Our Place. Our Purpose.

Worcester State University has been driven by a deep and abiding sense of place and purpose.

Our place is Worcester, the heart of the Commonwealth and a hub of innovation, industry, and culture. A place where people of diverse interests and backgrounds have come together to pursue a bright future for their families and their community.

Our purpose is rooted in our commitment to making higher education accessible to everyone. We cultivate an environment in which learners can explore, discover, create, and achieve. Come as you are and leave the best version of yourself.

Join us as we celebrate 150 years of learning, impact and belonging and help us envision a brighter tomorrow in the place we call home.

Since our university’s very beginnings, we have had a tremendous impact on “our place” and on multiple generations of students, which is indeed “our purpose,” as the 150th Anniversary slogan suggests.

What is it that we have done so well, all these years? We’ve been a place for students who come from many different backgrounds. We’ve prepared them well for further study or careers that meet the region’s workforce needs. And we’ve helped them become leaders who were, and are, engaged with their communities. Now in my thirteenth year as president, these are the three qualities of a Worcester State University education that I believe have had the most lasting impact.

I invite students, employees, alumni and the community to join with us, as we celebrate this meaningful legacy!

The Tiffany Gates were selected for the 150th anniversary for their historical and cultural value to the university. The Gates were a gift of the Worcester Normal School’s Graduates' Association and installed in 1914 at the original campus on St. Anne’s Hill. For the 150th anniversary, the university undertook a restoration of the Gates with Hammersmith Studios of Canton, a highly regarded metalworking firm.

The gates are unusual not only because they were designed by Tiffany, but because they were made by the highly regarded craftsmen in the company’s studios in Corona, Queens, N.Y. The studios were founded by renowned artist Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933), son of the founder of the famous jewelry store. Best known for stained glass, Tiffany Studios also produced metalwork, though only for a relatively brief time, which makes the gates even more distinctive.