Springfield College Explained

Springfield College
Former Names:YMCA of School for Christian Workers in Springfield (1885–1891)
International Young Men's Christian Association Training School (1891–1912)
International YMCA College (1912–1954)
Motto:Spirit, Mind, Body
Endowment:$79.6 million (2020)[1]
President:Mary-Beth A. Cooper
Students:2,921[2] (fall 2022)
Undergrad:2,178
Postgrad:1,028
Country:U.S.
Campus Size:Main campus size: East campus size:
Colors:  Maroon and white[3]
Sports Nickname:Pride[4]
Mascot:Spirit the Majestic Lion
Pushpin Map:USA Massachusetts

Springfield College is a private university in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States. The institution's mission, called the Humanics philosophy, calls for educating students in spirit, mind, and body for leadership in service to others[5] It is also notable for its historical significance as the birthplace of basketball, which was invented on campus in 1891 by Canadian-American instructor and graduate student James Naismith.[6] [7]

History

Founded in 1885, as the Young Men's Christian Association department of the School for Christian Workers in Springfield, the school originally specialized in preparing young men to become General Secretaries of YMCA organizations in a two-year program. In 1887, it added a Physical Education department. In 1890, it separated from the School for Christian Workers and became the YMCA Training School and in 1891, the International Young Men's Christian Association Training School.

In 1905, the school became a degree-granting institution.[8] In 1912, it took the name International YMCA College and in 1954, Springfield College.[9]

Archives

Since 1999, the institutional archives have included archival material from the Society of Health and Physical Educators and some of its affiliates, including the papers of their leaders.[10]

Presidents

Springfield College has had 13 leaders:[11]

YearsName
1885–1891David Allen Reed
1891–1893Henry S. Lee
1893–1896Charles S. Barrows
1896–1936Laurence L. Doggett
1937–1946Ernest M. Best
1946–1952Paul M. Limbert
1953–1957Donald C. Stone
1958–1965Glenn A. Olds
1965–1985Wilbert E. Locklin
1985–1992Frank S. Falcone
1992–1998Randolph W. Bromery
1999–2013Richard B. Flynn
2013–Mary-Beth A. Cooper

Academics

Springfield College offers bachelor's degrees in more than 40 majors, 25-plus master's degrees, and doctoral programs in counseling psychology, educational leadership, medical science, physical therapy, physical education and more. The institution is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE).[12]

The institution comprises three schools:[13]

Springfield College also offers bachelor's degree completion programs and master's degrees in business, education, counseling and more, that are geared toward working adult students at its main campus, and online.[18]

Campus

The campus of Springfield College is located in Springfield, Massachusetts, The main campus spans and contains ten residence halls, recreational and fitness facilities, science and academic facilities, a performing arts center, and the Flynn Campus Union, which includes a food court, activity and lounge space, and bookstore.[19]

In fall 2023, Springfield College opened a new Health Sciences Center, which facilitates, expands on, and celebrates interprofessional education. Inside the four floors of the 86,000-square-foot building, simulation, anatomy, pediatrics lab, and makerspace environments enhance interdisciplinary collaboration as does expanded meeting space. [20]

Springfield College's East Campus, which encompasses of forest ecosystem, is located about one mile from the main campus.[21] This location provides rustic facilities for conferences and meetings, and space for outdoor research and recreation. East Campus is also home to the Springfield College Child Development Center, which provides early education services for children of members of the faculty and staff, students, and families in the community.

Athletics

Springfield College's athletic teams have been known since 1995 as the Pride;[22] the teams were nicknamed the Chiefs from 1968 through 1994, and prior to that were known as the Gymnasts or Maroons. The institution is a member of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III and most teams compete in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC). Springfield's football team joined the NEWMAC when it began sponsoring football in 2017. The men's soccer, men's golf, cross country and gymnastics teams are affiliate members of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC). The men's volleyball team competes as an independent.Springfield College is known as the "Birthplace of Basketball",[23] a game created by alumnus and faculty member James Naismith under the founding head of the Physical Education department Luther Gulick Jr. in 1891. Gulick is in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame,[24] which is named for Naismith.[25] [26]

Alumnus William G. Morgan invented the game of volleyball.[27]

Stagg Field serves as the institution's main athletic field; it was named after former coach, Amos Alonzo Stagg who briefly coached Springfield and went on to play a pivotal role in the development of modern football.

