Westfield State University president Linda Thompson focuses on ‘leaders of tomorrow’ and making university a ‘thought leader’

Westfield State University President Linda Thompson in front of the campus administration building. (Don Treeger / The Republican) 4/1/2022

Westfield State University student Aaron Lessing is the Vice President of Student Affairs in Student Government. (Don Treeger / The Republican) 4/19/2022

Westfield State University President Linda Thompson greets students Hannah Donofrio and Tyler Nagi during a walk through campus. (Don Treeger / The Republican) 4/1/2022

Students stoll past the iconic globe sculpture on the campus of Westfield State University. (Don Treeger / The Republican) 4/19/2022

Westfield State University President Linda Thompson talks with students Caitlin Hughes and Michael Buckley in the administration building on campus. (Don Treeger / The Republican) 4/1/2022

A student heads into Bates Hall on the campus of Westfield State University. (Don Treeger / The Republican) 4/19/2022

Rocks with inspirational sayings are layed out on furniture in the office of Westfield State University President Linda Thompson. (Don Treeger / The Republican) 4/1/2022

Westfield State University President Linda Thompson at her office desk. (Don Treeger / The Republican) 4/1/2022

A tour group of prospective students head into the Campus Center at Westfield State University. (Don Treeger / The Republican) 4/19/2022

Westfield State University President Linda Thompson near the iconic campus globe. (Don Treeger / The Republican) 4/1/2022

Westfield State University student Aaron Lessing is the Vice President of Student Affairs in Student Government. (Don Treeger / The Republican) 4/19/2022

Titles in the office bookshelf of Westfield State Univeristy President Linda Thompson. (Don Treeger / The Republican) 4/1/2022

Westfield State University President Linda Thompson stops to chat with students in the campus dining commons. (Don Treeger / The Republican) 4/1/2022

Westfield State University President Linda Thompson in the administration building on campus. (Don Treeger / The Republican) 4/1/2022

Still a junior at Westfield State University, Aaron Lessing, of Chicopee, has seen the institution’s presidents come and go.

He was there for the final months of Ramon Torrecilha, who retired in 2020, and for the tenure of Roy Saigo, who served in an interim capacity for the 2020-2021 academic year.

Now, as Linda Thompson prepares for her April 29 investiture - a full 10 months after assuming office amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Lessing says the university’s 21st president has already made an impression.

“The students have loved her so far,” said Lessing, a Student Government Association member who is vice president of student life. “She’s very visible. She goes to events, and on even on a normal day, we see her fairly often, walking around or eating in the dining hall.”

As American institutions recalibrate from a pandemic that shut down or severely restricted campus life for nearly two years, some schools have chosen to emphasize their transition. Online education and distance learning are here to stay, they say, and should be embraced and nurtured, not viewed only as an emergency stopgap.

Westfield State prides itself on its online programs, and theirs, too, are ongoing and in some cases expanding. What this public university is highlighting, though, is the return of communal activities that bring students physically together for classes, events and general daily life.

This helps explain why Thompson has made such an immediate impact on life at Westfield State because she believes in that as well.

“Our students are beings who want to be around other people,” Thompson said during a recent interview. “We talked about breaking up graduation (into smaller groups), but the students said they wanted to be together. They’re excited to be back together again. They want the face-to-face interaction with faculty, and with each other.”

And with her.

“Just in general, the campus seems a little more hopeful with her. The trust and communication are coming back,” Lessing said.

Westfield State University student Aaron Lessing is the Vice President of Student Affairs in Student Government. (Don Treeger / The Republican)

It is a telling comment. Torrecilha’s efforts were hailed by trustees but his relationships with faculty and some students were fractured by the time he departed. Student relations with administration improved with Saigo, according to Lessing, but all sides knew he was hired for only one year.

One result of that year was the creation of a University Efficiency Committee, which produced 22 recommendations for better operations and campus life. Lessing said Thompson has considered all of them, sought outside opinions, implemented some and produced her own ideas.

“The Student Government executive board meets periodically with her, or her cabinet, and we’ve gone to dinner with her. We talk about not just school, but of life,” Lessing said.

Thompson says Westfield State is versatile enough to maintain superior online programs while also promoting campus life. Juline Mills agrees.

“We have students who love in-person (and) the personal connection. And, we have students who want more online courses,” said Mills, interim provost and vice president of academic affairs. “I believe our path forward will be meeting students where they are - providing services to both those who desire on ground, and those who desire more online options.”

Thompson has spoken with Domenic J. Sarno and Joshua A. Garcia, the respective mayors of Springfield and Holyoke, to encourage students in their cities to take courses in high school that give them a head start to college. In 2020, the university began a partnership with Holyoke Community College for Latinx Studies.

More broadly, Thompson promotes a smooth pathway from community college to the university. Her efforts are an extension (and, she envisions, expansion) of the Westfield Promise program, begun under Torrecilha’s tenure in 2017 and operated in concert with Holyoke High School, High School of Commerce in Springfield, Westfield High School and Westfield Technical Academy.

While still in high school, students begin taking college credit courses that are co-taught by high school and Westfield State faculty. They move on to take courses on the college campus as seniors, and can earn college credit before high school graduation. Hundreds of students have already experienced the benefits of this program.

