Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue

In June of 1989 I became Northeastern University’s fifth president while, at the same time, George J. Matthews became the fourth chairman of our board of trustees.

From my perspective, it was a marriage made in heaven.  It is the obligation of any president of any university to serve as the CEO for a board of trustees elected to protect, preserve, and enhance that university through their policy-setting involvement.  In the best of circumstances the president and the chairman of the board should be aligned in the mission of advancing the institution”. Yet, frequently, such an alliance does not always occur, but thanks to the vision, the drive, and the personality of my partner, we lived well together, we attacked many different problems together, and we ultimately left Northeastern University a better place than we inherited.

I liked him right away when I first met him back in the late ’70s. It was no surprise that Robert Willis, the outgoing chairman of the board, chose George to succeed him. For years George’s hard work on behalf of the board was noticeable to any number of insiders. He had chaired Phase I of our Century Fund campaign from 1980-1985, meeting with huge success with the campaign exceeding its $43.25 million goal by almost four million dollars.  He advocated a new fund raising philosophy, one that emphasized raising money not just from alumni but from the board itself and university employees. He also recognized and stressed that any successful campaign, then and in the future, must include huge number of volunteers.
 
George liked people, and people liked him. He rather naturally convinced people to believe in Northeastern and its future. During the campaign George also made the principal gift that allowed us to take over the horribly neglected state-owned Boston Arena and update it to the first class facility it is today, now called the Matthews Arena.

Chairman of Matthews Associates Limited back then, George rapidly showed his leadership qualities and, by 1987, had been advanced to the position of vice chairman of the board.  A 1956 graduate of Northeastern, George clearly understood the needs of the University as we approached the millennium. He believed Northeastern would need to change as very difficult times descended upon us in 1990.  The cruel conjunction of a tremendous drop-off in the New England economy and a severe reduction in the number of 18-year-old high school graduates hit Northeastern at the same time.

Although not alone among institutions in 1990, Northeastern was an extremely vulnerable tuition-driven university despite its many assets. After a period of rapid growth in the early ’80s, higher education faced bleak numbers entering the ’90s. A drop of 25 per cent in the 18-year old population was expected by 1993, as well as the loss of 365,000 jobs in Massachusetts alone due to the recession. Because Northeastern drew large numbers of students from Massachusetts and New England, we were particularly effected.  In addition, the recession hit hardest among families of middle-class students, and many companies cut back on Cooperative Education positions as well.

Following my September, 1990, speech regarding our serious enrollment situation, and my call for a “smaller, better institution,” a change toward greater selectivity, and, in the long run less vulnerability, George Matthews appointed a Special Committee on Enrollments from the Board. It would be headed by trustee Neal Finnegan, who later would follow Matthews as trustee chair. By April 1991, the Special Committee issued its report, advocating and confirming a new direction for the university with special emphasis to be placed on increased selectivity, smaller undergraduate enrollments, and improved retention of students.

Along with providing solid leadership concerning the underlying direction of the University, George opened doors for me as we worked diligently to upgrade our academic reputation and to create a warmer, more welcoming campus.  In a short period of seven years he led our efforts to build four new buildings for our faculty and students- the Egan Research Center, the Marino Recreation Center, the Shillman Classroom Building, the new Student Center- along with renovating eight additional buildings.

With me, George approached key alumni and friends, wonderful men and women who helped shape the new Northeastern. Led by Robert Marini, then chairman of Camp, Dresser and McKee, our Development Committee concluded the Centennial Campaign (1992-1997) with an impressive $268 million, $43 million in excess of goal, thus enhancing the quality of life for our faculty and students.

Through George Matthews I was introduced to Congressman John Murtha of Pennsylvania, who headed the defense appropriations subcommittee in Congress. Murtha came to believe in our drive to build a new Egan Research Center at Northeastern and authorized $15 million for the Engineering/Science building.  And George’s friendships with the late Tip O’Neill and Joe Moakley led to additional federal appropriations in support of Co-operative Education and the Snell Library at Northeastern.

For longtime faculty members with outstanding records of research and scholarship, George initiated the Matthews Distinguished University Professorships, guaranteeing along with his wife Kathleen, research funding for more than 20 faculty members throughout their entire careers.

Perhaps his greatest achievement as chair was coalescing forty-four different individuals into a highly effective board at a difficult time for Northeastern.  No one ever left a board of trustees meeting during George’s tenure feeling he or she had not had his opinion heard. Skillful in presenting issue and in summarizing views, George was at his best during discussion of the issue, spelling out his position but taking dissenting views seriously and without ill feeling.

Trusteeship anywhere is a sacred obligation.  To offer one’s wisdom, wealth, and time in support of an institution is a wonderful thing.  George always understood the importance of trusteeship and of the need to separate trusteeship from administration.

It has been said repeatedly by insiders, that Northeastern University has benefited by having the right president for the right time over its history. True maybe, but it has also had the right trustee leadership for the time. And during my time, I was inspired by Dr. George Matthews.