According to Powell:

“It was only once I was in college, about six months into college when I found something that I liked, and that was ROTC, Reserve Officer Training Corps in the military. And I not only liked it, but I was pretty good at it. That's what you really have to look for in life, something that you like, and something that you think you're pretty good at. And if you can put those two things together, then you're on the right track, and just drive on.”^[11]

Cadet Powell joined the Pershing Rifles, the ROTC fraternal organization and drill team begun by General John Pershing. Even after he had become a general, Powell kept on his desk a pen set he had won for a drill team competition.

Upon graduation, he received a commission as an Army second lieutenant.^[12] He was a professional soldier for 35 years, holding a variety of command and staff positions and rising to the rank of General.^[13] Powell was a captain during the Vietnam War, serving as a South Vietnamese Army adviser from 1962 to 1963. While on patrol in a Viet Cong-held area, he was wounded by stepping on a punji stake.^[14] He returned to Vietnam as a major in 1968, serving in the Americal Division (23rd Infantry Division), then as assistant chief of staff of operations for the Americal Division. He was charged with investigating a detailed letter by Tom Glen (a soldier from the 11th Light Infantry Brigade), which backed up rumored allegations of the My Lai Massacre. Powell wrote: "In direct refutation of this portrayal is the fact that relations between American soldiers and the Vietnamese people are excellent." Later, Powell's assessment would be described as whitewashing the news of the massacre, and questions would continue to remain undisclosed to the public. In May 2004 Powell said to Larry King, "I mean, I was in a unit that was responsible for My Lai. I got there after My Lai happened. So, in war, these sorts of horrible things happen every now and again, but they are still to be deplored."^[15]