Framingham State University

Framingham State University
Motto	Discover. Achieve. Succeed.
Established	1839
Type	Public
President	Timothy J. Flanagan
Dean	Melinda K. Stoops
Admin. staff	167 full-time, 86 part-time
Students	5,903
Undergraduates	3,828
Postgraduates	2,075
Location	Framingham, MA, USA 42.297742°N 71.436598°W / 42.297742; -71.436598
Campus	Suburban, 73 acres (0.3 km²)
Colors	Black and Gold
Mascot	Ram
Affiliations	NCAA Division III, New England Football Conference
Website	http://www.framingham.edu

Framingham State University (FSU) is located in Framingham, Massachusetts, 20 miles (32 km) from Boston. It offers undergraduate programs in a range of subjects from Art to Biology to Communication Arts, and graduate programs including MBA, MEd, and MSc. The school also has undergraduate degree evening programs along with online courses.

History

Cyrus Peirce, first president

As the first secretary of the newly created Board of Education in Massachusetts, Horace Mann instituted sweeping school reforms. A centerpiece of these changes was the creation of an experimental normal school, the first one in the United States, in Lexington, with Cyrus Peirce as its first principal or president. A companion was opened the next year in Bridgewater. Growth forced the normal school's relocation to West Newton in 1843, followed a decade later by a move to the present site on Bare Hill in Framingham.

In 1922, the Framingham Normal School granted its first Bachelor of Science in Education degrees in conjunction with a four-year study program. Ten years afterward, with degreed teachers becoming the norm, the normal schools were renamed State Teachers Colleges. This was changed again in 1960 to the State College at Framingham when Bachelor of Arts degrees were added. At present, Masters' of Education, Arts, and Science degrees are granted as well. In 2007 the college began offering the Master's of Business education degree. In July 2010, the State Legislature granted several state colleges the choice to become state universities, unaffiliated with the University of Massachusetts system. Framingham State College was one of the colleges that chose university status and changed its name to Framingham State University. The measure was signed into law by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick on July 28, 2010.

Timeline of name changes

The school has had several names in the past:

• 1839 opened as the Normal School;
• 1845 designated State Normal School;
• 1932 became State Teacher's College at Framingham';
• 1960 became State College at Framingham; and
• 1968 became Framingham State College;
• 2010 became Framingham State University.

Campus

May Hall, 19th century architectural rendering

The 73-acre campus is located in Framingham, Massachusetts. Six newly-renovated University residence halls house over 1,500 students.

The Henry Whittemore Library has over 200,000 volumes wifi, and access to over 70,000 electronic journals.

Sustainability

In 2007, the school signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment. That year, Executive Order No. 484 also required reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption for all state agencies and institutions. It madates greenhouse gas emission reductions of 80% by the year 2050. In 2010, the school adopted a plan to convert its heating plant to natural gas and to convert its central chilled water plant to electric chillers.

For the second year in a row, Framingham State University was named a "Green College" by the Princeton Review in a 2011 publication. FSU was one of 22 schools in Massachusetts to receive the distinction, and one of 311 nationwide.

Organization

FSU is led by an eleven member Board of Trustes. The governor appoints nine trustees to five-year terms, renewable once. The SSU Alumni Association elects one for a single five-year term. Finally, the student body elects one student trustee for a one year term. In addition to five full board meetings each year, which are open to the public, the board also meets in standing committees.

The University’s annual budget is $105 million, and has 775 full and part-time employees.

Academics

FSU has offered online courses since 1998.

Undergraduate Majors

• Art History
• Art Studio
• Biology
• Business Administration
• Business and Information Technology
• Chemistry
• Communications Arts
• Computer Science
• Early Childhood Education
• Elementary Education
• English
• Fashion Design and Retailing
• Food and Nutrition
• Food Sciences
• Geography
• Health and Consumer Sciences
• History
• Interdisciplinary (Coordinate Education Major)
• Mathematics
• Modern Languages
• Nursing
• Politics
• Psychology
• Sociology

Undergraduate Minors

• American Studies
• Apparel Design
• Art History
• Art Studio
• Biochemistry
• Biology
• Business Administration
• Chemistry
• Communication Arts
• Computer Science
• Consumer and Community Services
• Earth Science
• Economics
• English
• Food Science
• French
• Gender Studies
• Geography
• Geology
• History
• Information Technology
• Journalism
• Latin American Studies
• Law and Politics
• Mathematics
• Museum Studies
• Music
• Nutrition
• Philosophy
• Physics
• Professional Writing
• Psychology
• Secondary Education
• Sociology
• Spanish
• Statistics
• Writing

