When I began my tenure as interim president of Westfield State University in July, I shared with our campus community three critically important operational principles that we would follow this academic year and, hopefully, for years to come:
• We honor the mission of our founder Horace Mann, to educate students regardless of wealth, gender, ethnicity, or religion;
• We focus on educating our students as if they are our own family members; and
• The role of the administration is to support our faculty and staff as they teach and care for our students.
Public post-secondary education institutions play an important role in American society. Most of an area’s residents are educated by regional public universities and community colleges. If these institutions are not supported, we risk having a significant part of our population failing to prosper.
I have been visiting community colleges and public K-12 school districts in Western Massachusetts, discussing how Westfield State University can further assist their students. We are brokering new relationships and strengthening existing ones to offer accessible, affordable pathways for students to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees. We want to make sure there are no hurdles for students who wish to attend Westfield State.
I am also visiting businesses in our region to explore opportunities for internships, sponsorships and future employment. Some business leaders have shared with me that they not only employ many Westfield State graduates, but they also pay employees' tuition for them to earn a higher education degree. This is forward-looking and inspiring.
As another means to increase accessibility, Westfield State is strategizing satellite locations to provide students with closer proximity to their hometown communities. As a start, we hope to initiate a satellite location in Springfield.
The Westfield Promise, initiated three years ago, is a program that symbolizes Westfield State University’s commitment to accessibility and our neighboring municipalities. It enables local high school juniors and seniors to earn up to 12 college credits by the time they graduate from high school and provides preferred admission to Westfield State. Most of the participants enrolling at Westfield State through this program are first-generation college students, students of color and/or from low-income families.
I am learning about the struggles facing the families of cities and towns in this region. For example, 100% of students in the Springfield Public Schools have access to free lunches, meaning their families are just above the poverty line. As a newcomer, that surprises me. This is Massachusetts, which is home to more than 100 colleges and universities. I assumed we have a well-educated workforce with prosperous careers. Well, you know what they say about assuming things.
As public colleges and universities, how can we assist in improving the socio-economic reality facing students and families in Springfield, Holyoke, Chicopee, and other local communities in the Pioneer Valley region?
At Westfield State, we take seriously our role in assisting with economic success and social mobility. We are pleased to see the collective success of our graduates as they enrich our society as a whole. Our graduates serve as tremendous sources of pride for Westfield State and are vital members of the Massachusetts and New England workforce and economy. The vast majority of our graduates build their lives and careers in Massachusetts. In fact, according to a 2019 post-graduate survey, 85% of the respondents who reported being employed indicated they work in Massachusetts.
Since joining the family of Westfield State Owls (“The Nest”), I have met many wonderful people, on and off campus, who love our institution and the Pioneer Valley region. They like living and working in these beautiful surroundings and smaller communities. Our faculty and staff members take great pride in teaching and caring for our students. We are on the move, applying the three guiding principles as we adapt and move forward, even during rough times.
I am excited about what we can accomplish through increased collaboration with our regional educational and business community members. Together, we can persist and become stronger as we strengthen our partnerships and build for the future.
Roy H. Saigo is interim president of Westfield State University. To learn more about the university and its programs, go online to westfield.ma.edu.