After more than a year of restricted access on campus, the Westfield State University Nest has reawakened with students, faculty, and staff, as community members have arrived on Western Avenue for the fall semester, with health and safety precautions and protocols in place.
Opening Week events—held Sept. 1-3—included drop-in coffee gatherings with President Linda Thompson, an Opening Day BBQ, town hall meetings for Academic Affairs, accreditation, and general education reform; and a nature walk.
“The excitement to all be together again was palpable throughout our opening events,” said President Thompson, who, like the members of the Class of 2025, is new to campus.
As one of our newest Owls, President Thompson addressed faculty, librarians, and staff at the Opening Day reception on Sept. 1, enjoyed frozen yogurt on the Campus Green with the Class of 2025 after Move-in Day on Aug. 26, and enjoyed meeting many students, faculty, librarians, and staff for the first time at a variety of programs and events.
Snapshot of Class of 2025
The newest members of the community were welcomed to campus Aug. 26 when first-year and transfer students moved into the residence halls. “Welcome to the Nest” activities, team building, and events helped to orient the new students to their new home away from home.
Among the 835 first-year members of the Class of 2025 are 106 Honors Program participants and 13 former Westfield Promise students. Approximately 55 percent identified as female, 40 percent as male, and 15 percent as either non-binary or did not respond.
Ten percent of first-year students are from out-of-state, from as far away as Nevada, and nearly 78 percent are living on campus, and 23 percent are students of color.
The University also welcomed 219 transfer students, including 11 percent from outside Massachusetts and 30.5 percent students of color, with 37 percent residing on campus.
The top majors among all new students are criminal justice, undeclared/exploratory, business, education, and psychology.