Celebrate 125 years of experience with us!

Tuesday

Oct

3

Join us for a trip to the past and a peek into the future at our campuses and communities worldwide!

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Scan the QR code to experience Northeastern during its early days, tracing the captivating transformation from an automotive school to a vibrant campus. You can even step back in time to the historic site of the first World Series in 1903.

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For 125 years, experience has been the heart of our university. It’s how we live, learn, and explore ideas. It breaks down barriers, and empowers us to discover what’s possible in every corner of the world.

At Northeastern, we’ve always carved our own paths, and we won’t stop. We’ll continue to create the opportunities and innovations of tomorrow. We’ll collaborate in ways we never dreamt possible. And we’ll work together across boundaries to solve society’s biggest problems.

Experience connects our diverse, global community. It encourages us to learn from each other, and it inspires us to build a better world.

Together, let’s celebrate 125 years of the power of experience, and champion the next 125+ years of Northeastern’s world-changing impact.

Explore our history

1898
The Boston YMCA Evening Institute for Young Men, Northeastern’s founding institution, offers classes to meet industry’s growing call for skilled workers in vocational trades.
1902
The Northeastern School of Law graduates its first class of students.
1903
The Boston Americans prevail over the Pittsburgh Pirates in baseball’s first World Series, played on the Huntington Avenue Grounds, today the site of Northeastern’s Boston campus. Home plate is marked by a statue of legendary pitcher Cy Young.
1903
Northeastern founds the first Automobile Engineering School in the U.S., with a curriculum that includes automotive engineering and repair, and driving lessons.
1909
“Cooperative engineering courses” establish Northeastern’s signature co-op program and herald a tradition of innovation in higher education.
1910
Boston Arena—rechristened Matthews Arena in 1982—opens. The original home of the Boston Bruins, it remains is the world’s oldest multipurpose athletic building still in use.
1913
A new Boston YMCA opens on Huntington Avenue. Northeastern College is established three years later.
1922
Massachusetts Governor Channing Cox grants the newly named Northeastern University the authority to confer academic degrees.
1922
The College of Business Administration is established.
1925
Marjorie Bouvé founds the Bouvé School. After several incarnations, it merges with Northeastern University in 1964.
1927
Northeastern adopts the “Huskies” moniker. The first King Husky, Sapsut, travels by train from Alaska to Boston’s North Station, where he is fêted by 1,000 students, the Northeastern band, and a parade.
1933
Northeastern switches to a five-year educational model to accommodate students who pursue multiple co-op placements.
1935
The College of Liberal Arts is formed and adopts the co-op program.
1938
Northeastern constructs its first new building, Richards Hall, on the Boston campus.
1941
Before the U.S. enters World War II, the university launches an engineering program “designed to meet the shortage of engineers with specialized training in fields essential to the national defense.”
1941
The Mugar Life Sciences Building opens.
1943
With servicemen off fighting in Europe and Asia, Northeastern admits women to its full-time day programs for the first time.
1951
Northeastern forms its Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, soon becoming the largest such program nationwide with 2,800 cadets.
1954
Situated on the old Huntington Avenue Grounds, Cabot Center is built to house athletic facilities.
1957
Students—the vast majority of them commuters—throng Huntington Avenue. But during the next decade’s building boom, students increasingly spill from residence halls rather than trolley cars.
1962
The iconic Husky statue is installed in Ell Hall. To this day, tradition holds that rubbing the Husky’s nose will bring good luck in the coming academic year.
1963
Two Hillel members stand with three donors of a Torah to Northeastern's Hillel, founded the previous year in 1962.
1964
Northeastern opens its campus in Burlington, Massachusetts, establishing a foothold north of Boston and beginning a strong connection with the regional ecosystem.
1965
