Bridgewater State University
Bridgewater State University is a public university with its main campus in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest of nine state universities in Massachusetts. Including its off-campus sites in New Bedford, Attleboro, and Cape Cod, BSU has the fourth-largest campus of the 29 institutions in the Massachusetts Public Higher Education System. BSU's sports teams are called the Bears. Its school colors are crimson, white, and black.
Bridgewater is referred to as the "home of teacher education in America", and has the largest enrollment of teacher education students in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Since the 1960s, the school has expanded its program to include liberal arts, business, and aviation science. It became a university and took on the name Bridgewater State University in 2010. During its history, it has been known as Bridgewater State Normal School, Bridgewater State Teachers College, State Teachers College at Bridgewater, and Bridgewater State College.
History
Foundation
Bridgewater State University was founded by Horace Mann as Bridgewater Normal School. It opened on September 9, 1840, making it the oldest permanently-located institution of public higher education in Massachusetts. As one of the first normal schools in the nation, its initial mission was to train school teachers.The normal school opened in the basement of the Old Bridgewater Town Hall, in a 40-foot by 50-foot space, divided into three rooms: an ante-room for students, an apparatus room, and a classroom. The first class consisted of 21 women and seven men. Nicholas Tillinghast, the first principal was initially the only instructor. The school year consisted of two 14-week terms. Students were not required to attend consecutively.
In 1845, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts finally agreed to construct a building for Bridgewater State Normal School, the first building ever erected in America for the preparation of teachers. This two-story wooden building, 64 feet by 42 feet, accommodating 84 students, was to be the institution's educational plant for almost half a century. There were small and large classrooms, with blackboards in each. Since changes were made to the school, the board of education required people to attend three terms for fourteen consecutive weeks, establishing a year's course. The building was dedicated on August 19, 1846, with Horace Mann saying on the occasion:
Among all the lights and shadows that ever crossed my path, this day’s radiance is the brightest...I consider this event as marking an era in the progress of education—which as we all know is the progress of civilization-on this western continent, and throughout the world.This first normal school established a professional standard for the preparation of teachers, breaking away from traditional academics for attendance. It was the next step toward establishing educational institutions for specific purposes.
It is the completion of the first normal schoolhouse ever erected in Massachusetts,—in the Union,—in this hemisphere. It belongs to that class of events which may happen once, but are not capable of being repeated. Coiled up in this institution, as in a spring, there is a vigor whose uncoiling may wheel the spheres.
Bridgewater Normal School trained its students in elementary-school subjects; expansion subjects above the elementary level including mathematics, philosophy, and literature; and pedagogy, including philosophy of teaching and discipline based on child psychology, and as much practical experience under constant supervision as possible at the model school.
1924 fire
An early-morning fire on Wednesday, December 10, 1924, destroyed three of the college's buildings, over half of the campus: Tillinghast Hall, the Training School, and old Woodward dormitories. The Normal School and the boiler room were saved. The fire was so large that other towns' fire departments had to be called to assist. The cause of the fire was not definitely established, but it is believed to have been either "rats or mice" gnawing in the heating ducts, or a spontaneous combustion. There were reportedly no injuries.The Normal School and boiler room were repaired immediately. Tillinghast Hall was rebuilt and a new Woodward dorm built. The training school was housed in a different building temporarily and later a new building was built for it exemplifying a well equipped elementary school, with a gym and playground. The total State appropriation for the Normal School repairs and rebuilding of the training school was $606,566, in addition to $86,500 from the town. The Normal Building and Tillinghast Hall were rebuilt and opened in June 1926, now renamed as Boyden Hall and Harrington Hall.
Mid twentieth century to present
In the 1950s, many veterans of the Korean War enrolled and proms were the highlight of the year for them. In 1957 the John J. Kelly Gym was built and in 1959 SAT scores were required to be submitted for the first time.During the 1960s the liberal arts curriculum was introduced. The Ivy Exercises, in which the junior class would form an archway with ivy leaves leading up to the school on graduation day, were dying out. In 1960 Pope Hall was built as an all-women's dorm. Scott Hall was built in 1961 as an all-men's dorm. The Marshall Conant Science Building was built in 1964 and was named after the school's second principal. In 1967 Shea and Durgin Halls were built as co-ed dorms.
