Western New England College

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Western New England College
Western New England College seal
Latin: Collegium Occidentius Novo Anglia
Motto Scientia-Integritas-Servitium. "Exceed Your Expectations"
Established 1919
Type Private
President Dr. Anthony S. Caprio
Faculty 345
Undergraduates 2,813
Postgraduates 847 (593 law students)
Location Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
Campus Suburban, 215 acres
Athletics 19 varsity teams
Mascot Golden Bears
Website www.wnec.edu

Western New England College is a private, independent, coeducational college founded in 1919. Located on a classical 215-acre suburban campus in Springfield, Massachusetts, the College serves approximately 4,000 students on its main campus and at six satellite sites within Massachusetts. Undergraduate and graduate programs are offered through the College's Schools of Arts and Sciences, Business, Engineering, and Law.

In its 2007 America's Best Colleges rankings released August 18, U.S. News and World Report lists Western New England College in the top tier of its "North" category among colleges and universities that provide a full range of undergraduate and master's programs.

Western New England College is one of 258 colleges featured in Student Horizons' Colleges of Distinction guide, profiling American colleges that are the "best places to learn, to grow, and to succeed".

Contents

Western New England College was founded in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1919. Begun as the Springfield Division of Northeastern University (and known at the time as Springfield-Northeastern) the College was originally established to offer part-time educational opportunities for adult students in law, business, and accounting.

In 1951, an autonomous charter was obtained from the Massachusetts legislature to grant and confer the degrees of Bachelor of Business Administration and Bachelor of Laws. At that time the college was renamed to Western New England College. The College went through many organizational changes, including the establishment of the Day Division, which eventually faded as the individual schools became more defined.

The Westerner student newspaper has quoted both the college's provost and its president as suggesting that the doctoral programs are prerequisites to a possible name change from "college" to "university".[1] These college leaders stated that, of all New England colleges considering or recently adopting university status, Western New England College had among the most pronounced academic characteristics of a university. The administrators noted that many of Western New England College's peers, such as Quinnipiac University, have changed their names to "university" under lax naming regulations in other northeastern states.[2] While Western New England College already has the structure and programs of a university[citation needed], the college must meet Massachusetts' "two doctorate" academic standard in order to name itself a university.[3].

It is unclear whether a name change would require an act of the Massachusetts legislature (Massachusetts General Court) to alter the college's charter.

Western New England College's 215 acre main campus, in Springfield's suburban Sixteen Acres neighborhood, consists of 27 buildings. The architectural mores run the gamut from neo-classical to post-modern (most notably, Sleith Hall), with a modified Georgian theme prevailing -- particulary on the central campus. The older buildings most closely resemble the New England College Style prevelant at other smaller private institutions.

The campus is modern (all facilities constructed in the post-World War II era) and there is no deferred maintenance. Expansion and renewal of the physical plant is ongoing under the institution's Master Plan. Unlike larger institutions, the campus is built on a "human scale" where all facilities can be reached by foot in a few minutes.[citation needed] The acreage of the campus has expanded signifigantly over the last quarter-century.[citation needed]

Since 1999, seven new buildings have opened or undergone major renovations including the LaRiviere Residential Living and Learning Center, Evergreen Village Townhouse Complex, Kevin S. Delbridge Welcome Center, Golden Bear Stadium, George E. Trelease Memorial Baseball Park, DJ St. Germain Campus Center, and D’Amour Library.

Western New England College offers its 3,400 undergraduate students 34 bachelors programs through its schools of Arts and Sciences, Business, and Engineering. Its graduate programs (described below) range from certificates to masters degrees and advanced law degrees. Doctoral programs are being gradually introduced, the first one being in Behavioral Psychology.

The college's small, non-residential satellite sites are located in Devens, Bedford, Braintree, Malden, New Bedford, and Norwood, Massachusetts.

It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Western New England College School of Law. (Discuss)

The School of Law offers full- and part-time J.D. programs as well as a part-time LL.M. program.

Founded in 1919, the law school has produced over 6,000 alumni who live and practice in all fifty states. An ABA-accredited institution and a member of the AALS, it is the only law school in western Massachusetts, and is acclaimed for its small sections of students and dynamic faculty.[citation needed] Its recent graduates currently practice as federal attorneys, corporate executives, and in-house counsel to Paramount Pictures, Praxair, Otis Elevator Company, General Electric, Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co., and the CVS Corporation. It is the only ABA-accredited Massachusetts law school outside Greater Boston.

Western New England College School of Law offers three first year full time sections of 50 students each. The class sections are amongst the smallest in the country, promoting greater interaction with peers and faculty.[citation needed]

The Western New England College Law and Business Center for Advancing Entrepreneurship was established to offer graduate business and law students an opportunity to provide practical consultation to entrepreneurs starting new and building existing small businesses.

The Small Business Clinic, one of five clinics associated with the School of Law, is the cornerstone program of the Center. The Clinic pairs students from the Schools of Law and Business to offer legal and business consultation to small businesses in the area. Areas of expertise include legal advice in corporate and commercial law as well as business advice on marketing, human resources, and competitive analysis.

Western New England College is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. The School of Business is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Curricula leading to the degrees of Bachelor of Science in Biomedical, Electrical, Industrial, and Mechanical Engineering are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering & Technology. The Bachelor of Social Work degree program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education. The School of Law is fully accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. The College's teacher education programs have been approved by the Massachusetts Board of Education and meet the standards of reciprocity of the Interstate Certification Compact. Western New England College is a member of the Association of American Colleges, the College Entrance Examination Board, the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, and the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Massachusetts.

