Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012
11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Woodward Center
Westfield State University

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The competition, entitled “Words With Friends”, will be similar in format to the Scripps National Spelling Bees that have become a television staple. Students will be given a word and have 20 seconds to spell it correctly. If they do so, the next student will attempt a word, and so on.

The Circle K Club, the collegiate affiliate of Kiwanis, is focused on community service on campus and in the surrounding local area. The Westfield State Circle K Club is a highly active branch, boasting one of the largest memberships in the New England region.

“In an effort to keep current and fresh, we had a club assignment last year to think of some new events we could hold on campus that would be large, “ said Circle K co-president Sarah Fregeau. “So a few of my friends and I were talking and the idea of a Spelling Bee on campus for 5th graders came to mind. We haven't directly connected with the children yet so we saw this as an amazing opportunity to get the children involved and have a small, playful competition among them.”

 “The idea for this project came entirely from the Circle K members with the support of the Kiwanis Club of Westfield,” said Barbara Trant, volunteer coordinator for the Westfield public schools. “That is where I come in as a member of the Westfield Kiwanis Club and an employee of Westfield Public Schools. I have been happy to support this opportunity for our Westfield Public Schools students.”

Adam Wright, President of the Kiwanis Club of Westfield will be reading the selected words to the competitors. The bee will also be televised and aired on channel 15 at a later date.

“This will hopefully be a great experience for the kids because it's a light-hearted competition and they are exposed to our college and it gets the community together to see what good things WSU is doing for them,” said Fregeau. “We truly just want to show the community a good, fun time and hope they have as much fun as we have had planning this for them.”

The 12 finalists are Caleb Hazzard and Corey Fiddler from Munger Hill Elementary, Saniya Khawaja and Alanna Barzola from Paper Mill Elementary, Michael Lurgio and Lilya Biley from Southampton Road Elementary, Halie Stone and Tetyana Panchelyuga from Franklin Avenue Elementary School, Tanner Beebe and Brooke Frisbie from Highland Elementary, and Damon Lansing and Nadezhda Belokopytova from Abner Gibbs Elementary.

For more information, please visit schoolsofwestfield.org.

Phase two of the $1.5 million project, to be completed in sumPhase One of Renovations Complete: Westfield State Opens Library to Students, Faculty, and Staffmer of 2012, will include new lighting and furniture, additional study rooms, a larger classroom, updates to the university archives, and safety and infrastructure upgrades. This last phase of the library renovation is being coordinated with the larger Ely Hall renovation project, and is closely tied to the new 400-bed dormitory north of Ely Hall.

“Together, these projects constitute a significant commitment to the future of the university and to its students,” Raffensperger said.

It’s time to activate your refund preference with the WestfieldRefund Card —the key to faster refund delivery choices and a world of benefits designed to simplify your finances.

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Once you receive your card in the mail, visit www.westfieldrefund.com to get started today!

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“It is reality that higher education has become a major economic driver in mid‐to‐large markets. This change represents a shift in how these towns do business and how they think about themselves,” said Dr. Dobelle, president, Westfield State University. “Understanding the value and extent of influence these institutions contribute should provide leverage for future economic development.”

The influence of Metroversities extends beyond teaching and research. They have evolved into the role of community and business partner, positively contributing to the quality of life for all who work, live, and study there. This is especially true as many metropolitan economies have experienced significant downturns in business, financial, and manufacturing activities while becoming home to larger numbers of students, now living and spending money in cities across America, who have become what Dobelle calls “permanent tourists.”

Metropolitan policy experts agree. "In providing an empirical look at higher education expenditures and their multiplier effect, the Metroversities study helps to confirm the huge impact colleges and universities have on metropolitan economies," says Jennifer S. Vey, fellow, Metropolitan Policy Program, The Brookings Institution.

Specifically, Dr. Dobelle examines the metroversity economic effects in annual per capita higher education expenditures as well as the economic multiplier effect of those expenditures within a given metropolitan statistical area (MSA) and/or metropolitan division (MD). The economic multiplier is the amount spent by an institution’s employees, students, etc. who buy enough goods to support additional numbers of other local jobs. Dobelle also breaks out annual business and finance expenditures as well as production expenditures.

Ranking of Top 10 Metroversity - Impacted Urban Areas:

1.    Boston
2.    Raleigh
3.    Baltimore
4.    San Jose
5.    Philadelphia
6.    San Francisco
7.    Seattle/Nashville (tied)
8.    Atlanta
9.    Pittsburgh
10.  Washington, D.C.

Dr. Dobelle published his first higher education economic impact survey in 2006, when he was president of the New England Board of Higher Education, one of the four federally authorized regional consortiums of colleges in America. His 2009 re‐examination of the initial rankings was prompted in part by the change in the United States economy and the desire to track the evolution and growing sophistication of efforts by institutions of higher learning to save their cities from increasing blight.

Evan Dobelle is president of Westfield State University in Westfield, Mass. He has served as president of five other institutions of higher education, as well as in government positions at the federal, state, and local level. Dr. Dobelle is an internationally respected educator and public official who has been honored for his hands-on experience spearheading public/private partnerships to significantly enhance the campus and community at each of the institutions he has led. He holds bachelors and master’s degrees and a doctorate in Higher Education Administration from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a master’s in Public
Administration from Harvard University.

To view the complete study, visit www.westfield.ma.edu/metroversities.

February 13, 2012
3:00 – 4:00 PM

Scanlon Living Room
Light refreshments, discussion and book signing
Books are available for purchase in the bookstore

A sure-fire way to revive a downtown area is a steady influx of young people with money to spend at coffee shops, restaurants and boutiques. At least that’s what city officials are banking on as Westfield State University plans to expand its off-campus housing offerings in downtown Westfield.

Westfield State Foundation, the financial arm of the university, announced last Tuesday it has sold one of its original buildings to University Housing LLC, a Peter Pan Bus Lines Company.

The former Westfield Normal School at 27 Washington St., built in the 1800s, will be converted into a 23-unit market-rate apartment building that will house up to 100 students. The property, which will be managed by Opal Real Estate Group of Springfield, another Peter A. Picknelly company, will complement nearby Landsdowne Place, an apartment complex that houses 216 WSU students.

The rehabilitation of the historic red brick building is the kind of project that has helped older downtown districts – Northampton immediately comes to mind – jump start other developments.

The addition of new residents near downtown is a critical piece of Westfield’s downtown revitalization efforts. As we have noted before, there is no reason why Westfield – with a 6,000-student university nearby – cannot create its own version of downtown Northampton, where student from Smith College, the University of Massachusetts and other nearby colleges helped turn into a restaurant and entertainment mecca.

The city of Westfield, which retains much of its 19th and early 20th century charm – and the university are planting the right seeds. We hope the university’s partnership with the city helps downtown Westfield achieve that critical mass.