BE IT RESOLVED That the University establish the Master of Fine Arts in Design in the College of Arts, Media and Design as approved by the University Graduate Curriculum Committee 8 September, 2025 (18-0-0)

BE IT RESOLVED That the University establish the Bachelor of Science in Health Services, BS in the College of Professional Studies as approved by the University Undergraduate Curriculum Committee 22 October, 2025 (20-0-0).

BE IT RESOLVED That the University establish the Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Clinical and Rehabilitation Sciences, PhD in the Bouvé College of Health Sciences as approved by the University Graduate Curriculum Committee 30 October, 2025 (18-0-0)

BE IT RESOLVED That the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences in the Bouvé College of Health Sciences be renamed as the Department of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences.

BE IT RESOLVED That the University establish the Master of Science in Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, MS in the Bouvé College of Health Sciences as approved by the University Graduate Curriculum Committee 7 January, 2026 (15-0-0).

MOTION TO AMEND THE NOV. 19 FACULTY SENATE MEETING MINUTES:

In Section C, DEPARTMENT NAME CHANGE FOR DEPARTMENT IN BOUVÉ COLLEGE OF HEALTH SCIENCES, strike out:

"BE IT RESOLVED That the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences in the Bouvé College of Health Sciences be renamed as the Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences."

And insert:

"BE IT RESOLVED That the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences in the Bouvé College of Health Sciences be renamed as the Department of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences."

BE IT RESOLVED That the University establish the Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology, BS in the Bouvé College of Health Sciences as approved by the University Undergraduate Curriculum Committee 11 February, 2026 (17-0-0).

BE IT RESOLVED That the University establish the Master of Science in Precision Health, MS in the Bouvé College of Health Sciences as approved by the University Graduate Curriculum Committee 4 February, 2026 (19-0-0).

BE IT RESOLVED That the University establish the Bachelor of Science in Engineering Design, BS in the College of Engineering as approved by the University Undergraduate Curriculum Committee 13 February, 2026 (18-0-0).

BE IT RESOLVED That the University establish the Bachelor of Science in Quantitative Finance, BS in the D’Amore-McKim School of Business as approved by the University Undergraduate Curriculum Committee 11 February, 2026 (17-0-0).

BE IT RESOLVED That the University establish the Bachelor of Science in Applied AI, BS in the College of Professional Studies as approved by the University Undergraduate Curriculum Committee 14 January, 2026 (18-0-0).

BE IT RESOLVED That the University rename the Bachelor of Science in Data Science to the Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence, BS in the Khoury College of Computer Sciences as approved by the University Undergraduate Curriculum Committee 11 February, 2026 (14-0-3).

WHEREAS the Charge 1 asks the Academic Freedom Committee to research and recommend  best practices for fostering viewpoint diversity and cultivating a pluralistic learning  environment, while simultaneously supporting all community members’ sense of belonging  and engagement; and 
WHEREAS the Academic Freedom Committee has presented 16 recommendations based on  information given by Northeastern faculty in a response to the all-faculty survey and based  on research of relevant literature; and 
WHEREAS many of these recommendations connect to the ongoing work done by CATLR,  ADVANCE and the Office of the Chancellor; and 
WHEREAS the Academic Freedom Committee has produced a memo cover letter, included in  Appendix G of its report; 
BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate Agenda Committee deliver a memo, that shares the  recommendations in Charge 1 for consideration for future programming, to CATLR,  ADVANCE, the Office of the Chancellor, and any other parties that SAC believes would be  interested in the research. 
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Senate Agenda Committee consider charging an  appropriate committee next year with evaluating the feasibility of enhancing Northeastern's  civil discourse curricula, including appropriateness of adding a “civil discourse” NUPath  attribute and a “viewpoint diversity” TRACE student evaluation question.