Students start organizing and participating in protests, strikes, and campaigns rooted in the national peace movement against the Vietnam War.
1965
In its inaugural season, men’s rowing makes a splash at the Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames—and garners enthusiastic praise from English spectators.
1966
Northeastern acquires a 25-acre former coastal defense facility in Nahant, Massachusetts, which becomes the Marine Science Center.
1968
The African American Institute is established, and in 1993 is named for John. D. O’Bryant, a community leader and the first African American appointed a vice president at Northeastern.
1970
After a Vietnam War protest at Kent State University, during which the Ohio National Guard killed four unarmed students, Northeastern students boycott classes and clash with Boston Police Department officers.
1973
Iota Phi Theta Fraternity is established as the first black Greek men’s fraternity at Northeastern, the fraternity’s first in New England.
1980
Northeastern captures its first Beanpot championship, thanks to a dramatic goal scored by co-captain Wayne “Beanpot” Turner, BHS’81, MPA’86.
1982
Northeastern establishes one of the nation’s first colleges devoted to computer science.
1990
Snell Library opens. Today, “Club Snell” boasts more than two million visitors annually, and provides learning and collaboration spaces equipped with leading-edge technology, tools, and resources.
1996
The Marino Recreation Center opens, buoyed by philanthropic support from business leader Roger Marino, E’61, H’96.
1996
The Lowell Institute School moves from MIT to Northeastern. As part of the College of Professional Studies, it enrolls nontraditional students who wish to pursue work in high-demand STEM fields.
2003
Northeastern unveils Paws—a new, updated, costumed Husky mascot.
2005
Northeastern’s Asian American Center launches, providing space and support for the university’s Asian American students.
2006
Northeastern dedicates its Veterans Memorial to students and alumni who lost their lives in military service to the U.S. during times of war and conflict.
2006
Engineering pioneer Bernard Gordon, H’07, pledges $20 million to support the Gordon Center for Subsurface Sensing and Imaging Systems and the Gordon Engineering Leadership Program.
2007
The Manganaro family donates $7.5 million to advance the Torch Scholars Program, adding to their earlier gift to launch the initiative that continues to serve first-generation college students.
2009
IDEA, Northeastern’s student-led venture accelerator, is created to deliver resources and support to entrepreneurs across all disciplines.
2010
The College of Arts and Sciences is restructured into the College of Science, the College of Social Sciences and Humanities, and the College of Arts, Media and Design.
2011
Innovator George Kostas, E’43, H’07, invests $12 million to launch the Kostas Research Institute for Homeland Security, growing Northeastern’s Burlington campus in size and vision.
2011
Northeastern expands to Charlotte, North Carolina, marking its first graduate satellite location. It offers programs in health sciences and healthcare to support the city’s growing health sector.
2011
The LGBTQA Center is established, creating community for Northeastern’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, and asexual students, and their allies.
2012
With a landmark $60 million gift, Richard D’Amore, DMSB’76, and Alan McKim, DMSB’88, name the D’Amore-McKim School of Business.
2013
Poised to reshape the future of higher education, the university kicks of Empower, the campaign for Northeastern, with a goal to raise $500 million in private philanthropy.
2013
The Seattle campus launches. Degree programs prepare students for careers in the rapidly expanding fields of technology, data analytics, aerospace, and more.
2014
The Marine Science Center becomes the new home of the Ocean Genome Legacy, a public biorepository of rare and remarkable ocean creatures.
2014
The Sherman Center for Engineering Entrepreneurship Education, founded by innovator Michael Sherman, E’68, and his wife, Ann, helps students launch their own ventures.
2014
Women Who Empower is created to advance and inspire female leaders in fields ranging from technology to science, from wellbeing to sustainability.
2015
Logan Jackson, E’16, is named Northeastern’s first Rhodes Scholar.
2015
Professor Daniel McCarthy and venture capitalist Jeffrey McCarthy, DMSB’77, found the McCarthy(s) Venture Mentoring Network to match promising entrepreneurs with practiced mentors.
