As Westfield State celebrates its 175th anniversary, I think of how proud our founder Horace Mann would be of his creation today.
Called the “Father of the American Public Education,” Mann accomplished much in his lifetime, but his prime legacy was to convince people that public education was a public good that should be publicly funded. He truly believed that education was the birth-right of every child, and he founded Westfield State in 1838 as “The People’s College,” the first public institution of higher learning in America without barrier to race, gender or economic class.
What growth and success our school has had, since our first class of eight men and eight women began their studies at the Normal School at Barre, the forerunner to Westfield State. Now, the university boasts an enrollment of over 6,400 undergraduate and graduate students doing coursework in 31 undergraduate academic majors, 8 graduate programs, 41 concentrations and 38 minors.
It is striking to note that while Mann would be proud, he might also be disappointed that higher education still needs to advocate for better resources, better compensated teachers and better school systems—better ways to balance needs with realities. Unlike the 19th century, today things change with warp speed. It’s a time when technology, culture and the global marketplace are taking us places quicker and faster than we ever thought possible.
It is a given that if we do not prepare or plan wisely we will be swallowed up in the quicksand of our progressive times. Here at Westfield State, we are meeting that challenge by becoming innovators and fostering relationships and collaborations with those who are willing to accept the challenges of change. Together with our government, community and business partners, we are developing plans that are flexible enough for the dynamic face of higher education in the digital age.
As we plan for our future, we would do well to follow the lead of the late 19th century Jane Addams, who acknowledged the importance of relationship, education and the interconnection of all aspects of a person’s life.
In 1889, Addams rented a private mansion in a transitional neighborhood in Chicago and created Hull House, the most well-known and influential of America’s settlement houses.
Welcoming inner city poor with innovative programs that taught life skills, Hull House encouraged learning and provided a platform where advocates for social justice could meet, debate and mobilize. For many, who could not afford the costs of college, it took the place of formal higher education.
Addams believed in the creation of a culture that celebrated the human spirit and the dignity of each person, and her instincts were correct. By 1907, Hull House had expanded to a complex of 13 buildings covering nearly a city block with everything from a theater, art gallery, gymnasium and kindergarten to libraries, art studios, a music school and even housing. (Almost sounds like a university, doesn’t it?)
As Westfield State connects with its community, I cannot help but notice how the settlement house concept applies to the way we meet our goals. Reflecting Addams’ approach to the social problems of her day, Westfield State has chosen to look holistically as we plan strategically—assessing where we are, where we have been and where we need to be in relation to that unpredictable future. As we provide community forums for discussion of these plans, we are fostering a culture of inclusion that inspires trust and creativity. We are finding ways to make education more accessible to folks for whom higher education may have been out of reach. And honoring the legacy of Horace Mann, we have made engagement with our community a priority. It’s a process that is transforming our university.
Jane Addams described Hull House “as a place for enthusiasms, a spot to which those who have a passion from the equalization of human joys and opportunities are early attracted.” Like that, Westfield State is a place for enthusiasms, where students, faculty and staff alike are given the opportunity to discover themselves in relation to each other, to their passions and to the ever-changing world beyond our campus borders.
Happy 175th anniversary, Westfield State! May our future be illuminated by our past, inspired by our present and responsive to the needs of the future we can hardly imagine.