WHEREAS the university's core mission is the production and transmission of knowledge through research, teaching, and learning—a mission that requires maintaining the university as society's preeminent space for open inquiry where competing ideas are tested through evidence and argument rather than predetermined by institutional orthodoxy; and
WHEREAS official institutional statements on matters beyond the university's core educational and research mission create several interrelated problems: they imply institutional orthodoxy that chills dissent from faculty and students who disagree; they displace the individual expert voices that should be engaging these issues; they privilege the institution's voice in domains where it is not the scholarly expert; they risk societal perception of the university as a political actor rather than a knowledge institution; and they erode the legitimate authority universities have earned in their actual domains of expertise; and
WHEREAS Northeastern University has issued statements on events that do not directly concern the institution's core mission, which can lead to requests that the university opine on myriad events; and
WHEREAS institutional neutrality — meaning that the university as an institution refrains from taking positions on political, social, or policy questions except where they directly affect core mission or operations, while individual faculty, students, and staff retain full freedom to express their views — is a well-recognized [1] and long-standing [2] principle for maintaining universities as spaces for open inquiry and genuine intellectual pluralism; 
BE IT RESOLVED that the Faculty Senate endorses the principle of institutional neutrality for Northeastern University, as described below:

a) The university and its leaders may speak officially on matters that directly affect its core educational and research mission (such as academic freedom, educational policy, research funding, accreditation) and matters essential to its operations (such as legal obligations, campus safety, student access, institutional autonomy).

b) The university and its leaders will exercise institutional restraint on matters that do not directly affect its core educational and research mission or operations (such as taking positions on social and political issues unless those issues threaten the mission of the university and its values of free inquiry).

c) Boundary determinations — deciding whether a given issue relates directly to the university's core mission — will inevitably involve judgment and good-faith disagreement, with policies applied consistently regardless of viewpoint or political valence, and using shared governance mechanisms.

d) Faculty, students, and staff retain full freedom to speak on any topic in their individual capacities, to conduct research on any subject, to teach according to their scholarly judgment, and to engage in civic and political activity. No individual should face sanction for expressing views that differ from any actual or perceived institutional  position.

[1] As of late 2024, at least 148 institutions of higher education have adopted policies of institutional neutrality, including Dartmouth College, Yale University, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Tulane University, Johns Hopkins University, Harvard University, Stanford University, Syracuse University, Princeton University. Arnold, A., Shaw, E., Tenhundfeld, N., & Barbaro Simovski, N. (2025, March). The rising tide of institutional statement neutrality: How universities are rethinking institutional speech Heterodox Academy heterodoxacademy.org/reports/a-revival-of-institutional-statement-neutralityhow-universities-are-rethinking-institutional-speech-in-2024/

[2] The modern concept can be traced to the 1967 “Kalven Report” from the University of Chicago, which recommends a "heavy presumption against the university taking collective action or expressing opinions on the political and social issues of the day" because it emphasizes that "the instrument of dissent and criticism is the individual faculty member or the individual student. The university is the home and sponsor of critics; it is not itself the critic." (Kalven, Harry (Chairman) "Report on the University's Role in Political and Social Action." University of Chicago, November 11, 196

WHEREAS the university's core mission is the production and transmission of knowledge through research, teaching, and learning—a mission that requires maintaining the university as society's preeminent space for open inquiry where competing ideas are tested through evidence and argument rather than predetermined by institutional orthodoxy; and 
WHEREAS official institutional statements on matters beyond the university's core educational and research mission create several interrelated problems: they imply institutional orthodoxy that chills dissent from faculty and students who disagree; they displace the individual expert voices that should be engaging these issues; they privilege the institution's voice in domains where it is not the scholarly expert; they risk societal perception of the university as a political actor rather than a knowledge institution; and they erode the legitimate authority universities have earned in their actual domains of expertise; and 
WHEREAS Northeastern University has issued statements on events that do not directly concern the institution's core mission, which can lead to requests that the university opine on myriad events; and 
WHEREAS institutional neutrality — meaning that the university as an institution refrains from taking positions on political, social, or policy questions except where they directly affect core mission or operations, while individual faculty, students, and staff retain full freedom to express their views — is a well-recognized [1] and long-standing 

[2] principle for maintaining universities as spaces for open inquiry and genuine intellectual pluralism; 

