Western New England College becomes university
Date: 4/25/2011
April 25, 2011By G. Michael Dobbs
Managing Editor
SPRINGFIELD — Western New England College's (WNEC) transformation into a university is far more than just a change of name, according to its president, Dr. Anthony Caprio. The designation recently approved by the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education represents a considerable expansion of its educational offerings and, according to Caprio, a way for the institution to remain competitive in years to come.
Starting July with its 60th anniversary of the college adopting the name "Western New England," the word "university" will appear.
Caprio, speaking to Reminder Publications, emphasized the long process that led up to the decision. Although making the transition to a university was one of the goals set in a strategic plan written in 2009, Caprio said the effort began six years ago. WNEC offered its first doctoral program in 2008.
He said that there was concern among some faculty and administrators about making the leap to university status, but ultimately the idea was embraced. One of the attractions for faculty members was the opportunity to build the curriculum for new academic programs "from scratch," Caprio explained.
For institutions of higher learning in Massachusetts, university status meant meeting specific requirements for academic offerings, Caprio said. Massachusetts and New York are the only two states that had requirements, he added.
"[Colleges] in other states were pretty free to call yourself almost anything," he noted.
Unlike the recent name change for Westfield State University and other state colleges that was accomplished through legislation, WNEC fulfilled the standards by adding to its doctoral programs, maintaining an expansive collection of master's program and comprehensive undergraduate offerings, Caprio explained.
He said that faculty and staff "feel better" about the change because WNEC had met the requirements of the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education.
Reaction from WNEC alumni has also been positive.
"I'm so pleased the alumni are very proud of Western New England. They think so highly of the place and have said, 'This is what we've been all along,'" Caprio said.
Presently, college staff is going through a detailed list of changes that must be made from campus signage, publications, letterhead, business cards and anything else with the name "Western New England College."
"The list is very impressive," Caprio said.
Part of the reason behind the expansion of the educational focus and the college's name was due to surveys taken of students at the school and those who were accepted by the school but chose to attend another institution, Caprio said. WNEC students applied to other universities and students who didn't attend WNEC selected universities.
Fifteen to 20 years ago, Caprio explained, students wanted to go to small colleges such as Western New England. Today, however, students equate the word "college" as meaning "not enough programs, not enough activities and not enough diversity," Caprio said.
"What students are looking for today is different than what they were looking for not too many years ago," he added.
Being a university is necessary to attracting foreign students, Caprio noted. The word "college" means simply "undergraduate" for many students and, in a nation such as France, the word is used to describe middle schools, he said.
One of WNEC's goals is to "internationalize" its students, Caprio explained, by sending them abroad for academic programs and by bringing foreign students here.
Chinese and Indian students are "very fussy about [attending] a university," he said.
Western New England was founded in 1919 as the Springfield Division of Northeastern College, known as Springfield-Northeastern. Originally, the school was established to offer part-time educational programs for adult students in law, business, and accounting. In 1951, an autonomous charter was obtained that established WNEC.
Caprio said WNEC "has never forgotten we are a Springfield college" and is proud of its roots.
The change to university status is one of the major projects made at the school under Caprio's tenure as president. In the last decade, WNEC had added athletic facilities, residence halls and its College of Pharmacy.
The institution projects increasing undergraduate enrollment from its current level of 2,500 to about 3,000 over the next decade.
A great learning institution has to be expansive and have the program to attract both faculty and students, Caprio said.
"I see no reason why Western New England can't be that place," he added.
