Westfield State University

Westfield State University (Westfield State) is a public university in Westfield, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1838 by Horace Mann as the first public co-educational college in America without barrier to race, gender, or economic class.[2]

Westfield State University
Westfield State University Logo
Former names
Westfield Normal School
Westfield State Teachers College
Westfield State College
TypePublic
EstablishedDecember 28, 1838 (1838-12-28)
Endowment$6,201,245 (2014)[1]
PresidentRoy Saigo (interim)
Students5,500 (total enrollment)
Undergraduates4,900
Location
Westfield
,
Massachusetts
,
United States

42.131392°N 72.796005°W / 42.131392; -72.796005
CampusResidential
ColorsBlue, White and Gold
     
NicknameOwls
AffiliationsCooperating Colleges of Greater Springfield
MascotNestor
Websitewestfield.ma.edu

Rankings

In 2013, WSU was ranked fourth nationally by US News in their Best Online Programs Honor Roll.[3] WSU was also ranked first in the country for "Faculty Credentials & Training" and eleventh in "Student Services & Technology".[3]

Academics

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.), Master of Social Work (M.S.W.) and newly Physician Assistant Studies (M.S.). There are 31 undergraduate majors, 34 minors, and 43 different concentrations at Westfield State University.[4]

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.

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.

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
See also: List of Westfield State Owls head football coaches

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. http://www.westfield.ma.edu/about
  3. "Best Online Bachelor's Programs". U.S.News Education. U.S.News & World Report LP. 2012. Archived from the original on April 4, 2013.
  4. http://www.westfield.ma.edu/academics
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