On October 19, 2017, Springfield College unveiled a one-of-a-kind intercollegiate and adaptive baseball field that resulted from a partnership between Springfield College and the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation. On that day, Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Cal Ripken, Jr. joined Springfield College President Mary-Beth Cooper for a ribbon-cutting ceremony on the new field. The name of the baseball field was changed from Berry-Allen Field to the Archie Allen Field. [28]

The Springfield softball team appeared in one Women's College World Series in 1977.[29]

The Springfield College women's gymnastics team won the first intercollegiate national championship in 1969 and three of the first four (1971 and 1972).

In 1940 Springfield was one of eight teams to make the 1940 NCAA basketball tournament, losing to eventual champion Indiana 48–24 in the regional semifinals held at Butler Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.

In 2006 and 2007, the institution hosted the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Final Four.

The men's volleyball team has six non-NCAA national titles in the now-defunct Molten Invitational championship, an event for NCAA Division III schools that ran from 1997 through 2011, and also won the first three NCAA Division III Men's Volleyball Championships in 2012 through 2014. All nine championships were won under Head Coach Charlie Sullivan. The Pride followed up with two more national championships in 2016 through 2018. Ten of the 11 championships were won under Head Coach Charlie Sullivan.

The Springfield College Women's Basketball team of 2004–2005, made the Elite Eight of the NCAA Division III basketball tournament. Springfield earned its second-ever at-large bid to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament in February 2024 and made its eighth appearance in the national tournament to cap off the 2023-24 season. At the end of that season, Head Coach Naomi Graves and her staff were chosen as the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Coaching Staff of the Year.

Women's basketball has won several conference tournament championships, including the season of 2006. The 2023-24 team competed in the first round of the NCAA Division III championship.

Springfield College graduates Rusty Jones G '86 and Jon Torine '95 participated in Super Bowl XLI as the Head Strength and Conditioning coaches of the Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts, respectively.[30] Steve Spagnuolo ’82 has served as a defensive coordinator six times in the Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs and New York Giants, and three of those games resulted in Super Bowl victories.

The Springfield College Women's Field Hockey Team has won the NEWMAC (New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference) title for five consecutive years (2004–2008), and competed in the NCAA Division III tournament in those five years as well.

The men's lacrosse team won six straight titles (2008–2013) in the now-defunct Pilgrim Lacrosse League, which has since been absorbed by the NEWMAC.

Springfield's Women's Swimming and Diving Team has won the NEWMAC Conference title for ten consecutive years (2001–2010) in the Division III Conference.

Springfield's Men's soccer team were voted National College Champions by the Intercollegiate Soccer Football Association in 1946, 1947 and 1957. This was before the NCAA championship soccer tournament in 1959.

Men's teamsWomen's teams
Baseball Basketball
Basketball Cross Country
Cross country Field hockey
Gymnastics
Golf Lacrosse
Gymnastics Soccer
Lacrosse Softball
Soccer Swimming & diving
Swimming & Diving Tennis
Tennis Track & field
Track & Field Volleyball
Volleyball
Wrestling

Rankings

U.S. News & World Report ranked Springfield College #26 for Best Regional Universities—North Region for 2021,[31] the sixth consecutive year that it has been in the top 30.[32] U.S. News also ranked Springfield College #18 among Best Value Schools for Regional Universities—North, the school's fifth consecutive year on the list.

Springfield College was the recipient of the 2016 Presidential Award in the education category of the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. This honor is the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning, and civic engagement.[33]

In 2015, the institution successfully for an optional community engagement classification in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.[34]

Springfield College was named a 2016–17 College of Distinction for providing an innovative, teacher-centered undergraduate education with a strong record of preparing its graduates for real-world success.[35]

