In my 34-year association with Westfield State, I cannot remember a time when there was so much good news on campus to celebrate all at once.
In the past six months, in addition to watching the $33 million Science and Innovation Center take shape (Pages 18-19), we also have had the pleasure of welcoming a new president (Page 5) and the joy in accepting an unprecedented million dollar gift to the University (Pages 16, 17).
We have the first-ever descendant of our founder, Horace Mann, in our student body, poised to graduate next year. And we have a new giving mechanism—the Horace Mann Legacy Society—developed by the leaders of the Westfield State University Foundation to recognize those who have made planned gifts to the University (Page 11). We also continually enhance the University’s dedication to research-based education.
Yes, there is an overwhelmingly positive rise of energy and enthusiasm on campus—the kind that makes you want to pick up the phone and share Westfield State stories, or post them on Facebook and other social media. In fact, many students, faculty, staff, and alumni are doing that!
There is so much good news circulating that we blended the Faculty and On Campus sections to maximize our capacity to tell the stories of:
- Catherine Dower, Ph.D., professor emerita of music history and literature, and a philanthropist who donated $1 million to the University, the largest single gift in our history, to establish the Catherine Dower Center for the Performing & Fine Arts.
- Tyler Cook ’16, a student who transferred in from Greenfield Community College and has been transformed by the kind of passion for the arts that Dr. Dower inspired through her time here and her continued connection.
- Kayla Rosenbeck ’16, a descendant of educator and social reformer Horace Mann, who is committed to his legacy and to the importance of education.
In this issue, we also pay tribute to Westfield State’s accomplishments worlds away in our feature on seven alumni who are living and working around the world, (including Anne Edwards ’87, who I danced with in the Musical Theater Guild, Pages 14, 15).
The most exuberant kudos for campus advancements go to Elizabeth Preston, Ph.D., interim president for the past several years, as she turns the reins of the University over to Ramon Torrecilha, Ph.D., a lifelong educator with a focus on supporting students.
It is Dr. Preston and the University’s Board of Trustees who have been in the lead as recent events have unfolded. Thank you for your tireless and dedicated service.
And a heartfelt welcome to Dr. Torrecilha, whose reputation assures he can carry on this stellar tradition. We are all excited you are here, and we look forward to telling your stories of University transformation as they unfold.
