150 Years of Worcester State

By Rebecca Cross and Ross Griffiths
Photos courtesy of Worcester State Archives

When Worcester State was founded in 1874, the world was in the midst of rapid change. The United States was grappling with the aftermath of the Civil War, which had ended just nine years prior, and expanding into the “Wild West” via the first transcontinental railroad, completed only five years earlier. Industrialization, which had helped build cities like Worcester, reached its zenith in Massachusetts. Still, very few homes in the United States had a flush toilet, and none had electricity or telephones.

Since the university’s founding, women gained the right to vote, two world wars were fought, the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed, and the Internet was invented. As we look to the future, we take a look at how far we have come, together.

1874-1932
Worcester State Normal School

Worcester State Normal School, Main Building, 1899

1874
State Normal School at Worcester opens its campus on St. Ann’s Hill. On Sept. 15, 1874, 69 students begin classes in English, history, geography, music, science, and teaching theory/practice taught by five faculty. Students intending to teach in Massachusetts attend for free; students intending to teach in other states pay $30 per year. All students pay $2 in fees for the year. Free tuition for in-state students continues into the mid 1930s.

E. Harlow Russell

1874-1909
E. Harlow Russell is first principal.

1875
Enrollment is 122.

1880
Apprenticeship program that placed Worcester State students into city schools for training and observation is introduced.

1880
Graduates’ Association, the parent organization of all current alumni activities, is founded.

Stoddard Terrace Dining Room, c. 1910

1891
First dormitory, Stoddard Terrace, housing 20 female students and faculty, is built on the St. Ann’s Hill campus.

1893
Worcester State is featured along with other state normal schools in the Massachusetts Public Schools exhibit at the Chicago World’s Fair.

1894
Gymnasium built on the St. Ann’s Hill campus. Three more faculty members are added. Courses now include Latin, French, German, mathematics, physiology, drawing and art, and literature and grammar.

1900
Enrollment is 206.

1901
A year in the dorm costs $38.

1906
Telephones are installed at the Normal School.

1909-1912
Francis Ransom Lane is second principal.

1912-1940
Dr. William B. Aspinwall is third principal; later, the position title is changed to president.

1915
Enrollment is limited to women. 63 men had attended prior to this year.

1921
A 4-year bachelor’s degree is introduced as an optional program. The 2-year and 3-year degrees are phased out by 1935.

1931
A year in the dorm costs $325.

1932-1960
Worcester State Teachers College

Students pose with the college’s sign, c. 1935

1932
School reopens at its new location on Chandler Street as Worcester State Teachers College.

1932
The oak leaf is adopted as the emblem of the school.

1935-1942
The Quarterly Review, a student-run journal, is published.

1935
The first yearbook is published.

Important historical events during their time at Worcester State, according to the Class of 1940

1938
The Great New England Hurricane causes significant damage to Worcester State’s campus.

1940
Male students are admitted for the first time since the 1910s.

1940-1941
Women’s Athletic Association is formed.

1940-1946
Clinton E. Carpenter is the fourth president.

1941-1942
Men’s Athletic Association is formed.

1942
The Acorn, the school’s newspaper, is first published. It is later published under the names The Student Voice and the New Student Voice from 1967 until 2012. The current student newspaper, The Wormtown Herald, launched in spring 2024.

1945
Enrollment is 100. The graduating class is 16.

1946
Dr. Albert Farnsworth becomes acting president following Carpenter’s death.

1947-1970
Eugene A. Sullivan is fifth president.

1949
First master’s degree is awarded.

1949
Enrollment is 315.

The new Gymnasium

1950
Men’s Basketball and Baseball become the first varsity sports at Worcester State.

1954
Tuition is $100 for in-state students and $400 for out-of-state students.

1958
The new Gymnasium is completed. The building also provides library services and has a cafeteria.

1960-2010
Worcester State College

1960
Receives State College designation. The school is officially the State College at Worcester for a period before becoming Worcester State College.

1963
Enrollment is 1,100.

1965
Sullivan Academic Center is opened as the campus’s science building. Sullivan Auditorium, a 1,100-seat, raked theater opens.

Rendering of the Sullivan building, 1963

1967
Women’s Basketball begins its first season. It is undefeated.

1970
Fleetwood Mac performs at Worcester State’s Winter Carnival.

1970-1975
Robert E. Leestamper is sixth president.

1971
The Learning Resource Center opens.

Chandler Village, 1973

1973
Office of Multicultural Affairs is established.

1973
Chandler Village student residence halls open.

1973
Jane Fonda, actress and activist, speaks on campus.

1974
In-state tuition is $300 annually while out-of-state tuition is $600. Chandler Village residents pay $750-850 in housing costs annually, depending on accommodations.

1975-1982
Joseph J. Orze is seventh president.

1978
Student Center opens.

Student Center, 1978

1978
Pop band Orleans performs.

1982
Enrollment is 4,000.

1982-1992
Philip D. Vairo is eighth president.

1990
Dowden Hall opens.

1992-2002
Kalyan K. Ghosh is ninth president.

1994
First Martin Luther King Jr. Youth Breakfast.

1994
Worcester State Foundation is established.

2000
The Ghosh Science & Technology Center opens.

2000
Actor Danny Glover is Commencement speaker and special guest at the 125th anniversary gala.

2000
The Latino Education Institute (LEI) is founded.

2000
Enrollment is 5,500.

Janelle C. Ashley

2002
Janelle C. Ashley becomes first woman president of Worcester State.

2004
Wasylean Hall opens.

2005
Sullivan Academic Center gets a $14.6 million renovation.

2007
Campus Parking Garage opens.

2010-Now
Worcester State University

2010
Renamed Worcester State University.

2010
Dowden Hall is expanded.

2011
Barry M. Maloney becomes eleventh president.

2014
Sheehan Hall opens.

2016
The Gene J. and Julianne DeFeudis Wellness Center opens.

2020-2021
Worcester State moves all classes online during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

2023
Largest incoming first-year class.

2024
Most diverse incoming class in history, with 39% of students identifying as ALANA/BIPOC (African, Latine, Asian, Native American and/or Black, Indigenous, People of Color).