BE IT RESOLVED that the Faculty Senate recommends that the Board of Trustees endorse the principle of institutional neutrality, as described below, at their next meeting. 

a) The university and its leaders may speak officially on matters that directly affect its core educational and research mission (such as academic freedom, educational policy, research funding, accreditation) and matters essential to its operations (such as legal obligations, campus safety, student access, institutional autonomy). 

b) The university and its leaders will exercise institutional restraint on matters that do not directly affect its core educational and research mission or operations (such as taking positions on social and political issues unless those issues threaten the mission of the university and its values of free inquiry).

c) Boundary determinations — deciding whether a given issue relates directly to the university's core mission — will inevitably involve judgment and good-faith disagreement, with policies applied consistently regardless of viewpoint or political valence, and using shared governance mechanisms.

d) Faculty, students, and staff retain full freedom to speak on any topic in their individual capacities, to conduct research on any subject, to teach according to their scholarly judgment, and to engage in civic and political activity. No individual should face sanction for expressing views that differ from any actual or perceived institutional position.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that following a Board of Trustees endorsement, the administration, in consultation with Faculty Senate Leadership, establish a working group comprising faculty, administrative, and student representatives to: 

a) develop guidelines for implementing the principle of institutional neutrality university wide; 

b) develop an oversight or review mechanism, following shared governance norms, to ensure it serves its intended purpose of protecting open inquiry and intellectual pluralism;

c) steer the process towards implementation with target date of Spring 2027.

[1] As of late 2024, at least 148 institutions of higher education have adopted policies of institutional neutrality, including Dartmouth College, Yale University, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Tulane University, Johns Hopkins University, Harvard University, Stanford University, Syracuse University, Princeton University. Arnold, A., Shaw, E., Tenhundfeld, N., & Barbaro Simovski, N. (2025, March). The rising tide of institutional statement neutrality: How universities are rethinking institutional speech. Heterodox Academy heterodoxacademy.org/reports/a-revival-of-institutional-statementneutrality-how-universities-are-rethinking-institutional-speech-in-2024/

[2] The modern concept can be traced to the 1967 “Kalven Report” from the University of Chicago, which recommends a "heavy presumption against the university taking collective action or expressing opinions on the political and social issues of the day" because it emphasizes that "the instrument of dissent and criticism is the individual faculty member or the individual student. The university is the home and sponsor of critics; it is not itself the critic." (Kalven, Harry (Chairman) "Report on the University's Role in Political and Social Action." University of Chicago, November 11, 1967: Kalven Committee: Report on the University's Role in Political and Social Action

WHEREAS Northeastern University is committed to experiential learning, interdisciplinary research, and the pursuit of knowledge through free and open inquiry, which requires robust protection of freedom of expression for all members of the university community; and
WHEREAS Northeastern University ranks 253rd out of 257 institutions in the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression's 2026 College Free Speech Rankings, earning an overall score of 46.8 out of 100 and a grade of "F" for its speech climate (reported by media outlets such as Newsweek, The Boston Globe, CBS News Online and The  Huntington News), representing a decline of 75 places from the previous year; [1] and
WHEREAS recent events at Northeastern, including concerns raised by last year’s Faculty Senate's Academic Freedom Ad Hoc Committee regarding university communications about demonstrations and free expression in AY2024-25, [2] and the controversy around a planned academic lecture in March 2025 that resulted in a deplatforming penalty from FIRE [3] demonstrate concrete problems that have resulted in reputational  damage and diminished academic offering to the NEU community, requiring institutional reform; and
WHEREAS a question in the recent faculty survey demonstrates a majority of faculty who responded to the faculty survey have low confidence (61% “not very” or “not at all confident”) that the administration would protect a speaker’s rights to express controversial views; [4] and
WHEREAS the Report of the Committee on Freedom of Expression at the University of Chicago (the "Chicago Statement"), issued in January 2015, articulates core principles regarding freedom of expression that have been adopted or affirmed by over 100 colleges and universities, including Princeton University, Georgetown University, Johns Hopkins University, Brandeis University, Boston University, MIT, and Stanford University, and represents a widely recognized model for institutions seeking to strengthen their commitment to free expression; [5] and
WHEREAS the commitment to free expression in the Chicago Statement is broader than NEU’s Statement of Free Expression in the Faculty Handbook because the Chicago Statement covers all university community members while NEU’s statement covers only full-time faculty at NEU’s American campuses (because the Handbook does not cover part-time faculty and does not cover faculty at NEU’s Canadian and London campuses); and 
WHEREAS the commitment to free expression in the Chicago Statement is deeper than NEU’s Statement on Free Expression because NEU’s Statement clarifies that the university’s responsibility to protect and support free expression is for expression that occurs “in an atmosphere of civility and mutual respect” while the Chicago Statement recommends the fullest possible expression clarifying that “although all members of the  University community share in the responsibility for maintaining a climate of mutual respect, concerns about civility and mutual respect can never be used as a justification for closing off discussion of ideas;” and 
WHEREAS a clear institutional commitment to freedom of expression will enhance NEU’s reputation, support the academic freedom of faculty, enrich the educational experience of students, send a clear signal to the media, and uphold the University's mission as a global research university dedicated to teaching, discovery, and  engagement with society; 
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Faculty Senate of Northeastern University endorses the “Chicago Statement.”

