lecturer

teaching assistant

research assistant

postdoctoral research associate

associate professor

Northeastern University

I recently had the opportunity to work at Northeastern University's Oakland campus, and while I was initially excited about the role, my experience raised several concerns that potential employees should be aware of.

Work Environment and Culture:
The campus is still integrating systems and processes from a recent acquisition, leading to significant administrative challenges. While some staff are doing their best under these circumstances, I found that concerns, especially from new employees, were often not adequately addressed. There seems to be a cultural disconnect, particularly within the HR department, where responses sometimes felt dismissive rather than supportive.

City and Safety Concerns:
Oakland, while a city with its unique charms and strengths, currently faces considerable safety challenges. These issues significantly impacted my daily work life and overall well-being. I believe more could be done by the institution to support staff navigating these challenges, especially those new to the area.

Disability Accommodation:
As an individual with disabilities, I found the campus's approach to accommodation lacking. The support systems and understanding necessary to create an inclusive environment for people with disabilities were not adequately in place during my tenure.

While Northeastern University has a strong reputation, my experience at the Oakland campus was that it currently falls short of the standards one might expect from such a prestigious institution. This review is not written with malice but as a caution and a call for necessary changes to ensure that future employees have a more positive and supportive experience.

The culture of distrust, coercion, and management by bullying is dysfunctional, demotivating, and demoralizing. They areis focused on the bottom line, not on educating students. When you’re working there, it’s all about figuring out how to “develop) read: make up” “graduate” classes to drive revenue.
The current president is focused on making NEU one of the “top 50” universities. To do this, there is a maniacal focus on test scores (e.g., SATs, SATs); there is internal competition amongst the different colleges to get the most students (the city sets a cap on the number of undergrads).
If someone doesn’t like you, you’ll be forced out (even if others love you); don’t cross the wrong person. Management lies and bullies people to leave – or fires them under bogus claims. The environment is coercive and manipulative to staff and professors; management flat out lies. And as one person said before – they watch your comings and goings, not just in advancement, but throughout.
While it’s nice to have free classes, I’ve been told that that benefit is going away. Salaries assume that you’ll (have the time to) take advantage of that “benefit.” Insurance benefits are decent, but the retirement matching program is horrible; you are nickel and dimed for everything – for example, parking is $1100 per year – and if you leave or no longer need it, you’re paying anyway.
I did like working with the work/study undergrads. Also, our office was very strict about working at least 8-5, and someone was watching when you came and went (it was OK to work until 7pm, but you don't leave at 4pm!)

Northeastern University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1898, it is known for its innovative academic programs, its strong co-op program, and its vibrant urban campus.

Academics: Northeastern offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs in a variety of fields, including engineering, business, computer science, and the humanities. The university is known for its rigorous academics and its focus on experiential learning. The co-op program is a hallmark of Northeastern education, and it allows students to gain valuable work experience in their field of study before they graduate.

Campus Life: Northeastern's campus is located in the heart of Boston, and it offers students a wealth of opportunities to get involved in campus life. There are more than 300 student organizations, as well as a variety of athletic teams and clubs. The city of Boston is also a great place to explore, and students can take advantage of all that the city has to offer, from museums and restaurants to parks and historical sites.

Costs and Financial Aid: Northeastern is a private university, and it has a high tuition rate. However, the university offers a generous financial aid program, and many students are able to receive scholarships and grants that help to make their education more affordable.

Overall: Northeastern University is a great option for students who are looking for a challenging academic experience and who want to gain valuable work experience before they graduate. The university's strong co-op program is a major advantage, and it can help students to stand out from the competition when they are looking for jobs after graduation.

A typical PMO Maturity rating is 4.0 (out of 5-best ) NU-PMO is a clear 1.5. The NU work week usually is laborious where cross functional teams have scares resources. NU is divided between Facilities and IT driven work, not a bipartisan effort at all. Contingent workers will be left in the dark a many critical parts operationally (how the school politics work). Full-time workers will be asked to work hard, little pay, smile and perpetuate stellar future. 

I've learned a lot about NU process and where it suceeds and fails. Working full-time, I can say there are 1 or 2 Managers good here, but upper Management is horrible. 

Work culture ...it is what you make it...you either "drink the cool-aid" or "stick to just water". They have a good remote work policy. There is a central "clicky group" (8 ppl out of 22) you will most likely not pentrate and they can do no wrong. Most of the worker bees are good people, but everyone bows to the leader..

Very hard in the given 3 months to figure out the job. The are "real folks" that understand the value of work, learning the job and no-one is working for themselves. Building professional relationships is the most enjoyable part or the job and there are at least opportunities to do so.
NU has the great potential to be the best workplace in Boston, but unfortunately personal behaviors get in the way and the University is moving to fast to concentrate on workplace development. 