Residence Halls

Western New England College offers nine residence facilities on campus, in the style of traditional rooms, suites, and apartments. All rooms are equipped with broadband Internet service as well as cable television. Residence halls are located in proximity to other buildings on campus.

  • Berkshire Hall
  • Commonwealth Hall
  • Evergreen Village
  • Franklin Hall
  • Gateway Village
  • Hampden Hall
  • LaRiviere Residential Living and Learning Center
  • Plymouth Complex
  • Windham Hall

There are over 60 clubs and organizations available on campus, including honor societies, professional and departmental, media and publications, special interest groups, Student Senate, Residence Hall Association and Campus Ministry.

  • Accounting Association
  • American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
  • Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
  • Biology Club
  • Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES)
  • Chemistry Club
  • Communications Association
  • Criminal Justice Association
  • Economics Club
  • Engineering Student Council (ESC)
  • Financial Management Association
  • Historical Society
  • Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
  • Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE)
  • Management Association
  • Marketing Association
  • Math Club
  • Political Science Club/Model UN
  • Pre-Law Society
  • Pre-Med Club
  • Psychology Club
  • Sign Language Club
  • Social Workers Advocating Together (SWAT)
  • Society of Women Engineers (SWE)
  • Sports Management Club

  • Campus Activity Board (CAB)
  • Class Officers/Class Councils
  • Freshman Council

  • The Cupola (yearbook)
  • The Review of Art & Literature (literary magazine)
  • GB-TV "Golden Bear Television" (Television Station)
  • The Westerner (newspaper)
  • WNEK 105.1 FM (radio station)

  • Bowling Club
  • Campus Chorus
  • Cheerleading Club
  • Concert Band
  • Dance Club
  • Finger-Style Guitar Club
  • Gay/Straight Alliance (GSA)
  • Golden Bear Pep Band
  • Improv on the Rocks (improvisational comedy)
  • Information Technology Club
  • International Student Association
  • Japanese Animation Club (JALOW)
  • Jazz Band
  • Martial Arts Club
  • Outing Club
  • Peer Educators Network (PEN)
  • Racquetball Club
  • Stageless Players (drama club)
  • Step Squad
  • United & Mutually Equal Club (U&ME)
  • Vox Populi (independent newspaper)
  • W.A.R.P. (role-playing)

  • Berkshire Hall Council
  • Commonwealth Hall Council
  • Evergreen Hall Council
  • Franklin Hall Council
  • Gateway Hall Council
  • Hampden Hall Council
  • LaRiviere Hall Council
  • Plymouth Hall Council
  • Windham Hall Council

  • Interfaith Council
  • Havurah

Western New England College is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III. The College supports the Division III philosophy by offering 19 NCAA-sponsored varsity sports.

Men’s Varsity Teams

Women’s Varsity Sports

Non-NCAA varsity sports include Martial Arts and Bowling.

The College's athletic mascot is the Golden Bear.

In the sports of baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's soccer, softball, women's swimming, men's and women's tennis, and women's volleyball, Western New England College competes in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC). In the fall of 2007, Western New England College will leave the GNAC to join the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC).

The field hockey team competes in the North Atlantic Conference (NAC). In the fall of 2007, Western New England College will leave the NAC to join the CCC.

The football team competes in the New England Football Conference.

The ice hockey team competes in the Eastern College Athletic Conference Northeast.

The men's lacrosse team competes in the Pilgrim League. In the fall of 2007, Western New England College will leave the Pilgrim League to join the CCC.

The women's lacrosse team competes in the New England Women's Lacrosse Alliance (NEWLA). In the fall of 2007, Western New England College will leave the NEWLA to join the CCC.

The wrestling team competes in the New England College Conference Wrestling Association.

The College is among approximately 90 (out of 700) Division III athletics programs that sponsor this program which challenges athlete's minds for personal success while focusing on values and commitments.[citation needed] Only 14 Division III schools were accepted into the program for the 2006-07 school year.

The five commitment areas of the CHAMPS Life Skills Program are Academic Excellence, Athletic Excellence, Personal Development, Career Development and Commitment to Service.

On September 19, 2006, Western New England College announced a $20 million development campaign titled Transformations: The Campaign for Western New England College.

Funds from this campaign will support initiatives and programs in four areas:

  • Academic Quality ($8.45 million, of which $5.5 million is slated for the S. Prestley Blake Law Center improvements)
  • Financial Aid Endowment ($5 million)
  • Student Enrichment ($4.05 million)
  • The Fund for Western New England College ($2.5 million)

The College will be awarded $800,000 from a Kresge Foundation challenge grant if the Transformations effort raises $19.2 million by December 31, 2007.


Boyd Division: Curry • Endicott • MIT • Nichols • Plymouth State • Salve Regina • UMass Dartmouth • Western New England
Bogan Division: Bridgewater State • Coast Guard • Fitchburg State • Framingham State • Maine Maritime • Massachusetts Maritime • Westfield State • Worcester State
North Atlantic Conference
Bay Path • Becker • Castleton • Elms • Husson • Johnson • Lasell • Lesley • Maine Maritime Academy • Mount Ida • Thomas
Associates: Daniel Webster (men's lacrosse) • Emerson (men's lacrosse) • St. Joseph's (baseball) • Simmons (field hockey) • WNEC (field hockey)
Former member: MassPharm

  1. ^ "Administration Setting Sights on University Status". The Westerner, 5/6/2006, Page 6
  2. ^ "Interview with Dr. Anthony S. Caprio". WNEK 105.1 FM, 2/2005
  3. ^ Massachusetts Department of Education
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