[1] Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), “2026 College Free Speech Rankings,” Published Online September 2025 (retrieved 19 September 2025): https://www.thefire.org/collegefree-speech-rankings 

[2] Northeastern University Faculty Senate Academic Freedom Ad Hoc Committee Report (April 2025), pg. 13-14 & appendix 7: https://faculty.northeastern.edu/senate/wpcontent/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/ReportAcademic-Freedom-Ad-Hoc-Committee-AFC-April-16- 2025.pdf

[3] “Fire Letter to Northeastern University,” from Aaron Corpora (FIRE, Program Officer, Campus Rights Advocacy) to Dean James R. Hackney (Northeastern University School of Law), 25 April 2025 (retrieved 19 September 2025): https://www.thefire.org/researchlearn/fire-letter-northeastern-university-april-25-2025

[4] 2025 Northeaster University All-faculty survey, question (Q276_1), Likert-type, 5-point confidence scale, M=2.20, N=289. (Appendix C). 

[5] FIRE “Chicago Statement: University and Faculty Body Support” (retrieved 19 September 2025): https://www.thefire.org/research-learn/report-committee-freedomexpression-university-chicagoseptember-22-201

WHEREAS Northeastern University is committed to experiential learning, interdisciplinary research, and the pursuit of knowledge through free and open inquiry, which requires robust protection of freedom of expression for all members of the university community; and
WHEREAS Northeastern University ranks 253rd out of 257 institutions in the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression's 2026 College Free Speech Rankings, earning an overall score of 46.8 out of 100 and a grade of "F" for its speech climate (reported by media outlets such as Newsweek, The Boston Globe, CBS News Online and The  Huntington News), representing a decline of 75 places from the previous year; [1] and
WHEREAS recent events at Northeastern, including concerns raised by last year’s Faculty Senate's Academic Freedom Ad Hoc Committee regarding university communications about demonstrations and free expression in AY2024-25, [2] and the controversy around a planned academic lecture in March 2025 that resulted in a deplatforming penalty from FIRE [3] demonstrate concrete problems that have resulted in reputational  damage and diminished academic offering to the NEU community, requiring institutional reform; and
WHEREAS a question in the recent faculty survey demonstrates a majority of faculty who responded to the faculty survey have low confidence (61% “not very” or “not at all confident”) that the administration would protect a speaker’s rights to express controversial views; [4] and
WHEREAS the Report of the Committee on Freedom of Expression at the University of Chicago (the "Chicago Statement"), issued in January 2015, articulates core principles regarding freedom of expression that have been adopted or affirmed by over 100 colleges and universities, including Princeton University, Georgetown University, Johns Hopkins University, Brandeis University, Boston University, MIT, and Stanford University, and represents a widely recognized model for institutions seeking to strengthen their commitment to free expression; [5] and
WHEREAS the commitment to free expression in the Chicago Statement is broader than NEU’s Statement of Free Expression in the Faculty Handbook because the Chicago Statement covers all university community members while NEU’s statement covers only full-time faculty at NEU’s American campuses (because the Handbook does not cover part-time faculty and does not cover faculty at NEU’s Canadian and London campuses); and 
WHEREAS the commitment to free expression in the Chicago Statement is deeper than NEU’s Statement on Free Expression because NEU’s Statement clarifies that the university’s responsibility to protect and support free expression is for expression that occurs “in an atmosphere of civility and mutual respect” while the Chicago Statement recommends the fullest possible expression clarifying that “although all members of the 

