Roux Institute

The Roux Institute is a graduate campus and research center affiliated with Northeastern University and located in Portland, Maine. After a year of development, the institute was announced by Northeastern on January 27, 2020, along with an announcement of a $100 million gift from David Roux and his wife, Barbara.[1]

Roux Institute
TypePrivate
Graduate campus
Established2020 (2020)
Parent institution
Northeastern University
Address
100 Fore Street
,
Portland
,
Maine
,
U.S.

43°39′42″N 70°14′49″W
CampusUrban
LanguageEnglish
Websiteroux.northeastern.edu

The Roux Institute is currently located in the WEX Inc. headquarters building in downtown Portland.[2] A new campus is under construction at the site of the former B&M Baked Beans factory, which is anticipated to open in 2027.[3]

In contrast to Northeastern's other regional campuses in Seattle and Burlington, Massachusetts, which primarily focus either on graduate education or advanced research, the Roux Institute engages in both.[1]

History

Planning

David Roux lived in Lewiston, Maine, in his youth, but found success outside the state, becoming a technology entrepreneur and investor and co-founder of Silver Lake.[4] However, Roux wanted to do more to promote the technology sector in Maine and began looking to partner with an existing university to increase research and education opportunities in the state. Beginning in 2019, Roux partnered with Northeastern University to develop the institute, agreeing to contribute $100 million towards its development and operations.[1] The Harold Alfond Foundation donated an additional $100 million in October 2020.[5]

Roux believed that the institute's success would hinge on three factors: a credible university partner, many corporate partners, and "a big pile of money." He termed this the "Maine Model" for how to replicate the successes of major technology hubs without the same kind of educational and financial capital found in those places.[6] Major Maine businesses including L.L.Bean, Bangor Savings Bank, Unum, The Jackson Laboratories, Wex, and Idexx Laboratories signed on to co-develop the institute's curriculum.[7]

Operation

Roux's inaugural class began in 2020 and graduated in 2022.[8]

Campus

The Roux Institute initially partnered with financial services provider Wex to utilize their headquarters building in downtown Portland to house the school.[2]

On August 30, 2021, a nonprofit called the Institute for Digital Engineering and Life Sciences announced it was acquiring the historic B&M Baked Beans factory at the mouth of Back Cove, with the intent of redeveloping the property into a campus for the Roux Institute.[9] An initial proposal for the campus on the site was met with criticism and was scaled back by 27%.[10]

According to the developers, the campus will feature public waterfront access as well as publicly-accessible paths and trails.[11] The 13.5-acre campus will include the baked bean factory, which is frequently described as an "iconic" part of the city, while the other buildings on the site have been demolished. In addition to academic buildings, a hotel and residential dwellings will be built on the campus.[12]

Reception

Inside Higher Ed's Lindsay McKenzie wrote that Maine's public universities "perhaps surprisingly" welcomed the announcement of the Roux Institute. Joan Ferrini-Mundy, president of the University of Maine, said the two universities would develop "pathways programs" as the first step towards a deeper partnership. Most of Maine's colleges and universities are primarily undergraduate-oriented, which McKenzie wrote could mean opportunities for those colleges to provide potential students for the Roux Institute.[13]

See also

References
  1. Thomsen, Ian (January 27, 2020). "Northeastern partners with entrepreneur David Roux to launch the Roux Institute at Northeastern in Portland, Maine". Northeastern Global News. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  2. Hoey, Dennis (June 17, 2020). "New graduate school and research center finds home on Portland's waterfront". Press Herald. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  3. "Roux Campus Community | Info". www.rouxcampusportland.org. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  4. "Envisioner, investor". The Jackson Laboratory. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  5. Thomsen, Ian (October 8, 2020). "Northeastern's Roux Institute receives a 'phenomenal investment' from the Harold Alfond Foundation". Northeastern Global News. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  6. "Can the "Maine Model" Bring the Innovation Economy to the Rest of America?". Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  7. Kelley, Michael (February 4, 2020). "Local employers eager for Roux Institute launch". Press Herald. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  8. Mello-Klein, Cody (June 10, 2022). "The future of Maine is now with Roux Institute at Northeastern graduates". Northeastern Global News. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  9. "Iconic B&M Baked Beans factory to be sold, turned into Roux Institute campus". WMTW. August 30, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  10. Bousquet, Carol (June 8, 2022). "Roux Institute campus development plan for B&M site scaled back after neighborhood outcry". Maine Public. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  11. "Roux Campus Community | Roux Campus". www.rouxcampusportland.org. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  12. Ellis, Colin (September 7, 2022). "Roux Institute provides up-close look at its hoped-for Portland campus | The Portland Phoenix". Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  13. McKenzie, Lindsay. "Northeastern Expands Into Maine". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
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