2015
Men’s basketball claims its first ever Coastal Athletic Association tournament title, and secures its first NCAA tournament bid since 1991.
2015
Northeastern’s San Jose campus opens to prepare learners to thrive in Silicon Valley’s ever-changing tech-driven ecosystem.
2015
Women’s rowing captures the first of a record nine straight Coastal Athletic Association championships, and reaches the NCAA championships in each of those seasons.
2016
At Northeastern’s new Toronto campus, students access a world-class education tailored to the economic development needs of Canada’s high tech and business hubs.
2017
Gary Dunton, DMSB’78, and his wife, Lea Anne, make a gift to establish the Dunton Family Dean at the D’Amore-McKim School of Business. It is Northeastern’s first endowed deanship.
2017
The Empower campaign concludes, raising a historic $700 million in private philanthropy and $700 million through industry and government partnerships.
2017
The Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Complex opens its doors, offering nearly 250,000 square feet of labs, classrooms, offices, collaboration spaces, and research facilities.
2018
The Khoury College of Computer Sciences is named to recognize a $50 million donation from entrepreneur Amin Khoury, MBA’89, H’19, and his wife, Julie, MBA’89.
2018
At the first Global Leadership Summit, held in Paris, more than 160 alumni, students, parents, and friends explore perspectives on finance, industry, entrepreneurship, and more.
2018
Northeastern finalizes a partnership with the New College of the Humanities in London, delivering bespoke programs spanning the humanities, business, and data and computer science.
2019
The Boston campus is designated an arboretum—the only campus of its kind in the city—and boasts more than 11 acres of green space with 1,400 trees from 143 species.
2019
The Vancouver campus launches, offering programs such as data analytics, computer science, and information design to help learners succeed in British Columbia’s tech and innovation ecosystem.
2020
A $100 million investment from entrepreneur David Roux and his wife, Barbara, launches the Roux Institute in Portland, Maine, focused on analytics, biotechnology, and the life sciences.
2020
Network scientist Alessandro Vespignani observes an emerging virus identified as SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19. Within weeks, Northeastern builds its Life Science Testing Center and starts processing PCR tests.
2020
Northeastern starts reopening its campuses in summer, beginning with research labs and administrative offices, and students return for the fall semester.
2020
The Roux Institute receives $100 million from the Harold Alfond Foundation to bolster financial aid, research, and co-ops.
2020
Chicken Lou’s, Northeastern’s iconic fast-food eatery, shutters its coop after 30 years.
2021
Northeastern holds its 119th Commencement exercises in Fenway Park, marking the beginning of a new tradition.
2021
Women’s ice hockey reaches the NCAA Frozen Four—its first of three consecutive appearances—and competes in the championship game.
2021
Cooper, an English golden retriever puppy, wins hearts as Northeastern’s first community resource dog.
2022
The university kicks off Experience Powered by Northeastern, its most far-reaching, innovative fundraising campaign yet, striving to raise $1.3 billion.
2022
Northeastern merges with Mills College in Oakland, California, bringing Mills’ distinctive focus on access, equity, social justice, and women’s leadership into the university’s global network.
2022
Members of the Latinx Student Cultural Center celebrate its 25th anniversary, having been established in 1997.
2022
Northeastern launches a campus in Arlington, Virginia, a hub of technical innovation, security, defense, and policy in the Washington, D.C. area.
2023
Northeastern’s Miami campus opens to provide academic programming in the region’s expanding tech, finance, and health sectors.
2023
The men’s and women’s ice hockey teams sweep the Beanpot tournament for a record sixth time.
2023
EXP opens on the Boston campus. The 357,000-square-foot building offers eight floors dedicated to computational research, teaching and academic labs, makerspace, and more.
2023
Northeastern launches the Village of Belonging, creating a community that unifies cultural centers and other diversity, equity, and inclusion programming.