University community share in the responsibility for maintaining a climate of mutual respect, concerns about civility and mutual respect can never be used as a justification for closing off discussion of ideas;” and 
WHEREAS a clear institutional commitment to freedom of expression will enhance NEU’s reputation, support the academic freedom of faculty, enrich the educational experience of students, send a clear signal to the media, and uphold the University's mission as a global research university dedicated to teaching, discovery, and  engagement with society; 
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Faculty Senate requests the revision of the Faculty Handbook’s “Statement on Free Expression” to reflect the perspective represented by the Chicago Statement, along the lines suggested in Appendix I, with the final language to be confirmed by the Academic Freedom Committee in consultation with the Faculty  Handbook Committee, the Office of the Provost, and the Office of General Counsel, and that the Academic Freedom Committee shall present the proposed revision to the Senate.

[1] Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), “2026 College Free Speech Rankings,” Published Online September 2025 (retrieved 19 September 2025): https://www.thefire.org/collegefree-speech-rankings 

[2] Northeastern University Faculty Senate Academic Freedom Ad Hoc Committee Report (April 2025), pg. 13-14 & appendix 7: 
https://faculty.northeastern.edu/senate/wpcontent/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/ReportAcademic-Freedom-Ad-Hoc-Committee-AFC-April-16- 2025.pdf

[3] “Fire Letter to Northeastern University,” from Aaron Corpora (FIRE, Program Officer, Campus Rights Advocacy) to Dean James R. Hackney (Northeastern University School of Law), 25 April 2025 (retrieved 19 September 2025): https://www.thefire.org/researchlearn/fire-letter-northeastern-university-april-25-2025

[4] 2025 Northeaster University All-faculty survey, question (Q276_1), Likert-type, 5-point confidence scale, M=2.20, N=289. (Appendix C). 

[5] FIRE “Chicago Statement: University and Faculty Body Support” (retrieved 19 September 2025): https://www.thefire.org/research-learn/report-committee-freedomexpression-university-chicagoseptember-22-201

