Roux Institute welcomes first class as it prepares for move to WEX building in Portland
Screen shot / Roux Institute
Northeastern University President Joseph A. Auon and Maine Gov. Janet Mills addressed the Roux Institute's inaugural class in Tuesday's online ceremony.
Northeastern University's Roux Institute on Monday welcomed its inaugural class of 76 graduate students, eight months after the Boston school unveiled plans to transform Portland into an "innovation hub" focused on technology and life sciences.
The institute has been growing steadily with the recent addition of six employer partners, bringing the total to 16, who are developing curriculum and research initiatives and actively helping people in the workforce adapt to the changing economy.
Since July, the institute has been instructing 47 employees in subjects such as analytics, project management and virtual health care, through courses created and paid for by their employers.
Classes in graduate and certificate programs will be taught remotely until October. That’s when the Roux Institute plans to open its headquarters at 100 Fore St., Portland, in a building operated by corporate payments firm WEX Inc. (NYSE: WEX), a founding corporate partner. Classes will be available both in-person and remotely via Hybrid NUflex from the new space.
In Tuesday evening's ceremony, students were greeted by Northeastern University President Joseph A. Aoun, Gov. Janet Mills and U.S. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine.
“It is clear that Portland and Maine are poised to take advantage of the changes happening in the world,” Aoun told the group. “They need talent. And we are here to support whatever you want to do. The opportunities are limitless.”
Making a pitch for Maine as a safe place to live during the pandemic, Mills said, “We have a lot to offer here.”
In pre-recorded remarks. King celebrated the sense of opportunity that the institute is creating during turbulent economic times.
“I just can’t stress enough what an amazing chance this is,” he said. “I believe the Roux Institute is going to turn into one of the most important institutions in Maine, and you’re going to have the chance to help mold its culture and its future by being the first cohort of students.”
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