In “Transforming the Urban University: Northeastern, 1996–2006,” Richard M. Freeland describes Northeastern’s transformation from a regional institution focused on preparing students for the workplace through cooperative education into a top-tier global research university. Freeland, who served as president of Northeastern during this critical evolution, shares valuable insights into the university’s dramatic evolution and rise, illustrating how he and others laid the foundation for the highly selective and innovative institution that Northeastern has become today.

Govenor Healey Proclaims October 3, 2023 Northeastern Day

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125 Campaign Champions

Tremendous thanks to our faculty and staff campaign volunteers!

Are you interested in joining our 125 Campaign Champions? Click here to join our community!

Chris Abayasinghe
Associate Vice President, Business Services

Isabel Ah Kee
Director, Audit and Advisory Services

Lilo Altali
Assistant Teaching Professor, College of Professional Studies

Mansoor Amiji
University Distinguished Professor, Pharmaceutical Sciences

Margaret Angel
Head, Partnerships and Operations, Roux Institute

Xris Anderton
Lead Design Developer, University Communications

Earlene Avalon
Associate Teaching Professor, College of Professional Studies

Ingrid Ball
Leadership Relations Coordinator, University Advancement

Carolyn Bargoot
Deputy Provost, Office of the Provost

Steph Barnaby
Librarian, Information Delivery and Access Services (IDEAS)

Waldy Barrientos
Senior Budget Manager, Bouvé Office of the Dean

Caitlin Barrows
MPH Program Manager, Health Sciences

Dominik Beckers
Director, Strategic Partnerships, Vancouver Regional Campus

Ryan Bender
Director, Digital University Solutions and Experience, ITS Customer Service

Becca Berkey
Director, Honors Program; Lecturer, Community Engagement

Raymond G Booth
Professor, Pharmaceutical Sciences

Dan Boothby
Director, Sports Performance, Athletic Training

Leslie Casey
Director, Communications, Communications/Web Services

Chris Cesario
Clinical Professor and Interim Chair, School of Clinical Rehab Sciences

Amanda Choflet
School of Nursing Interim Dean; Assistant Dean, School of Nursing Graduate Programs; and Associate Clinical Professor, School of Nursing

Jon Clark
Assistant Director of Operations, School of Clinical Rehab Sciences

Steve Clark
Assistant Clinical Professor, Director of Performance Rehabilitation, School of Clinical Rehab Sciences

Michael Crawford
Director, Marketing and Communications, Bouvé Office of the Dean

Bill Coen
Head Coach, Men’s Basketball

Mark Conti
Managing Editor, University Communications

Chris Cook
Director, Impact Engine, Provost Office

DJ Corey
EMT Program Director, Senior Lecturer, Health Sciences

Dick Daynard
University Distinguished Professor, Lecturer, School of Law

Gbemi Disu
Vice President, Global Network Expansion, Regional Campuses

 Margarita DiVall
Clinical Professor and Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Lecturer, Bouvé Office of the Dean

Maggie Dougherty
Director, Annual Giving, Alumni Relations and Annual Fund

Kyle Droz
Director, Disability Resource Center

Alva Druker
Director, Enrollment Management Contact Center

Michael Dumont
Program Manager, School of Clinical Rehab Sciences

Audrey Evans
Project Manager, Administrative Operations, Office of the General Counsel

Magali Feruzi
Director, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, College of Professional Studies

Susan Fine
Assistant Clinical Professor and Director, School of Clinical Rehab Sciences

Lisa Foster
Senior Coop Coordinator, Bouvé Co-op

Allie (Littlefox) Fox
Assistant Vice Chancellor, Planning and Innovation, Oakland Athletics

Joe Griffin
Lecturer, Teaching Professor, College of Professional Studies

Renee Griffin
Marketing Project Manager/Producer, University Marketing

Francesca Grippa
Professor and Associate Dean of Research, College of Professional Studies

Mike Gonyeau
Clinical Professor; Lecturer, Pharmaceutical and Health Systems Sciences

Jenny Gormley
Program Director, School Health Academy, School of Nursing

Stephanie Hanor
Assistant Dean and Director, Art Museum; Lecturer, Mills Art Museum

C. Hawkins
Director, Student Engagement and Philanthropy, Alumni Relations and Annual Fund

Cynthia Hibbert
News Reporter, University Communications

Kim Holloway
Vice Provost, Research Development

Trent Honda
Clinical Professor and Associate Dean, Bouvé Office of the Dean

David Hough
Director, Fund Management, Advancement Services

Elisabeth Hughes
Director, Learning and Organizational Development, Human Resources

Jackie Isaacs
Vice Provost, Faculty Affairs, Office of the Provost

Cynthia Jackson
Director, Academic Events and Operations, Mills Campus

Mike Jackson
Vice Provost, Curriculum and Programs, Office of the Provost

Chiew Jones
Director, Career Development, Seattle Regional Campus

Stephan Jordan
Executive Director, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, Enrollment Management

Aaron Jorgenson
Senior Director, Network Student Affairs, Senior Vice Chancellor for Student Life