WHEREAS Northeastern University is committed to experiential learning, interdisciplinary research, and the pursuit of knowledge through free and open inquiry, which requires robust protection of freedom of expression for all members of the university community; and
WHEREAS Northeastern University ranks 253rd out of 257 institutions in the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression's 2026 College Free Speech Rankings, earning an overall score of 46.8 out of 100 and a grade of "F" for its speech climate (reported by media outlets such as Newsweek, The Boston Globe, CBS News Online and The 
Huntington News), representing a decline of 75 places from the previous year; [1] and
WHEREAS recent events at Northeastern, including concerns raised by last year’s Faculty Senate's Academic Freedom Ad Hoc Committee regarding university communications about demonstrations and free expression in AY2024-25, [2] and the controversy around a planned academic lecture in March 2025 that resulted in a deplatforming penalty from FIRE [3] demonstrate concrete problems that have resulted in reputational 
damage and diminished academic offering to the NEU community, requiring institutional reform; and
WHEREAS a question in the recent faculty survey demonstrates a majority of faculty who responded to the faculty survey have low confidence (61% “not very” or “not at all confident”) that the administration would protect a speaker’s rights to express controversial views; [4] and
WHEREAS the Report of the Committee on Freedom of Expression at the University of Chicago (the "Chicago Statement"), issued in January 2015, articulates core principles regarding freedom of expression that have been adopted or affirmed by over 100 colleges and universities, including Princeton University, Georgetown University, Johns Hopkins University, Brandeis University, Boston University, MIT, and Stanford University, and represents a widely recognized model for institutions seeking to strengthen their commitment to free expression; [5] and
WHEREAS the commitment to free expression in the Chicago Statement is broader than NEU’s Statement of Free Expression in the Faculty Handbook because the Chicago Statement covers all university community members while NEU’s statement covers only full-time faculty at NEU’s American campuses (because the Handbook does not cover part-time faculty and does not cover faculty at NEU’s Canadian and London campuses); and 
WHEREAS the commitment to free expression in the Chicago Statement is deeper than NEU’s Statement on Free Expression because NEU’s Statement clarifies that the university’s responsibility to protect and support free expression is for expression that occurs “in an atmosphere of civility and mutual respect” while the Chicago Statement recommends the fullest possible expression clarifying that “although all members of the 
University community share in the responsibility for maintaining a climate of mutual respect, concerns about civility and mutual respect can never be used as a justification for closing off discussion of ideas;” and 
WHEREAS a clear institutional commitment to freedom of expression will enhance NEU’s reputation, support the academic freedom of faculty, enrich the educational experience of students, send a clear signal to the media, and uphold the University's mission as a global research university dedicated to teaching, discovery, and  engagement with society; 
BE IT RESOLVED that the Faculty Senate recommends that the Board of Trustees endorse the “Chicago Statement” at their next meeting.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that following a Board of Trustees endorsement, the administration, in consultation with Faculty Senate Leadership, establish a working group comprising faculty, administrative, and student representatives to: 

a) develop guidelines for implementing the principles of the “Chicago Statement” university-wide; 

b) develop an oversight or review mechanism, following shared governance norms, to ensure it serves its intended purpose of protecting open inquiry and intellectual pluralism;

c) steer the process towards implementation with target date of Spring 2027.

[1] Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), “2026 College Free Speech Rankings,” Published Online September 2025 (retrieved 19 September 2025): https://www.thefire.org/collegefree-speech-rankings 

[2] Northeastern University Faculty Senate Academic Freedom Ad Hoc Committee Report (April 2025), pg. 13-14 & appendix 7: https://faculty.northeastern.edu/senate/wpcontent/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/ReportAcademic-Freedom-Ad-Hoc-Committee-AFC-April-16- 2025.pdf

[3] “Fire Letter to Northeastern University,” from Aaron Corpora (FIRE, Program Officer, Campus Rights Advocacy) to Dean James R. Hackney (Northeastern University School of Law), 25 April 2025 (retrieved 19 September 2025): https://www.thefire.org/researchlearn/fire-letter-northeastern-university-april-25-2025

[4] 2025 Northeaster University All-faculty survey, question (Q276_1), Likert-type, 5-point confidence scale, M=2.20, N=289. (Appendix C). 

[5] FIRE “Chicago Statement: University and Faculty Body Support” (retrieved 19 September 2025): https://www.thefire.org/research-learn/report-committee-freedomexpression-university-chicagoseptember-22-201

WHEREAS Northeastern University is committed to experiential learning, interdisciplinary research, and the pursuit of knowledge through free and open inquiry, which requires robust protection of academic freedom and freedom of expression for all members of the university community; and 
WHEREAS Northeastern University articulates its protection of academic freedom and free expression in the Faculty Handbook; and 
WHEREAS the Faculty Handbook applies to only full-time faculty at NEU’s American campuses, because the Handbook does not cover part-time faculty and does not cover faculty at NEU’s Canadian and London campuses; and 
WHEREAS if the Board of Trustees endorses the Chicago Statement, as requested in Resolution 6, which would improve the free expression rights of all community members, there would remain important elements of academic freedom to be endorsed for faculty who are not covered by the Faculty Handbook; 
BE IT RESOLVED that next year’s Senate Agenda Committee shall assign to an appropriate committee the charge of researching how to improve academic freedom for faculty who are not covered by the Faculty Handbook.