I was recruited to come to Northeastern from a job I loved. I was sold on the notion that I would be in an environment full of innovation, entrepreneurialism, and professionalism. I have worked at five universities and have never worked somewhere that was so unprofessional, disorganized, mismanaged, and toxic. The work environment was entirely toxic (completely incompetent leadership who would literally throw childish temper tantrums), disorganized, and outdated. University leadership is entirely overpaid to be as incompetent as they are. The university actively exploits students and families by targeting acceptance schemes for unqualified students from families who can pay full tuition and overcharges for a very mediocre educational product. Students should think twice about coming to Northeastern - you will get a much better value education elsewhere. (Think about it - academically, what is Northeastern known for? Absolutely nothing...) And certainly reconsider working there. I regret ever working at Northeastern. It was the most stressful and toxic experience of my life and I don't wish it on anyone else. Most people I worked with felt the same and were actively searching for opportunities outside of the university. I could not leave quickly enough. 

 The staff and administrators at NU are top notch but unfortunately Your experience of this university will entirely depend on your boss. If you work supporting faculty there is likely a chance you will leave in a year or less.  The untouchable status of faculty is problematic at NU.  severe Behavioral problems with faculty are often swept under the rug by HR, many administrators are doing the work of assistant and associate directors without the recognition and so there is no promotion track for administrators unless you are willing to politically position yourself with faculty, ie, brown nosing. There are alot of middle management positions and assistant and associate director positions steeped in administration that need to be created - not only to provide promotion tracks for very skilled administrators but as a recrutiing tool to acquire employeees who can help streamline process to support the rapid expansion of this university.  If the University doesnt invest in these measures and continues to hire low level administrators to do the work of mid to high level directors and to cultivate a "faculty first" kind of culture then all the hard work of expansion will topple eventually as foundational work has yet to be invested upon

My internship experience was a wonderful and meaningful one. My main responsibilities were to organize the transportation of the women’s and men’s soccer, manage all home athletic events, generate and process contrasts, build scripts for men’s and women’s soccer and field hockey, pay officials and pay part-time staff and lastly, maintain accurate records for staff and event supervisor on game days. 
My internship experience taught me the importance of being organized which made this job a lot easier. My co-workers were amazing and also made my job easier; they were the reason why I wanted to come to work. The experience of working with them proved to me that having a staff that are willing to work together and cooperate with each other will always lead to their success and the success of the company. Working together would cause them to also reach heights they thought they never could. 
 
As in any job, there were challenges; I would say the hardest part for me initially was understanding the system but once I understood the system, it was very easy to work there. 
The most enjoyable part of the job in my opinion was managing teams. That experience was enjoyable because eveyone was nice, energetic and determined which also made my job so much easier.

A typical day would start at 6:45 a.m. opening up the facility in Brookline, MA. Then I would check emails as well as the log book to see what the night shift accomplished. Next I would walk around the facility and check the trees, plants, and grass to see what needed to be cut, watered, etc. After the maintenance work was done, I'd check the sports team schedule to see which teams were coming down and I would set up the facility accordingly.

I learned the ins and outs of what really went on. I played baseball at Northeastern, so I was always down at Parsons Field in Brookline. I thought I knew what went on, but I had no clue how many departments had to work together to coordinate an athletic facility.

Management is all over the map. Never quite fully understand what the department does and overextends the workers.

Co-workers were great.

Hardest part of the job was dealing with management and adjusting to the events/ sports games/ functions that were sprung on us with little notice and limited man power.

Most enjoyable part was working outside and taking care of a facility that meant a lot to me as a player and being able to appreciate all the things that were done for me by the workers while I was a player.

Northeastern is an ever growing entity with eyes on expanding.  A day in the student account world is different every day.  Typically, we are answering emails, managing our direct reports and working with students one on one. We have the opportunity to be part of the change at Northeastern and be on committees to make those changes. We are constantly trying to make things better and more efficient.  Everyone pulls together as a team at our peak times to make the student experience as seamless as possible. Being a manager, I tend to take on harder situations.  For example, if a student's parent passes away and they are not sure how they will pay for the term.  We  have to think creatively with those students who need additional support. Knowing your resources as well as your options. Professional judgement is key to my everyday work. Though these harder situations can be tough, the best days are working with these students until the end and seeing them succeed.  Being part of the process to help them. We have to have those hard conversations about debt, the goal is to have the student be in a place of success once they graduate, not in a hole they cannot escape from.  Everyday is something different.

I chose Northeastern University to earn my Bachelor's Degree in Theatre because I really liked the way that the Theatre program was structured here. Northeastern is known for it's Co-op program, which allows students to spend a semester working in their field of study in lieu of classes, which helps students get professional experience while still being enrolled as full-time students. In addition to this, I liked that Northeastern's Theatre department allowed student to earn a General Theatre degree, as opposed to being forced into focusing on either performance or production. I liked this because there are many aspects of theatre work that I am personally interested in perusing; design, construction, production, performance, and stage management. I liked that Northeastern, not only let me, but encouraged me to gain experience in all of my interests.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Lecturer 345 salaries reported	$2,329 per month
Teaching assistant 58 salaries reported	$22.66 per hour
Research assistant 19 salaries reported	$51,372 per year
Postdoctoral research associate 192 salaries reported	$71,597 per year
Associate professor 201 salaries reported	$134,405 per year

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