Westfield State trustees ended a nationwide search with Thompson’s selection in the spring of 2021. She had most recently served as dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at University of Massachusetts Boston, after holding a similar position at West Chester University in Pennsylvania.

“I think we made a great choice. She has strength and intelligence, and she’s a hard worker. She goes nonstop,” said university trustee Gloria Williams, of Springfield. “She’s been visible in the community, and I’ve found that very helpful. I co-hosted a ‘Meet the President’ community event in October, and the response was extremely positive. People were interested in hearing what she had to say, and she was interested in them.”

According to Williams, such an introduction of a president to the community is not commonplace. It’s among students, faculty and staff, however, that the trustee sees Thompson’s impact most profoundly.

“I’d venture to say many students at many colleges don’t even know who their president is. Young people might have certain (preconceived) perceptions of how they think a college president will look and act, but her visibility is refreshing - and a beacon hope and inspiration for our young people,” Williams said. Both Williams, and her husband, state Rep. Bud L. Williams, D-Springfield, are also alumni of Westfield State.

Gloria Williams, second from left, a trustee at Westfield State University, is seen at an Oct. 27 'Meet the Presidents" reception at White Lion Brewing Co. in Springfield to welcome Linda S. Thompson, new president of Westfield State University, and Robert E. Johnson, president of Western New England University. From left are Willette Johnson, a member of the Coalition of Experienced Black Educators, Williams, Thompson, Johnson, and coalition members Bobbie Rennix, Emurriel Holloway and Mary Worthy. (THE REPUBLICAN FILE PHOTO)

Thompson’s previous experience reflects her keen interest in developing Westfield State’s respected health sciences programs. Thompson also sees a bright future in the university’s criminal justice program, where she envisions an already well-regarded program developing a more modern approach to law enforcement’s handling of complex, disruptive situations.

Beyond that, though, Thompson talks at length about the atmosphere of campus life at a university with a legacy. In 1839, legendary educator Horace Mann established Westfield State as the nation’s first public co-educational college without barrier to race, gender, or economic class.

She says she has not waited for her COVID-delayed inauguration to emphasize that mission.

“These students will be the leaders of tomorrow. We want to focus on equity, and emphasize the importance of equity in business and in entrepreneurship,” she said. “We are looking at ways Westfield State can be a thought leader. The business leaders in the community, whom I’ve met, have talked about the need for more people to be educated. They want more people prepared to work in local government and for more students to get involved in regional planning.”

Mills said the presidency’s transitional period created challenges that she feels were practically inevitable. She praised Thompson for meeting with key individuals at all levels to move forward through the pandemic.

“As with any business, college or university that has experienced multiple leadership position changes in a relatively short period of time, there can be fractures. President Thompson has taken the time to meet with a variety of stakeholders on campus, and within the community, to determine the best course of action now and in the future,” Mills said.

Westfield State University President Linda Thompson stops to chat with students in the campus dining commons. (Don Treeger / The Republican)

Hoping to spotlight the university’s diversity, Thompson has encouraged events and activities that, as she says, “open up the campus to the community and show how wonderful it is.”

“This is not only a place to get a solid education, but to participate in community building,” Mills said.

Thompson passionately supports arts programs and cultural activities she says can spotlight the individual talents of students.

“We want to showcase our musicians, our artists, our performing artists,” the president said. “We have a jazz band and a choir that have been hired and used (by professional performers).”

Thompson said students’ artistic skills are welcomed by people anxious to attend events that were denied them during the pandemic.

“People are seeing our students for their talent and potential talent. There is some synergy with the city, and some excitement,” she said.

“Students who come here are interested in multiple things, and they are looking for growth and development. On Admitted Students Day, we had 199 students and about 400 people here,” the president said. “One student was following nursing but was also a musician. When we told him about our musical therapy program, he was interested.”

Williams, who has served as a trustee since early 2020, said Thompson has hired staff members who reflect the president’s visionary goals. Her ideas and what Williams calls “out-of-the-box thinking” have impressed trustees as well.

Westfield State University President Linda Thompson in the administration building on campus. (Don Treeger / The Republican)

“President Thompson is certainly living up to the standards we expected her to uphold,” Williams said. “As a Black woman, I’m so impressed with her cross-cultural competency. She’s an inspiration to everybody, but especially to young women, women of color and African-American women who want to pursue higher education.”

Thompson said the challenges ahead include modernizing facilities. The Health Sciences Department is reviewing what laboratories might be needed to augment current technology. The criminal justice department is interested in forensics labs.

Most of all, Thompson says her 10 months as president have reaffirmed her belief that Westfield State can be many things to many people, and that even though the pandemic slowed the forward progress of some programs, a pent-up sense of optimism will make the 2020s a memorable decade for a 183-year-old school.

“What I feel good about are the people I’ve met - political and business leaders, the community and citizens in general,” she said. “And of course, the students. I sense a lot of energy as I move around.”

That is evidently being helped by the fact she does move around.

“As we see the president around campus, there’s a good feeling here,” Lessing said. “We feel we are going in the right direction.”

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