In 1971 The Clement C. Maxwell Library was completed. In 1976 the tennis courts opened and students could enjoy movies on Sundays and Tuesdays for 25 to 75 cents. From 1970 to 1990 the college expanded and enrollment quadrupled. The number of faculty tripled. During this time, Education became the most popular major, and remains so today.
In 1992 the college established the School of Education and Allied Studies and the School of Arts and Sciences. In 1995 the Moakley Center opened. From 1999 to 2002 the college had an endowment campaign to raise 10 million dollars to support academics.
In 2010 Bridgewater State was one of the Massachusetts state colleges that chose to become a university. This would boost its popularity, attract more contributions, increase student applications and enrollment, and give the school a higher profile. On July 22, 2010, the Massachusetts House of Representatives and Senate voted to give the college university status and change its name to Bridgewater State University. The measure was signed into law by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick on July 28, 2010.
Presidents
- Nicholas Tillinghast
- Marshall Conant
- Albert Gardner Boyden
- Arthur Boyden
- Zenos E. Scott
- John J. Kelly
- Clement C. Maxwell
- Adrian Rondileau
- Gerard T. Indelicato
- Adrian Tinsley
- Dana Mohler-Faria
- Frederick W. Clark Jr.
Academics
The university has 108 majors in 35 areas of studies starting with the popular education, aviation, psychology, accounting, criminal justice and many others. The university has 30 academic departments ranging from Accounting and Finance to Theatre and Dance.
Schools to colleges
On July 1, 2010, the former School of Arts and Sciences was split into the School of Humanities and Social Sciences and the School of Science and Mathematics. In October 2010, the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, the School of Science and Mathematics, the Ricciardi School of Business and the School of Graduate Studies, were all renamed colleges, and the Department of Social Work was renamed the School of Social Work. The College of Humanities and Social Sciences currently consists of fifteen academic departments, the Bartlett College of Science and Mathematics has six departments, the College of Education and Health Sciences has five departments, and the Ricciardi College of Business has three.Honors program
Pope Hall is the home to the residential Honors first-year living-learning community. Weygand Hall is the home to the residential Honors upperclassman living-learning communityResearch
The Adrian Tinsley Program is the university's undergraduate research program.Residential life
Normal schools, because they were state institutions, received no bequests from wealthy alumni. After the Civil War, in 1869, the first college dormitory was constructed, called Normal Hall. This was a coed dormitory that was split half and half. Boys on one side, girls on the other. Students would contribute a specific amount of money for food, and the principal would then purchase supplies at the nearest wholesale. Any surplus amount of money at the end of the year was split up between those who had paid. In the 1890s this procedure was discontinued and a set price for board was established.In later years, as enrollment grew beginning in 1933, new dormitories were constructed: Woodward Hall and Tillinghast. In the post-war period, more dormitories were built: Pope Hall, Scott Hall, Durgin Hall, and Shea Hall.
Student life
Clubs and organizations
Bridgewater State University has over 160 clubs and organizations.Four sororities, three fraternities and one co-educational fraternity are offered at BSU: Alpha Sigma Tau, founded in 2014, Delta Phi Epsilon, founded on December 8, 2010, Gamma Phi Beta, founded November 22, 1987, Phi Sigma Sigma, founded in 1989, Kappa Delta Phi, founded on April 14, 1900, Phi Kappa Theta, founded in 1889, Sigma Pi, and Phi Pi Delta.
Bridgewater State's Student Government Association is an organization of students who represent the Bridgewater State community. Through SGA, the student body can express their academic and social wants and needs. SGA is made up of five different boards: the policy board, finance board, events board, election board, and media board.