Northeastern’s campus in Arlington, Virginia, the latest addition to its expanding global university system, will give the university a foothold in the Washington, D.C., area, one of the fastest growing regions in the U.S.

Located in the Rosslyn neighborhood, the campus will welcome its first cohort of graduate students virtually this fall, with plans to open for in-person instruction in spring 2023. The initial focus of the campus will be on security, resiliency and technology, matching the political and economic drivers of Northern Virginia and D.C. 

Mary Ludden, Northeastern’s senior vice president for global network and strategic initiatives, says the campus will take advantage of its proximity to the nation’s capital and the many defense and tech industry leaders in the region through strategic partnerships.

“Based on what we have learned from our partners, much of our programming focuses on resiliency,” Ludden says. “We’ll have engineering and computer science, fields that are evolving at a pace in which our partners need an educational and research partner that can keep up with their needs and the demands of those areas.”

When the campus fully opens in the spring, there will be a floor dedicated to research and a floor dedicated to learning, with opportunities for collaboration between the two.

At the heart of the Arlington campus is the co-mingling of the public and private sectors through partnerships with government entities, industry leaders and the community. The university’s vision for the campus is epitomized in Jamie Jones Miller, the dean of the Arlington campus. 

Prior to joining Northeastern, Jones Miller worked on Capitol Hill and for the Department of Defense as principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for legislative affairs. Now she aims to offer an innovative opportunity for students that will meld government, industry and academia in a way that benefits the National Capital Region.

“My dream is that our engagement in the National Capital Region is going to yield a high performing workforce that’s equipped to solve significant global problems and contribute to better outcomes for government and industry,” Jones Miller says.

The crossover between the public and private sectors is something that Ludden, who was born in D.C. and spent 20 years supporting federal healthcare initiatives through her work with Anthem, is also very familiar with.

“I have an affinity and a real respect for what the public sector delivers to so many of us on a day in and day out basis and the challenges they face,” Ludden says. “To be able to partake and participate in supporting some of the largest organizations, both private and public, in a place that’s so powerful in its legacy of service is really exciting.”

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