Gov. Deval Patrick of Massachusetts has signed into law a bill to rename the state’s six public colleges as universities, according to reports in The Boston Globe and The Republican, a newspaper in Springfield. The colleges at Bridgewater, Fitchburg, Framingham, Salem, Westfield, and Worcester will officially become universities when the measure takes effect this fall, and will join three specialized institutions in a new “state university” segment that will remain separate from the University of Massachusetts system. The legislation does not create any new programs and does not change the former colleges’ teaching mission. Supporters say the name change will help the institutions earn more grants and draw more applicants. Critics have dismissed the legislation as a “feel good” measure that will do little to improve the quality of education.
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5 Responses to 6 State Colleges Become Universities in Massachusetts
duchess_of_malfi - July 29, 2010 at 10:55 am
From the news article in the last link:”Rep. Sean F. Curran, D-Springfield, said he voted in support of the bill because the ‘university’ title is widely recognized as a standard of educational excellence.’It adds a little bit of cache to our state colleges,’ Curran said.”The spelling is probably the reporter’s, but it nicely illustrates the story.
willynilly - July 29, 2010 at 11:02 am
How much money did the Comminwealth give these six state colleges to upgrade their libraries, in terms of physical space and in the variety and size (volumes) of their respective collections so as to meet University Library Standards? Also, can the readers have a list of the graduate programs now offered by these six colleges and a corresponding list of the graduate programs that will be offered when their University status commences. Graduate programs have been one of the several discriminators that have historically shaped the respective definition of a College vrs a University.
rmelton5 - July 29, 2010 at 1:10 pm
Doesn’t Massachusetts realize that all this does is water down the already weak reputation of the existing state-supported universities in the commonwealth? I mean, UMass Boston or UMass Amherst are hardly research powerhouses, much less any other UMasses that I’ve never even heard of.
12094444 - July 29, 2010 at 1:56 pm
Poor Dartmouth. Just imagine the prestige Thayer or DMS could gain if University could be substituted for college. And William and Mary need to stop playing second fiddle to UVA by immediately changing its name to university.
beaux - July 29, 2010 at 3:58 pm
To directly refute remlton’s inaccurate assessment, a few facts are necessary. UMass Amherst is one of only 63 public insitutions in the nation to warrante designation by the Carnegie Foundation as a “very high research activity” institution, and last year brought in $130 million in sponsored research. Here’s a more detailed news release to set the record straight:http://www.umass.edu/loop/talkingpoints/articles/105340.php