Search Consultant Hired to Support Northeastern University's Presidential Search.

BOSTON -- Dr. Barbara E. Taylor, of Academic Search Consultation Service in Washington, D.C., to assist in national search for next University President

The Northeastern University Presidential Search Committee today announced that it has retained search consultant Dr. Barbara E. Taylor, a senior consultant with the Academic Search Consultation Service in Washington, D.C., to support the Committee's search for a successor to President Richard Freeland. President Freeland, whose decade-long tenure has helped Northeastern to grow into one of the top private colleges in America, announced that he would step down at the end of the 2005-2006 academic year.

"We are very pleased to be working with Dr. Barbara Taylor," said George Chamillard, Chair of the Presidential Search Committee. "Dr. Taylor is very well known in the higher education community, and she is preeminent in the academic search field. Higher Education has been her life's work. We have complete confidence that Dr. Taylor will help the Committee produce the strongest possible pool of candidates for Northeastern University."

Dr. Taylor has been a presidential search consultant for the past 10 years. Prior to joining ASCS, she served for 12 years as a senior administrator with the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges. She has also held administrative positions at four colleges and universities. Dr. Taylor has served as a consultant to more than 150 colleges, universities and other non-profit organizations on presidential searches, as well as academic governance issues, strategic planning and institutional assessment.

Academic Search Consultation Service is the premier organization in the United States serving the chief executive officer needs of American higher education. The organization has been involved in presidential searches for more than 25 years and has had over 600 academic clients. ASCS is also the search firm retained by the 1995-1996 presidential search committee that brought Dr. Richard Freeland to Northeastern University.

"I look forward to working closely with the Presidential Search Committee and the Northeastern community to gain a thorough understanding of the considerations, criteria and qualifications that will guide the search for the next leader of this great institution," stated Dr. Barbara E. Taylor. "The Northeastern University presidency is one of the most attractive positions in American higher education today. I have no doubt that this search will generate great interest from a broad spectrum of top caliber candidates."

The University's Board of Trustees formed the Presidential Search Committee in October 2005 and has charged the Committee with identifying candidates who can build on the great successes of the Freeland administration and meet the challenges and opportunities the Board has identified as priorities for the future. The Committee is in the process of holding open meetings with students, faculty and other members of the Northeastern University community in order to gain insight into specific needs of the university that may help guide the presidential selection process. With the assistance of Dr. Taylor, the Search Committee will recommend a pool of the most qualified candidates from which the Board of Trustees will make a final selection. The Board plans to announce a new president by the start of the next academic year to ensure a smooth transition process.

About Northeastern: Northeastern University, located in the heart of Boston, Massachusetts, is a world leader in practice-oriented education and recognized for its expert faculty and first-rate academic and research facilities. Northeastern integrates challenging liberal arts and professional studies with the nation's largest cooperative education program. Through co-op, Northeastern undergraduates alternate semesters of full-time study with semesters of paid work in fields relevant to their professional interests and major, giving them nearly two years of professional experience upon graduation. The majority of Northeastern graduates receive a job offer from a co-op employer. Cited for excellence four years running by U.S. News & World Report, Northeastern has quickly moved up into the top tier rankings-an impressive 35 spots in four years. In addition, Northeastern was named a top college in the 2006 edition of the Princeton Review's annual "Best Colleges" issue. For more information, please visit http://www.northeastern.edu.