Gov.Patrick Approves Six Boston Colleges Becoming Universities

Six Boston colleges are now universities after Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick signed a measure rebranding the institutions.

The changes impact Bridgewater State, Salem State, Worcester State, Fitchburg State, Westfield State and Framingham State colleges.

School officials told the Boston Globe that the change will enhance student and alumni résumés, help the schools compete for grants, and attract better students and better faculty members, the newspaper reported.

“It’s been decades in the making,’’ Frederick Clark, executive officer of the Council of Presidents of the Massachusetts State Colleges. “This gives our students and alumni competitive, even footing across the country and across the world. People will better understand what we do.’’

Critics said the change will not do much to improve the quality of education and could end up costing the schools if professors now request university pay. Others expressed concern about possible increases in tuition.

And still others expressed indifference.

“I honestly don’t think it will make an awful lot of difference,” Brian Corcoran, a part-time professor at Bridgewater State, told the Globe. “It’s really about the quality of the school.”

A Chicago native, Bridgette has been a journalist since she first wrote for her seventh grade newsletter. Today, that passion is just as strong. She has written for several newspapers, including the Houston Chronicle, the Houston Defender, the Marshall News-Messenger (Texas) and the Springfield News-Sun (Ohio).

More on Politic365

• CBC's Jobs Tour Descends in Atlanta — Town Hall is Tame Compared to Detroit
• Google Ads — Racial Profiling?
• Dash Diet Democracy: Delegates Matter, Not Votes