On Sept. 11, President Joseph Aoun took to Twitter to announce that the university would make an “unprecedented announcement” the following day. While Aoun was most likely referring to the announcement that the College of Business received a $60 million gift (and a new name), the Tweet began an exciting few days for Northeastern.
First, Aoun announced that two alumni joined forces to donate $60 million – the largest gift in Northeastern’s history – to the university’s College of Business Administration. Along with the donation, the school will get a new name: The D’Amore-McKim School of Business. The record-setting gift comes as the university prepares to embark on a comprehensive fundraising campaign, and what a way to start.
Perhaps slightly overshadowed by the heaping sum of money in headlines last week was the news that Northeastern rose once more in the US News and World Report’s ranking of the nation’s best colleges. Now at 56th, the university has climbed steadily in recent years to challenge other more nationally established schools.
“The US News ranking is just one of many metrics highlighting Northeastern’s incredible momentum,” university spokeswoman Renata Nyul said last week in an email to The News.
Nyul is right, the ranking is merely one way to look at Northeastern’s momentum. But last week provided very tangible evidence of Northeastern’s ascension.
As The News reported today, our campus played host to the 4th annual Millenium Campus Conference (MCC) over the weekend. The conference focused on “student organizing around the United Nations Millenium Development Goals,” and featured speakers including 2011 Nobel Peace Prize winner Leymah Gbowee and Partners in Health Co-Founder Paul Farmer.
More impressive than the marquee names, though, is the mere fact that the conference was held on Huntington Avenue. Before this year, the MCC had been held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2008), Columbia University (2010) and Harvard University (2011). Talk about being in good company.
The MCC, more than any amount of money or ranking list, provides concrete evidence of the university’s current standing.
These recent accomplishments and honors are all indications that there is no doubt Northeastern is on the move – and quickly.
