Worcester State University

For other "Worcester Colleges," see Worcester College (disambiguation).
Worcester State University
Type Public
Established 1874
Endowment $22.998 million (2014)[1]
President Barry M. Maloney
Provost Lois Wims
Dean Linda Larrivee (Dean of the School of Education, Health, and Natural Sciences), Jane O’Brien Friederichs (Interim Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences), Roberta Kyle (Dean of the Division of Graduate and Continuing Education), Julie Kazarian (Dean of Students and Chief Student Affairs Officer)
Academic staff
211 full-time, 306 part-time
Undergraduates 5,563
Postgraduates 787
Location Worcester, MA, US
42°16′03″N 71°50′38″W / 42.267586°N 71.843760°W / 42.267586; -71.843760Coordinates: 42°16′03″N 71°50′38″W / 42.267586°N 71.843760°W / 42.267586; -71.843760
Campus Urban, 58 acres (0.2 km²)
Colors

     Royal Blue

     Gold
Mascot Lancers
Affiliations AAC&U, AASCU, NEASC, NCAA Division III, MASCAC, NEFC, Higher Education Consortium of Central Massachusetts
Website www.worcester.edu/

Worcester State University is an American liberal arts and sciences university located in Worcester, Massachusetts.

History

In 1874, The Worcester Normal School was founded by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as a teacher-training school. The school started offering Bachelor of Science in Education degrees in 1921. In 1932, the name was changed to Worcester State Teachers College and relocated to its present location on Chandler Street. The university offered its first graduate degree, the Master of Science in Education, in 1952. In 1963, its name was changed to Worcester State College since it had transitioned to include studies in liberal arts and sciences.[2] Worcester State's Graduate School was founded in 1974, and today it offers 27 master's degrees, post-baccalaureate certificates, and advanced graduate study certificates. In July 2010, both the Massachusetts House of Representatives and Senate voted to grant the school state university status and change its name to Worcester State University. The measure was signed into law by former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick on July 28, 2010. In January 2010, the University was divided into two schools: the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, and the School of Education, Health and Natural Sciences.

The School of Humanities and Social Sciences comprises the departments of Business Administration and Economics, Communication, Criminal Justice, English, History and Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Urban Studies, Visual and Performing Arts, and World Languages. The School of Education, Health and Natural Sciences comprises the departments of Biology, Chemistry, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Computer Science, Education, Health Science, Mathematics, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, and Physical and Earth Sciences.

Campus Buildings

Shaughnessy Administration Building: The Helen G. Shaughnessy Administration Building, built in 1932, houses the Academic Success Center, Admissions Office, Academic Affairs Office, Bursar’s Office, Financial Aid Office, Academic Success Center, One Card Office, President’s Office, and additional administrative offices. It received LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. It was named for Helen G., Class of 1943, who was an active and loyal member of the university community for more than 60 years.

Ghosh Science and Technology Center: The Ghosh Science and Technology Center, opened in 2000, features offices, labs and classrooms for the health sciences, natural sciences, and computer science programs. Labs are equipped with cellular and molecular biology instrumentation, nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer, atomic absorption spectrophotometer, scanning electron microscope, robots, GIS, centrifuges, a Cary UV-VIS spectrophotometers, Nicolet IR spectrophotometers, HPLC, Bruker 300 MHz NMR, gas chromatography, Varian GC-MS spectrophotometer, magnetic susceptibility balance, Perkin Elmer atomic absorption spectrophotometer, and analytical and preparative balances. The building also houses The Gallery at Worcester State University. It was named for Dr. Kalyan K. Ghosh, the university's ninth president.

Sullivan Academic Center: The Sullivan Academic Center, first opened in 1965 and renovated in 1980, houses a number of academic departments and classrooms. It was rechristened the Dr. Eugene A. Sullivan Building in 1980 in honor of the university's fifth president.

Student Center: The Student Center is a place for the entire campus community to go. The first floor has a Snack Bar and dining area, a bookstore, information desk, and a print center. It also has places for meetings and programs such as North/South Auditorium, Blue Lounge, Exhibit Area, and One Lancer Place. The second floor has the Student Center/Student Activities office, Commuter Services/Weekend Programming, and Disability Services. It also has small meeting rooms like; WSUR Radio Station, the main commuter lounge, and The Living Room. The third floor has multiple Student Affairs offices including the vice president of Student Affairs, Career Services, Counseling Office, Dining Services, Judicial Affairs, and Multicultural Affairs. Student organization offices are also on this floor and the main cafeteria is also there.

Learning Resource Center: The Learning Resource Center (library), completed in 1971, is the central repository of reference and research materials and includes a café and study areas. The library has flexible hours during the week, and shortened hours on the weekend. Students can access the library’s catalog from home, and from anywhere on campus, making it easier to find books and information for research. Its drum shape was touted as providing a "spokes of a wheel" design for reference and borrowed material. The first floor of the library was renovated in 2010 and construction of a new metal overclad to the building's exterior was completed in 2013.

Residence Halls: WSU’s residence halls – Dowden Hall, Chandler Village, Sheehan Hall, and Wasylean Hall – house 1,600 students.

Sagamore Campus: WSU's visual art classes are held in studios at the Sagamore Campus, also known as the Worcester Center for Crafts.

Wellness Center: The university is building a wellness center to replace its old gym built in 1958. It is anticipated to be open in Spring 2016. The new complex will feature a competition gymnasium, two-court, multi-purpose gymnasium, walking track, two-floor fitness center, three multi-functional exercise rooms, golf simulator and community space.

Athletics


Worcester State University Athletics is a Division III member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC).

The Worcester State University athletic department currently sponsors men's intercollegiate baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, ice hockey, indoor and outdoor track and field, and soccer, and women's intercollegiate basketball, cheerleading, cross country, field hockey, indoor and outdoor track and field, lacrosse, soccer, softball, tennis, and volleyball. Intramural sports offered at WSU include coed soccer, coed flag football, street hockey, dodgeball, wiffle ball, floor hockey, stickball, indoor soccer, ultimate, and softball.

Awards

Notable alumni

References

External links

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