Springfield City Wire

Westfield State MPA program partnerships provide real-world experience for students while assisting local communities

Colleges and universities often have informal relationships with cities and town in which they reside.  Last year, Westfield State and the City of Westfield held several meetings to formalize bonds, develop channels for communication, and vow to work together to share resources to benefit students and city residents. Writing in June for Westfield City Lifestyle magazine, Westfield State President Linda Thompson outlined her perspective. “To meet the challenges of an uncertain economy, our public universities need to evolve, develop and extend their purpose and their mission to including outside groups in partnerships beneficial to both parties.  In weathering difficult times, it helps to know you have friends you can lean on.”

In the Master of Public Administration program, directed by Assistant Professor, Dr. Charles DiStefano, incorporating civic engagement into course curriculum is a critical element that provides relevant experience for program participants while benefitting businesses, non-profits and government agencies. Student research projects illustrate how a university can work with its neighbors to formulate stronger bonds. During the Fall 2022 semester, in DiStefano’s Organizational Behavior course and in Regional Economics of New England, taught by Associate Professor and Economics Department Chair Dr. Hillary M. Sackett-Taylor, students conducted the following investigations:

Graduate student Investigators, Kaitlin Barrett, Alex Lent, Sean Moorhouse, Steven Moussette, and Ryan Rausch partnered with the Westfield Historic Industries Preservation Project as they work toward establishing a museum honoring Westfield’s industrial heritage at 360 Elm Street. The team developed recommendations related to board development and the formation of a community outreach plan to help generate public interest and support. 

Original source can be found here