Fitchburg State University

Fitchburg State University, also called Fitchburg State, is a four-year public institution of higher learning with a compact urban campus, in the city of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, United States. Fitchburg State University has over 3,500 undergraduate and over 1650 graduate/continuing education students, for a total student body enrollment over 5200. The College offers postgraduate certificates, bachelor's degrees, and master's degrees (including the MBA) in more than 25 academic disciplines. The main campus, the McKay Campus School, and athletic fields occupy 79 acres (320,000 m²) in the city of Fitchburg; the biological study fields occupy 120 acres (490,000 m²) in the neighboring towns of Lancaster, Leominster, and Lunenburg.

History

Fitchburg State University was founded as the State Normal School in Fitchburg in 1894 by the state legislature. Its first President was John G. Thompson (President 1895–1920). Initially a secondary-education school for women (coeducation arrived in 1911), the Normal School was not authorized to grant bachelor's degrees until 1930, after the presidency of William D. Parkinson (1920–1927), and during Dr. Charles M. Herlihy's (1927–1945) tenure. In 1932, that authorization was extended to all academic disciplines in Education. At the same time, the name was changed to State Teachers College at Fitchburg. Dr. Charles M. Herlihy died while in office and was succeeded by Dr. William J. Sanders (1945–1950) and Ellis F. White (1950–1953).