Demetrios Katos
Associate Director, Leadership Giving, Individual Giving

Shari Khalil
Administrative Coordinator, D’Amore-McKim School of Business

Jenn Kirwin
Associate Dean, Academic Affairs; Clinical Professor, Bouvé Office of the Dean

Kate Klepper
Associate Dean, Graduate Programs, DMSB Office of the Dean

Adam Kneeland
Business Operations Associate, Office of the Chancellor

Nicole Laffan
Associate Clinical Professor, School of Clinical Rehab Sciences

Connie Lorette
Associate Clinical Professor, School of Nursing

Matt Lucerto
Director, Affinity and Domestic Engagement, Alumni Relations and Annual Fund

Jim Madigan
Director, Athletics

Chris Mallett
Chief Administrative Officer, Roux Institute

Carrie Maultsby-Lute
Head of Partnerships, Mills Campus

Jack McCorkle
Executive Director, Alumni Relations

Daniel Medwed
University Distinguished Professor, School of Law

Regi Minichello
Division Director, Operations and Finance/Special Assistant, Office of the General Counsel

Prashant Mittal
Lecturer, Professor of the Practice, and Director of Professional Programs, Roux Institute

Carla Morelli
Senior Capital Projects Manager, Plant Funds

Liz Mullane
Assistant Vice President, Development; Lecturer, Individual Giving

David Nolan
Associate Clinical Professor, Lecturer, School of Clinical Rehab Sciences

Jason Nolen-Doerr
Director, Global Initiatives; Integration Coach/Adjunct, Alumni Relations and Annual Fund

Dave Nordman
Executive Editor, External Affairs

Richard O’Bryant
Director, John D O’Bryant African American Institute; Lecturer, African American Institute

Brianne Olivieri-Mui
Assistant Professor, Health Sciences

Rupal Patel
Professor, School of Clinical Rehab Sciences

Jeremy Paul
Professor, School of Law

Ula Polsky
Director, Global Student Engagement, College of Professional Studies

Kristen Puntieri
Senior Associate Director, University Recreation, Campus Recreation

Valeria Ramdin
Associate Clinical Professor, School of Nursing

Gina Regonini
Director, Educational Initiatives, Alumni Relations and Annual Fund

Jon Relvas
Vice President for Strategic Partnerships, Office of the Chancellor

Rebecca Riccio
Director, Social Impact Lab; Program Director, NS4G; Lecturer, Human Services

Anthony Rini
Vice President, Administration and Financial Planning; Lecturer, Office of the Senior Vice President, Finance and Treasurer

Marcus Robinson
Associate Vice President, Engagement and Experience; Deputy CIO, Information Technology

Kevin Ruiz
Director, Strategic Partnerships and Global Launch Services, Miami Regional Campus

Tim Rupert
Professor and Group Chair, Accounting Group

Lindsey Sadonis
Director, Development and Alumni Relations, School of Law-Advancement

Khushal Safi
Senior Director, Public and Travel Safety and Security

Mike Sampson Associate
Director, Fraternity/Sorority Life, Student Activities

Montse Sanzsole
Director, Strategic Partnerships, Toronto Regional Campus

Tramaine Shaw
Head Coach, Men’s and Women’s Track and Field, XC

Thomas Sheahan
Executive Vice Provost, Office of the Provost

Abigail Smith
Project Manager, Advancement Resources and Campaign Operations, Advancement Services

Dan Solworth
Vice Chancellor, Wellness and Student Success, Senior Vice Chancellor for Student Life

Kristine Stigas
Associate Director, Operations and Planning, Center for Advancing Teaching and Learning Through Research

Hilary Sullivan
Director, Service and Community Partnership; Lecturer, Community Engagement

Regina Sullivan
Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director, Athletics

Leslie Sykes
Director of Strategic Partnerships, Charlotte Regional Campus

Corliss Thompson
Associate Dean, Graduate School of Education, College of Professional Studies

Jaren Walker
Director, Partnerships and Planning, Seattle Regional Campus

Catherine Walsh
Associate Vice President, Fiscal and Management Services, PREF (Planning, Real Estate, and Facilities)

Mollie Wilson
Special Assistant to the Dean, Arlington Regional Campus

Liz Zulick
Vice Chancellor, Strategic Planning and Projects, Office of the Chancellor