Westfield State University

Westfield State University (commonly known as Westfield State) is a public university in Westfield, Massachusetts, United States. It was founded in 1839 by Horace Mann as the first public coeducational college in America.

In 1839, Horace Mann founded a state normal school in Barre, Massachusetts. It offered entry regardless of race, gender, or economic class. Samuel P. Newman, a professor and administrator at Bowdoin College, was the school's first principal. It was the second normal school in Massachusetts after the Lexington Normal School, which was founded earlier in the year. The Barre Normal School was suspended following Newman's death and moved to Westfield in 1844, where it became the Westfield Normal School. Rev. Emerson Davis, head of the Westfield Academy was placed in charge of the new school. The Westfield Normal School was later known as Westfield State Teachers College. In 1960, Governor Foster Furcolo signed a bill that would transition the state's nine teachers colleges, including Westfield State, into general state colleges and Westfield State Teachers College became Westfield State College the following year. The institution adopted its current name in 2010 as part of a statewide change.

In 2013, WSU was ranked fourth nationally by US News in their Best Online Programs Honor Roll. WSU was also ranked first in the country for "Faculty Credentials & Training" and eleventh in "Student Services & Technology".

Westfield State athletics teams are nicknamed the Owls. The university competes in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference of NCAA Division III

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