Graduate Majors

• Master of Business Administration (MBA)
• Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology
• Master of Arts in Educational Leadership
• Master of Arts in Health Care Administration
• Master of Arts in Human Resource Management
• Master of Arts in Public Administration
• Master of Education in Art
• Master of Education in Curriculum & Instructional Technology
• Master of Education in Early Childhood Education
• Master of Education in Elementary Education
• Master of Education in English
• Master of Education in History
• Master of Education in Literacy and Language
• Master of Education in Mathematics
• Master of Education in Nutrition Education
• Master of Education in Spanish
• Master of Education in Special Education
• Master of Education in The Teaching of ESL
• Master of Science in Food and Nutrition concentration in Coordinated Program in Dietetics
• Master of Science in Food and Nutrition concentration in Food Science and Nutrition Science
• Master of Science in Food and Nutrition concentration in Human Nutrition: Education and Media Technologies
• Master of Science in Nursing(MSN)concentration in Nursing Education
• Master of Science in Nursing(MSN)concentration in Nursing Leadership

Undergraduate Degree Evening Program

• Bachelor of Arts in English
• Bachelor of Arts in History
• Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies
• Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
• Bachelor of Arts in Sociology
• Bachelor of Science in Business Administration
• Bachelor of Science in Business and Information Technology
• Bachelor of Science in Computer Science

Post Baccalaureate Programs

• Pre-Health Studies Certificate Program
• Teacher Licensure Program (PBTL)

Certificate Programs

Undergraduate

• Computer Programming Languages
• Information Technology Fluency
• Network and System Administration and Management
• Software Engineering

Graduate

• Children's Literature
• Human Resource Management
• Instructional Technology Proficiency
• Merchandising
• Nursing Education
• Nutrition Education
• STEM Education
• Sustainable Development and Policy

Rankings

As of 2010, stateuniversity.com gave Framingham State an overall score of 81.59%, making it the 744th best college in the nation, and 39th best in Massachusetts.

Student Life

FSU has an Office of Student Involvement and Leadership Development.

Clubs

Through work with the Office of Student Involvement and Leadership Development and the Student Government Association, students have formed many clubs and organizations both recreational and academic in nature. There are many clubs on campus including the Gaming Club, the Anime Club, the Wildlife Club, the Black Student Union, the Catholic Newman Association, 91.3 FM WDJM Framingham State University Radio, History Club and many others.

Clubs can be created by groups of students with interest in an area that has not yet been explored by another club. For example, the Gaming Club was created due to a lack of social structure for gamers. Since the founding, however, it has grown to be a very popular and successful club rivaling some of the older recreational groups on campus.

There is a club on campus that can cater to anyone attending, and assuming there is no club, it is possible for someone with ambition to create their own. However, the campus is fairly small with a very small population of students and therefore many existing clubs have branched to include many different topics and fields of study.

Athletics

All Framingham State University teams compete at the NCAA Division III level. All teams compete in the Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference (MASCAC). Men's programs include baseball, cross country, football, basketball, ice hockey, and soccer. Women's programs include cross country, lacrosse, softball, basketball, field hockey, soccer, and volleyball. All teams compete on campus, except for the baseball and softball teams who play on fields off campus, as well as the ice hockey team who skates at the Loring Arena in Framingham. FSU also offers a wide variety of intramural programs that include everything from badminton, to golf, to dodgeball. There is also a state-of-the-art athletic and recreation center that includes basketball courts, a volleyball court, and a weight room.

In 2007, the women's soccer team was awarded the prestigious NCAA Sportsmanship Award.

Notable Alumni

• Olivia A. Davidson, co-founder of Tuskegee Institute and wife of Booker T. Washington
• Christa McAuliffe (Class of 1970), who was on her way to becoming the first teacher in space before being killed in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. There is a center at the college dedicated to her.
• Brian J. Moran, Chair of the Democratic Party of Virginia
• Ruth Graves Wakefield, inventor of the chocolate chip cookie

See also

• Framingham State University Ecumenical Center

External links

• Framingham State University
• 150 Years in Framingham - includes a history of the college, information on past presidents, photos.
• Christa Corrigan McAuliffe Center for Education and Teaching Excellence
• John Stalker Institute of Food and Nutrition