Bay Path University

Bay Pathway Winter 2015 It was 1897 in Springfield, Massachusetts. On the corner of State and Dwight Streets sat a three-story brick building with an imposing facade. Across the length of the building in bold letters read the words "Bay Path Institute." It was appropriate that Bay Path's doors would open in that time and place. The country had gone through an explosive period of economic growth, and Springfield, known as the 'City of Progress,' was at the head of this wave with such innovations as the vulcanized tire, Merriam-Webster dictionary, Indian motorcycle, Duryea motor vehicle, and, of course, basketball, among others. Business was booming in Springfield, and also in America. But it was apparent there was something lacking: they needed an educated workforce to help drive this economic engine. From the beginning, Bay Path's mission was sharply focused on educating students in the best practices in the financial and commercial skills of business including accounting, stenography, typing, administrative management, as well as teaching. This was a thread that would weave through all of Bay Path's transformations as an institution of learning: a practical, affordable, career-oriented education strongly linked to the needs of companies, organizations and communities. Students came from all over New England, often from working class backgrounds, paying their own way, and living with host families. Remarkably, Bay Path featured an accelerated curriculum with students attending all-year round, allowing them to earn their degree in a shorter period of time. As Bay Path's prestige grew through the decades, a world event occurred, requiring a dramatic shift for the Institute. From the onset of World War II, the call for able-bodied men meant that much of the male student body enlisted. On the home front, women had to shoulder additional burdens and soon signs advertising "Rosie the Riveter" were everywhere. Women went to work—from the factory floor to the company office and other places unimaginable before the war. Women were discovering their potential. At the close of the war, this shift in society signaled big changes for Bay Path on the horizon. Bay Path through the years 1897 BAY PATH INSTITUTE FOUNDED 1944 THOMAS J. CARR BECOMES PRESIDENT 1945 BAY PATH GOES TO THE SUBURBS AND RELOCATES IN LONGMEADOW, MA; BECOMES BAY PATH SECRETARIAL SCHOOL 1949 IT'S OFFICIAL: BAY PATH JUNIOR COLLEGE 1968 DOUGLAS A. PERKINS BECOMES PRESIDENT 1971 DR. A. RANDLE ELLIOT BECOMES PRESIDENT 1979 DR. JEANETTE T. WRIGHT BECOMES PRESIDENT 1988 NAME CHANGE: BAY PATH COLLEGE 1995 DR. CAROL A. LEARY INAUGURATED AS PRESIDENT 1996 WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE ESTABLISHED 1997 BAY PATH CELEBRATES ITS COLLEGE CENTENNIAL 1998 ATHLETIC FIELDS OFF FARMLEA ROAD BECOME SOUTH CAMPUS 1999 ONE-DAY-A-WEEK SATURDAY COLLEGE ESTABLISHED 2000 BAY PATH AUTHORIZED BY THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS TO GRANT GRADUATE DEGREES 2000 BLAKE STUDENT COMMONS BUILT 2002 ACCEPTED AS A MEMBER OF NCAA DIVISION III ATHLETICS 2003 THE CENTRAL MASS. CENTER SATELLITE CAMPUS IS OPENED IN STURBRIDGE, MASS. 2007 EASTERN MASS. CENTER SATELLITE CAMPUS LAUNCHED IN BURLINGTON, MASS. 2009 BAY PATH GROWS TO OVER 2,000 STUDENTS 2014 THE AMERICAN WOMEN'S COLLEGE ONLINE FOR ADULT WOMEN IS LAUNCHED 2014 PHILIP H. RYAN HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER CONSTRUCTED IN EAST LONGMEADOW, MASS. 10 Own Our Story Own Our Story

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