Notable alumni and faculty

External links

42.1043°N -72.5551°W

Notes and References

  1. As of June 30, 2020. U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2020 Endowment Market Value and Change in Endowment Market Value from FY19 to FY20 . . February 19, 2021 . February 21, 2021.
  2. Web site: College Navigator - Springfield College . en . 2024-07-26 . .
  3. Springfield College Brand Book . Springfield College . 2015-09-27 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150928085625/http://springfield.edu/sites/default/files/documents/brand/springfield-college-brand-book.pdf . 2015-09-28 .
  4. Web site: Springfield College Athletics . Springfield College Athletics . Springfieldcollegepride.com . 2015-09-27.
  5. Web site: Philosophy . 14 November 2017 . Springfield College.
  6. Web site: Academics . 2015-09-27 . Springfield College.
  7. Web site: Springfield College: The Birthplace of Basketball . 2017-02-02 . Springfield College.
  8. Glenn T. Miller, Piety and Profession: American Protestant Theological Education, 1870–1970, 2007., p. 289
  9. Web site: Springfield College History . Springfield College . 14 November 2017.
  10. Web site: Springfield College - SHAPE Archives. Springfield College.
  11. Web site: Martel. Alli. Library Services: College History: College History. 2021-04-26. library.springfield.edu. en.
  12. Web site: 2020. New England Commission of Higher Education - Springfield College. New England Commission of Higher Education.
  13. Web site: Springfield College - Academics. Springfield College.
  14. Web site: Springfield College - School of Arts and Sciences . Springfield College - School of Arts and Sciences.
  15. Web site: Springfield College - School of Physical Education, Performance, and Sport Leadership. Springfield College.
  16. Web site: Springfield College School Of Health Sciences . Springfield College - School of Health Sciences.
  17. Web site: COLLEGE OF HEALTH DEANS . COLLEGE OF HEALTH DEANS.
  18. Web site: Academics . Springfield College Academics.
  19. Web site: 2011-06-01 . Campus Union Student Activities . 2015-09-27 . Springfield College.
  20. Web site: Health Sciences Center . Springfield College .
  21. Web site: East Campus . Springfield College . 2015-09-27.
  22. News: Freedom Conference . . 43 . August 25, 1995 . November 29, 2010 . newspapers.com.
  23. Web site: Where Basketball was Invented: The History of Basketball . Springfield College.
  24. Web site: Luther H. Gulick . Basketball Hall of Fame profile . May 9, 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090831072446/http://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/tag/luther-h-gulick . August 31, 2009 .
  25. Web site: James Naismith . Basketball Hall of Fame profile . May 9, 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130319212618/http://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/tag/james-naismith . March 19, 2013 .
  26. see also History of Basketball
  27. Web site: William G. Morgan (1870-1942) inventor of the game of volleyball . Volleyball World Wide web site . May 9, 2010 . December 26, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20101226223431/http://www.volleyball.org/wmorgan.html . dead .
  28. Web site: Springfield College and Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation Partnership Results in One-of-a-kind Intercollegiate and Adaptive Baseball Field . Springfield College News.
  29. Book: A Series Of Their Own: History Of The Women's College World Series. William. Plummer. Larry C.. Floyd. 2013 . Turnkey Communications Inc.. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States. 978-0-9893007-0-4.
  30. Three Springfield College Grads in Sunday's Super Bowl XLI . January 30, 2007 . Springfield College . https://web.archive.org/web/20070228192252/http://www.spfldcol.edu/homepage/athletics.nsf/websearch/F3CF9A9DD651D9C085257273005420A3 . dead . February 28, 2007 .
  31. Web site: 2021. U.S. News & World Report - Regional Universities North. U.S. News & World Report.
  32. Web site: September 14, 2020. Springfield College Ranked in Top Tier of U.S.News Rankings in Best Regional Universities – North Region. Springfield College - News.
  33. Web site: Springfield College Award . springfield.edu . 2016-09-19.
  34. Web site: Springfield College Receives Community Engagement Classification by Carnegie Foundation. Springfield College. 2015-09-27. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150402103821/http://www.springfieldcollege.edu/sc-news/springfield-college-receives-community-engagement-classification-by-carnegie-foundation#.VLAHsWTF8Vh. 2015-04-02.
  35. Web site: Colleges of Distinction . All . August 29, 2016 . Colleges of Distinction . 2016-09-19.
  36. Web site: Springfield College Men's Swimming and Diving, Peter Avdoulos. springfieldcollegepride.com.
  37. Web site: 2015 HOF Profile - Jeff Blatnick. 14 November 2017.
  38. News: Athletic Director Leaving in June; Dewar Successor. Byrnes. Bruce. April 11, 1947. UWO Gazette. London, Ontario. 1.
    News: Athletic Director (Continued from Page 1). Byrnes. Bruce. April 11, 1947. UWO Gazette. London, Ontario. 3.
  39. Web site: "The Conversion of Dr. Peter Karpovich". starkcenter.org.
  40. Web site: "Springfield College Hosts 2019 Peter V. Karpovich Lecture". springfield.edu/. October 16, 2019 .
  41. News: Ismael. Torres . Puerto Rican historian Fernando Picó dies at 75 . . 2017-06-27 . 2017-07-17.
  42. News: Angela Salem: A professional mindset . Rhim . Kristian . October 22, 2017 . The Springfield Student . July 13, 2023 . en-US.
  43. Web site: American Swimming Coaches Hall of Fame, Charles Silvia. SwimSwam. 18 June 2023.
  44. Web site: SHAPE America - A Brief History of the Midwest District. shapeamerica.org.

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