Others said that Harvard would encounter at least some competition because of the new initiative.
“Northeastern’s a wonderful school—my wife works there. Of course there will be competition,”said Charles D. Stiles, professor of microbiology and molecular genetics at Harvard Medical School.
But Stiles pointed out that Northeastern is just one of many complicating factors that Harvard will face in hiring faculty members.
He cited a decrease in the availability of research grants and a stiffer budget for the National Institutes of Health.
Even with tens of millions of dollars aimed at recruiting new faculty, Abdelal says that Northeastern is not looking to compete with Harvard.
“I think it is fair to say that Harvard and MIT are at one level by themselves,” he said. “I think it is fine for Harvard to be at the top of the institutions in the country, but we want to strengthen our undergraduate and graduate programs nationally.”
—Staff writer Risheng Xu can be reached xu4@fas.harvard.edu.