My recent trip west across the Commonwealth had a dual purpose: to make my first visit to Western New England University (WNE) and to meet its Provost, Maria Toyoda, soon to become President of the Western Senior College & University Commission, or WASC.
WASC is NECHE’s western counterpart responsible for accrediting four-year colleges in California, Hawaii, and the Pacific Islands. Where both organizations were once strictly regional, WASC, too, is now a national and international accreditor. Visits to Hawaii can’t be a bad gig, although I learned Maria also has a home in Newport, Rhode Island and that’s not too shabby, either. Maria will be stepping in to fill the very big shoes of retiring WASC president Jamie Studley, but she is clearly an extraordinary choice. I feel fortunate to welcome her as a colleague.
Western New England University makes its home in Springfield, Massachusetts, with a total enrollment of more than 3,600 students, 2,500 of whom are undergraduates. For a relatively small university, it has quite a broad set of programs in its Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Pharmacy and Health Sciences, College of Business, and College of Engineering. Of course, life at WNE is not just about academics; the school also boasts 23 intercollegiate sports, many hosted in the school’s 4,500-seat Golden Bear Stadium. In fact, WNE’s Golden Bear mascot makes its appearance all over campus, including the entrance to a meditation garden.
The history of WNE is fascinating. It was founded in 1919 as the Springfield Division of Northeastern College, offering part-time educational opportunities for adult students in law, business, and accounting. In 1951, an autonomous charter was obtained to grant and confer Bachelor of Business Administration and Bachelor of Laws degrees, and the school was renamed Western New England College. The present campus of over 200 acres was purchased in 1956 and in 2011, Western New England College officially became Western New England University.
WNE is also home to the only law school in Massachusetts outside the Boston area. Its vital Center for Social Justice faces challenges in the current political climate, but since its launch in 2019, the Center has advanced its mission through research, education, advocacy, innovation, and public engagement, while seeking to understand and address the root causes of systemic social injustice and develop innovative, human-centered solutions for change. Sadly, many of these words are now perceived as threats, but through the Center’s clinics, students assist marginalized, underserved, BIPOC, low-income, women, LGBTQ+, and immigrant communities – of which there are many in the economically diverse and demographically evolving city of Springfield.
I was inspired by Western New England University and particularly its Center for Social Justice. I wish them continued support and success.
