D\u2019Amore-McKim School of Business, or DMSB, Dean David De Cremer and College of Engineering, or COE, Dean Gregory Abowd will leave their positions July 1, according to internal emails obtained by The Huntington News.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Beth Winkelstein<\/a> announced Jan. 12 in an email to DMSB faculty and staff that De Cremer has a \u201cserious medical issue that necessitates extended medical leave.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIn consultation with his doctors and family, Dean De Cremer has made the decision to step down from the Dunton Family Deanship effective July 1, 2026,\u201d the email reads.\u00a0<\/p>\n Deputy Dean Rajesh Aggarwal, who joined<\/a> Northeastern in 2014 as a professor of finance and started as deputy dean in 2024, is currently serving in the interim role while De Cremer is on leave.\u00a0<\/p>\n An email Winkelstein sent Jan. 13 to COE faculty and staff announcing Abowd\u2019s departure, obtained by The News, did not specify the reason for his exit.\u00a0<\/p>\n Abowd joined the university in 2021 after 26 years as a faculty member at Georgia Institute of Technology. As the 11th highest-paid employee at the university, Abowd was compensated $687,080 in the 2024 fiscal year, according to Northeastern\u2019s Form 990<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Winkelstein thanked Abowd and wished him success in future endeavors.<\/p>\n \u201cOver the coming weeks, I will share more information about the next steps regarding the launch of a global search and interim leadership for COE, if needed, until such time as the search is concluded,\u201d the email from Winkelstein reads.<\/p>\n In response to a request for comment, Northeastern\u2019s media relations department said the university \u201cdoes not comment on personnel matters.\u201d<\/p>\n A week after Winkelstein announced De Cremer\u2019s departure, faculty senate representatives emailed DMSB faculty on Jan. 22, offering them the opportunity to view a report detailing faculty approval ratings compiled by the senate\u2019s Administrator Evaluation Oversight Committee. The committee, which was made up of Northeastern faculty members outside of DMSB, developed an overall evaluation of De Cremer as a part of his third-year review.\u00a0<\/p>\n The report, obtained by The News, details the results of an anonymous questionnaire sent to DMSB faculty Oct. 2 measuring their opinions on the dean. When asked whether De Cremer should remain in his current position, only 31% of 126 respondents answered yes. Of the remaining respondents, 47% said no, 21.6% answered \u201cNot sure\u201d and 7.8% did not respond to the question.<\/p>\n