All Massachusetts state colleges would be joined in a new state university segment.
BOSTON - Westfield State College would receive a name change, becoming Westfield State University, under a bill approved by the state House of Representatives.
Westfield State College and the eight other state colleges would be joined in a new state university segment, according to the bill.
Supporters said the name change may help the campuses attract more leading students and donations and achieve a higher status.
“It’s badly needed,” said Rep. David L. Flynn, D-Bridgewater, home to Bridgewater State College. “It will help our graduates get better positions and higher-paying jobs.”
The House voted 124-21 to approve the name change. The bill now goes to the state Senate.
Donald HumasonRep. Donald F. Humason, R-Westfield, a 1989 graduate of Westfield State College, voted against the bill. Humason said he is concerned that the name change will lead to increased costs. He said staff and faculty at Westfield State College might eventually seek to be paid on the same level as their counterparts at the University of Massachusetts.
Humason said graduates of the school might also be less inclined to donate to their alma mater.
The state would keep intact a two-tier system of four-year campuses, but one segment would include the nine schools in a “state university segment” and the other group would be the “university segment,” including the five campuses of the University of Massachusetts.
In order to prevent any pay increases, the bill mandates that there will be no changes in union bargaining units in higher education.