A Decade of Accomplishment
2015-2016
- President Clark, at his inauguration, announces his intention to grow the university’s endowment to $100 million.
- BSU selected by the U.S. Department of State to host the prestigious Mandela Fellows Program for Emerging Young African Leaders.
- For the first time, a BSU student was accepted to participate at the National Collegiate Research Conference at Harvard – the premier undergraduate research conference in the nation, which accepts only 100 students.
- BSU ranks 9th in the nation among 255 public universities by the Education Trust for closing the achievement gap while simultaneously raising graduation rates for all students.
- The Martin Richard statue is unveiled on campus and the Institute for Social Justice is launched in his honor.
Martin Richard statue
Martin Richard statue
2016-2017
- BSU’s first comprehensive strategic plan is drafted and presented to the BSU Board of Trustees.
- A Bloomberg classroom is developed in the Ricciardi College of Business as 10 terminals are installed to provide BSU business students with hands-on, real-world experience.
- K-12 immersion experiences expand as BSU’s Center for the Advancement of STEM Education (CASE) hosts 22,000 elementary school visitors to enhance college participation.
- The BSU Board of Trustees establishes a new Safety Committee as safety efforts expand across the campus.
- Creative retention strategies including a male mentoring program, GLBT student mentoring, enhanced efforts to support commuter students as well as an increased military and veterans population are implemented.
Bloomberg classroom
Bloomberg classroom
2017-2018
- The CC2BSU program is launched with Massasoit and Bristol Community Colleges to increase the number of community college transfer students attending BSU.
- An Academic Innovation Grant Fund is initiated with 33 proposals submitted and six selected, one of them resulting in the creation of BSU’s first makerspace – the Think Tank.
- BSU pilots its Summer Bears Program to improve retention rates for students identified through predictive analytics as most likely to fail without an intervention.
- BSU becomes the first university in the nation to aggressively respond to potential on-campus overdoses by making NARCAN available in all residence halls and training all staff to handle any incidents there.
- The Center for Transformative Learning opens with a new Assistant Provost for High-Impact Practices. Overseeing the honors and undergraduate research programs, the center is instrumental in the selection of three Fulbright Scholars in its first year, the most in BSU history.
Think Tank
Think Tank
2018-2019
- BSU launches its Student Ready Campus Initiative, shifting the culture from students being “college ready” to the campus being “student ready” as part of BSU’s equity agenda.
- The Early College initiative launches at Fall River’s Durfee High School to expand the college-attending culture by allowing high school students who may not have previously considered higher education to take college courses while in high school.
- Classes in new academic programs in photonics and optical engineering, cyber security, and health sciences begin.
- A series of new interventions to improve student completion rates including the use of texting platforms, effective and equitable use of high-impact practices, and one-on-one outreach to students are established.
- BSU initiates an Enterprise Risk Management Committee to identify and prepare processes to manage risks and seize opportunities.
College-level English class at Durfee High School
College-level English class at Durfee High School
2019-2020
- BSU transitions to fully online learning and telework for 90 percent of staff while maintaining essential in-person university services across the campus as the COVID-19 global pandemic grips the commonwealth.
- A Student Mental Health and Wellness Task Force starts its assessment of campus needs and identifying resources to meet them. Student mental health remains a priority moving forward.
- BSU earns recognition as the fourth safest campus in the United States based on data provided by the FBI.
- BSU participates in the Plymouth 400 celebration by hosting an Indigenous History Conference and a statewide civic education program entitled “The Massachusetts Chronicles.”
- The Special Presidential Task Force on Racial Justice is convened after the murder of George Floyd and is charged with identifying elements of policy, practice and culture which impede racial justice at BSU and recommend remedies for corrective action.
Every public school in the state receives copies of a book about Massachusetts history.
Every public school in the state receives copies of a book about Massachusetts history.
2020-2021
- BSU emerges from its global pandemic response to COVID-19 aided by timely federal funding and state financial assistance for mitigation and without using furloughs or employee layoffs to balance its budget, all while freezing student fees and providing historic levels of financial aid.
- With social distancing protocols in mind, commencement ceremonies are relocated to Gillette Stadium.
- The governor’s office approves a plan to move the College of Education and Health Sciences into Burnell Hall through major reconstruction of the building.
- BSU’s endowment exceeds $60 million for the first time in its history
- Starship robots begin food delivery on campus and the Bear Bites food truck opens.
Food delivery robots
Food delivery robots
2021-2022
- BSU earns designation as a JED campus for taking a comprehensive public health approach to supporting the emotional well-being and success of students.
- Implementation of recommendations from the President’s Racial Justice Task Force is underway and the Board of Trustees establishes a new Racial Equity and Justice Committee.
- A year-long self-assessment for the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) 10-year accreditation is completed.
- BSU faces the new normal as in-person classes resume while occupancy levels in residence halls increase. Vaccination rates stand at 96 percent for students and staff.
- Bear Paw Pavilion, built at the Swenson Complex to house the football team in the fall and track and field in the spring, opens for the start of the academic year.
In-person classes are held with a mask requirement.
In-person classes are held with a mask requirement.
2022-2023
- BSU earns reaccreditation for 10 years by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE).
- Eleven areas of post-pandemic opportunities are advanced and incorporated into BSU’s strategic plan. These areas of focus are racial equity, academic innovation, enrollment management, mental health/wellness, new work paradigm at BSU, affordability, physical campus, post-traditional learners, Gateway Cities, a capital campaign, and BSU Works.
- Partnering with state leaders, BSU expands its EXCEL program for students with developmental challenges and establishes a “Uniquely Abled Academy” on campus to provide career opportunities to students with autism who may wish to secure careers in advanced manufacturing.
- BSU’s new privately funded home for the Martin Richard Institute for Social Justice opens at 161 Summer Street.
- The building of a new fitness park and expansion of outdoor basketball courts adds to BSU’s inventory of physical fitness opportunities on campus, contributing to physical and mental health well-being.
EXCEL Program at South Shore Regional Technical High School
EXCEL Program at South Shore Regional Technical High School
2023-2024
- The Wall Street Journal recognizes BSU as one of America’s Best Colleges. The university would again place highly on the 2025 list. BSU ranks in the top 20 percent of private and public universities nationwide. In Massachusetts, BSU ranks 18th out of more than 100 eligible private and public institutions.
- In collaboration with the Massachusetts Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance and education design firm Goody Clancy, BSU launches an inclusive planning process to create its next 10-year facilities Capital Master Plan.
- A university-wide AI Committee is formed to explore the challenges and opportunities for the deployment of AI in areas that stand to enhance student success and operational effectiveness. BSU holds a standing-room AI Summit to enhance understanding and the impact of AI on the campus community.
- BSU’s new cyber range and upcoming cybersecurity programs attract national and statewide interest, reflecting the intense need to provide training and a workforce to combat and the escalating threat posed by cyber criminals.
- The Bridgewater State University Foundation launches a campaign to raise $30 million to build its private endowment to $100 million over the next five years.
- Macro-level improvements to advising are being developed – in partnership with the Gardner Institute – to enhance the first-year student experience to strengthen retention rates from the first to the second year.
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