Northeastern U's Seattle Branch To Open In Jan. Near Amazon

When he visited Seattle last week, the president of Northeastern University took pains to explain why the Northwest's largest city — some 2,500 miles and three times zones away — was a logical site for a private research institution in Boston to open a branch campus.

"Why Seattle?" asked Joseph Aoun. "Because we like the fact that Seattle is a very vibrant urban center. It has industries that are very prominent, industries of the future."

In January, Northeastern University will open a storefront campus across the street from one of Amazon's many South Lake Union sites, in the same building as the Institute for Systems Biology. It will offer only graduate-degree programs, taught both online and on-site.

Northeastern's move — it also has opened a branch campus in Charlotte, N.C. — has created a bit of a buzz among education watchers.