Richard Middleton Freeland (born May 13, 1941, in Orange, New Jersey) was president of Northeastern University from 1996 to 2006 and served as the Commissioner of Higher Education for Massachusetts from 2008 until 2015.
Freeland grew up in Mountain Lakes, New Jersey, and was a 1959 graduate of Mountain Lakes High School; he was inducted into the school's hall of fame in 2014. He was granted a bachelor's degree in American Studies from Amherst College and a doctorate in American Civilization from the University of Pennsylvania.
Freeland is married to Elsa Nunez, and has two children. Freeland's maternal grandmother Georgie Boynton Child was the author of The Efficient Kitchen: Definite Directions for the Planning, Arranging, and Equipping of the Modern Labor Saving Kitchen; A Practical Book for the Homemaker (1914)
During Freeland's tenure, Northeastern University went through major institutional changes, including becoming a more selective institution, moving to semesters from quarters, and the opening of over $400 million worth of new facilities.
Educational positions
Clark University – Worcester (2007–2009) Mosakowski Professor of Higher Education University of Massachusetts Boston (1970–1992) Assistant to the president Assistant to the chancellor Director of the Office of Educational Planning Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences City University of New York (1992–1996) Vice chancellor for academic affairs Northeastern University President (1996–2006) Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Higher Education Commissioner of Higher Education (2008–2015)
Other positions
Vice-chair, board of trustees for the Boston Plan for Excellence
Director, American Council on Education
Director, Boston Museum Project
Director, Boston Private Industry Council
Director, Globe Newspaper Corporation
Director, Jobs for Massachusetts
Governing board member, John Adams Innovation Institute
Member of the board of trustees, WGBH
President, board of governors in the World Association of Cooperative Education
Books
The Truman Doctrine and the Origins of McCarthyism (1972) Academia's Golden Age: Universities in Massachusetts, 1945-1970 (1992)