Implementing Our Academic Plan

Last fall, we embarked on a planning process that involved reflecting on our purpose and envisioning our future. This process involved all of our stakeholders—faculty, students, deans, faculty senate, alumni, trustees, and co-op employers. Together we shaped and refined our ideas into a new Mission Statement and Academic Plan that will guide us in our endeavors ahead. On June 8, the plan was officially adopted by the Board of Trustees.

Our new mission statement reflects the vision of this Academic Plan and the core values of Northeastern:
To educate students for a life of fulfillment and accomplishment.
To create and translate knowledge to meet global and societal needs.

This mission statement will inspire our efforts in whatever we do—as scholars, as teachers, as mentors, and members of the Northeastern community.

Our commitment to excellence, distinctiveness, and innovation led us to identify five strategic themes that characterize our uniqueness:
Experiential Learning
Interdisciplinary and Translational Research
Intellectual Life and Creative Expression
Urban Engagement
Global Opportunities
By concentrating our efforts on these initiatives we will be better positioned to set priorities, make decisions, and focus resources that allow us to achieve our ambitions.

Drafting the plan and having it adopted are important accomplishments. I thank everyone who shared their ideas and engaged in the planning, particularly the people listed below who served on the steering committee, planning teams, and strategic partners advisory council. Now we must all set our minds to the task of implementing the plan. This will also be a community-wide effort—one that relies upon faculty, students, staff, alumni, trustees, and friends, as well as the various colleges, schools, and research centers. I look forward to working with you as we together bring this plan to life beginning with the Town Meeting on October 10.

Leading up to our Town Meeting, you will receive a series of briefs discussing the many other accomplishments we all made this past year—in faculty recruitment and research, enrollment, and financial health. These achievements are further testament to our ability to work together towards our common goal of excellence, and they position us well for what we set out to accomplish next.

Steering Committee
Chairs: Ahmed Abdelal, Mark Putnam
Lead Coordinator: Kay Onan
Staff Support: Donna Fitzpatrick
Team Chairs: Steve Zoloth, Emily Spieler, Urban & Global Dimensions; Jim Stellar, Sue Powers-Lee, Experiential Learning Dimensions; Ahmed Busnaina, Kim Lewis, Fundamental/Translational Research Dimensions; Bruce Ronkin, George Thrush, Creative, Aesthetic, and Ethical Dimensions
Team Members: Carol Glod, Chris Bosso, Steve Morrison, Hortensia Amaro, Rogan O’Handley, Simal Gaglani, Emily Spieler, Sue Powers-Lee, Kim Lewis, George Thrush, Jack Greene, Vin Lembo, Sam Solomon, Ed Klotzbier, Seamus Harreys, Marian Stanley, Donnie Perkins
Organizational Consultant: Ravi Sarathy
Writers/ Editors: Brian Kenny, Ann Comer

Planning Teams
Urban and Global Dimensions
Chairs: Steve Zoloth, Emily Spieler
Coordinator: Kathy Kottaridis
Staff Support: Susan Cromwell
Team Members: Daryl Hellman, Nikos Passas, Denis Sullivan, Bob Lowndes, Barry Bluestone, Sheila Puffer, Pat Plunkett, Scott Quint, Luis Falcon, Sergio Marrero, Suzan El-Rayess, Joan Fitzgerald

Experiential Learning
Chairs: Jim Stellar, Sue Powers-Lee
Coordinator: Scott Weighart
Staff support: Diane Hynes
Team Members: Stuart Peterfreund, Coleen Pantalone, Meredith Harris, Nancy Geoffrion, Chris Hopey, Ronné Turner, Rick Mickool, Mary Mello, Grace Yang, Emory Howell, James Rowan

Fundamental and Translational Research
Chairs: Ahmed Busnaina, Kim Lewis
Coordinator: Sara Wadia-Fascetti
Staff Support: John Hart
Team Members: Steve McKnight, Alain Karma, Tracy Robinson, Gordana Rabrenovic, Joanne Miller, Matthias Felleisen, Graham Jones, Sri Sridhar, Megan Alexander, Shane Lloyd, Bill Warger, Michael Silevitch, Laura Frader

Creative, Aesthetic, and Ethical Dimensions
Chairs: Bruce Ronkin, George Thrush
Coordinator: Ann McDonald
Staff Support: Christine Willis
Team Members: Susan Setta, Tony De Ritis, Mary Loeffelholz, Shelli Jankowski-Smith, Krystal L. Beaulieu, Allyson Savin

Strategic Partners Advisory Council
The Strategic Partners Advisory Council assisted the Steering Committee and Planning Teams throughout the planning process.

Members included:
Quincy Allen, BS’82, Vice President and President Xerox Production, Xerox Corporation
Edward Casale, Vice President, Enterprise Federal and CPE Field Operations, Verizon Partner Solutions
William (Bill) Conley, BSBA’90, Partner and Managing Director, Goldman Sachs & Co.
Mike Costello, Managing Partner, Pricewaterhouse Coopers, LLP New England
Richard D’Amore, BSBA’76, General Partner, North Bridge Venture Partners
Beverly Edgehill, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Partnership Inc.
Brian Gallagher, Senior Vice President, Engineering Development, EMC Corporation
Gary Gregg, MS’79, President, Agency Markets, Liberty Mutual Group
Peter Lynt, BS’83, Vice President, Integrated Operations, IBM
Ted MacLean, General Manager of the Northeast District, Microsoft Corporation
Joyce Plotkin, President, Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council
Peter Smail, BS’81, President and CEO, Pyramis Global Advisors, Fidelity Investments
Dan Smith, President, Integrated Defense Systems, Raytheon Company
Robert Tarter, Executive Vice President, State Street Corporation
Frank Tempesta, BS’62, President, Textron Systems
Mark Vachon, BSBA’82, President and Chief Executive Officer, GE Healthcare
Lex Van der Ploeg, Vice President, Basic Research and Sitehead MRL Boston, Merck Research Laboratory
Michael (Mike) Wyzga, Executive Vice President and CFO, Genzyme Corporation
Michael Teitelbaum, Program Officer, Sloan Foundation
Paula Dressel, Vice President, JustPartners, Inc. Local and Regional Foundations
Paul Grogan, President, Boston Foundation
Penny Noyce, Trustee, Noyce Foundation
Klare Shaw, Program Officer, Barr Foundation
Jay Sherwin, JD’90, Program Officer, Nellie Mae Education Foundation