Westfield State University

Westfield State University
Westfield State University Logo
Former names
 Westfield Normal School
Westfield State Teachers College
Westfield College
Type Public
Established December 28, 1838
Endowment $6,201,245 (2014)[1]
President Ramon Torrecilha
Students 5,500 (total enrollment)
Undergraduates 4,900
Address 577 Western Avenue, Westfield, MA, Westfield, Massachusetts, United States of America
42°07′53″N 72°47′46″W / 42.131392°N 72.796005°W / 42.131392; -72.796005Coordinates: 42°07′53″N 72°47′46″W / 42.131392°N 72.796005°W / 42.131392; -72.796005
Campus Residential
Colors Blue, White and Gold
Nickname Owls
Mascot Nestor
Website westfield.ma.edu

Westfield State University (also known as Westfield State and formerly known as Westfield Normal School, Westfield State Teachers College, and Westfield College) is a comprehensive, coeducational, four-year public university in Westfield, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1838 by noted educator and social reformer Horace Mann as the first public co-educational college in America without barrier to race, gender, or economic class.

Rankings

Westfield State University ranks second among Massachusetts state university peers according to criteria reviewed in the 2018 edition of “Best Colleges” published by U. S. News & World Report. The 196 universities ranked in the “Regional University-North” category offer a full range of undergraduate programs and some master's programs but few doctoral programs. https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/regional-universities-north The university also ranked among the "Top Public Schools" in the region, #31 overall and second among Massachusetts state universities.

In a 2010 study on cost versus quality, MassINC reported that Westfield State ranked first among Massachusetts public and private institutions. MassINC reported that “given the relatively similar profile of incoming students to several other Massachusetts public colleges, the success of students obtaining their attempted degree (at Westfield State) is phenomenal.”

In 2013, WSU was ranked fourth nationally by US News in their Best Online Programs Honor Roll.[2] The rankings were based on factors such as graduation rates, indebtedness of new graduates, and academic and career support services offered to students. The Faculty Credentials & Training rank was #1 in the country, with a score of 92.6 on a 100-point scale and 11th in Student Services & Technology.[2]

Administration and organization

The University President is the day-to-day chief executive of the university, appointed by and responsible to the Board of Trustees, a group of 11 community and regional leaders, currently chaired by Steven Marcus, Class of 1988, the founder, president and CEO of New England Geriatrics. The President is assisted by a cabinet, composed of five vice presidents, who oversee Academic Affairs, Administration and Finance, Enrollment Management, Institutional Advancement and Student Affairs. The University is currently led by President Dr. Ramon S. Torrecilha, appointed December 1, 2015, by the Board of Trustees.

The longest standing forum on campus, the Student Government Association (SGA) consists of a 75-member legislature elected by the student body and an eight-member executive council, which represent each class and residence hall, commuters, WSU’s multicultural community and alumni and work in the interest of academic and social concerns.

A faculty of 238 full-time faculty and librarians include 135 tenured members. Eighty-seven percent of the faculty hold terminal degrees in their fields and the student-faculty ratio in the day division is 17 to 1. Fifteen percent of the faculty are persons of color.

Academics

Accreditation

Westfield State University has received accreditation by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. In addition, its teacher licensure programs are accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), and the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Educator Preparation and Quality. The Athletic Training program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE); The Health Fitness program by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) and the Social Work program by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Its music program is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), while the Computer Science program is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission (CAC) of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). WSU has also been designated as a Commonwealth of Massachusetts-accredited Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) training institution.

Majors and departments

Full and part-time programs lead to undergraduate bachelor’s and advanced degrees, including: the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Bachelor of Science, (B.S.), Bachelor of Social Work (B.S.W.), Bachelor of Special Education (B.S.E.), Master of Education (M.Ed.), Master of Science (M.S.), Master of Arts (M.A.), Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.), and Master of Social Work (M.S.W.).There are 31 undergraduate majors, 34 minors and 43 different concentrations at Westfield State University. New undergraduate majors include Nursing, Athletic Training, Spanish and Ethnic & Gender Studies and the newest graduate degree, a Master of Social Work. The highest enrolled majors are Criminal Justice, Business Management, Education, Psychology and Communication.

Graduate and continuing education

Westfield State University’s Division of Graduate and Continuing Education offers a variety of master's degrees and graduate certificates. Classes are offered on-campus and/or online. Graduate study, post-baccalaureate teacher licensure, and community education courses are offered. Master’s are offered in English, Applied Behavior Analysis, Education, Mental Health, School Guidance (Pre-K-8 and 5-12), Public Administration, Accountancy, Criminal Justice and Social Work. WSU also has Professional Licensure Degree Programs including those in Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, Physical Education, Secondary Biology, Middle School General Science, Secondary and Middle School History and Secondary and Middle School Mathematics.

Campus life

There are nine on-campus and one off-campus housing options and over 75 active student recreational, social and academic clubs and organizations. A number of programs of activities are provided by the honor societies at Westfield, they include: Alpha Phi Sigma (Criminal Justice), Kappa Delta Phi (Education), Lambda Iota Tau (Literature) Lambda Pi Eta (Communication Studies), Lambda Sigma (college service), Phi Alpha Theta (History), Phi Kappa Phi (superior scholarship in all disciplines), Pi Delta Phi (French), Pi Sigma Alpha (Political Science), Psi Chi (Psychology), Sigma Delta Pi (Spanish and Hispanic Culture), and Sigma Xi (Science and Engineering).

Athletics

Westfield State University received the Howard C. Smith Cup from the Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference in the spring of 2017 in recognition of the best athletics program in the state – the third consecutive time and 13th overall that the program has received in its history.

At Westfield State, 21 varsity teams compete in Division III of the NCAA, representing 13% of the student body. The Westfield State Owls, with mascot “Nestor,” meet the competition in the blue and white colors of the university.

The varsity intercollegiate teams for fall are field hockey and women's cross country, volleyball, golf and soccer, as well as football and men's cross country, golf and soccer. Winter teams include women's basketball, indoor track, and swimming and diving, as well as men’s basketball, ice hockey and indoor track, and coed cheering. The spring teams are softball, women's golf, lacrosse and track and field, as well as baseball, and men's golf and track and field.

Notable alumni

References

  1. ↑ "Westfield State University". U.S. News & World Report.
  2. 1 2 "Best Online Bachelor's Programs". U.S.News Education. U.S.News & World Report LP. 2012. Archived from the original on April 4, 2013.
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