Centers & Institutes at FSU
Center for Digital Humanities
Photo Credit: Zach Lane
The rapidly growing field of Digital Humanities combines traditional humanities subjects with digital computing tools to address issues of identity, history, and culture while offering students high-impact learning experiences that help them develop core career competencies. The Center for Digital Humanities (CDH), located in the Henry Whittemore Library, serves Framingham State University students, faculty, and staff—as well as members of the greater MetroWest community—through offering equipment, software, and training opportunities in digital humanities, as well as through assisting in the building, housing, and promotion of digital humanities projects.
Centers for Early Childhood Education
The Centers for Early Childhood Education at Framingham State University offer high quality early childhood education and care for children ages two years and nine months through five years old. The centers are inclusive, welcoming children from different backgrounds and abilities in a learning community valuing the uniqueness of each child. The child-centered programs emphasize free play, socialization, creative expression, and exploration in a literacy-rich environment to facilitate the development of each child as a unique and competent person.
Center for Excellence in Learning, Teaching, Scholarship and Service
The Center for Excellence in Learning, Teaching, Scholarship, and Service supports faculty members and librarians during all phases of their careers. Established in 2008, CELTSS is run by faculty for the benefit of their colleagues and the campus community. The Center awards monetary grants, and facilitates workshops, lectures, reading groups, and special events. Newly hired faculty members participate in mentoring programs. A day is set aside in January for faculty to lead sessions on pedagogical issues. The “Day in May” showcases their scholarly and creative projects and features a keynote address from an internationally recognized speaker. The Center also houses a library of books on pedagogy, along with a selection of books and articles written by faculty members.
Center for Inclusive Excellence
The Center for Inclusive Excellence at Framingham State University is a Brave Space dedicated to creating and supporting an environment that reflects a collective commitment to promoting equity, advocating social justice and making excellence inclusive. As a guiding principle, Inclusive Excellence is meant to include and engage the rich diversity of students, staff, faculty, administrators, alumni and community constituents in authentic learning which often requires embracing the brave qualities of challenge, risk and difficulty. Thus, we recognize this work to be a journey of discovery and transformation for every aspect and level of the University.
Chris Walsh Center for Educators and Families of MetroWest
The center was established in 2020 to provide information for families and educators about the continuum of educational support available to students with disabilities, students who are gifted, and students with unmet needs. The center offers support, workshops and other programming for families, educators, student support professionals, administrators, and advocates in the MetroWest area. The center will also engage in scholarly research, educator preparation, and professional development. The center is sponsored by the Education Department at Framingham State University.
Christa Corrigan McAuliffe Center for Integrated Science Learning
The Christa McAuliffe Center is a vibrant educational facility established in 1986 to honor the legacy of the first teacher in space, FSU alumna Christa McAuliffe ‘70. Today, the Center functions as a hub for much of Framingham State’s informal STEM education and outreach serving students and educators across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and beyond. Since 1994, the Center has been serving between 10,000 and 12,000 K-16 students every year.
The Center hosts the only Challenger Learning Center (CLC) in Massachusetts, a digital planetarium, and an exhibit hall. The national Challenger Center and its global network of Challenger Learning Centers use space-themed simulated learning and role-playing strategies to help students bring their classroom studies to life and cultivate skills needed for future success, such as problem solving, critical thinking, communication, and teamwork.
In 2023, the McAuliffe Center underwent major renovations designed to establish the Center as a unique STEM hub in Massachusetts and to continue Christa McAuliffe’s legacy.
In alignment with NASA’s Strategy for STEM Engagement, the Center strives to attract diverse groups of students and spark their interest in STEM through learning experiences connected to NASA’s space and earth science missions.
Civic Engagement and Service Learning Center
The mission of the Civic Engagement and Service Learning Center is to enhance student learning and foster a culture of civic responsibility at Framingham State University. The Center will facilitate the development of academically oriented and co-curricular programs and provide resources that support FSU faculty, students, and staff engagement in mutually beneficial partnerships with our local, national, and international community partners to address significant public issues for underrepresented and underserved populations.
Danforth Art Museum and School at Framingham State University
The Danforth is a public art museum and community art school established in 1975 by a group of community members committed to bringing the arts to Framingham through exhibitions, museum programs, and studio art classes. In 2018, the Danforth merged with Framingham State University. The Museum presents exciting exhibitions featuring both historic and contemporary works from the permanent collection, as well as temporary exhibitions with a focus on contemporary, regional artists. The Museum’s growing permanent collection includes 3,500 objects spanning the history of American Art.
The Art School offers art classes and workshops for adults and children, designed to support learning at all levels in a variety of fine art media. Our diverse and dedicated faculty pool allows students to study painting, drawing and other media with instructors from many backgrounds and perspectives.
The Danforth at Framingham State University is committed to serving as a valuable resource to the community and region. We are located in the Jonathan Maynard Building on Framingham’s historic Centre Common, a short walk from the University’s main campus.
Entrepreneur Innovation Center
Located in an office building at 860 Worcester Road next to the FSU campus, the goal of the center is to provide an environment that supports and fosters a group of entrepreneurs’ innovative ideas by providing resources to aid a start-up business, such as internet access, conference room scheduling, and FSU faculty expertise. If you have an idea that you are actively working on and are an FSU student\alumni or resident of the central MetroWest region, the center is looking for you! Applications for membership to the center and the paid student internship opportunity are available on the center’s website.
Mancuso Humanities Workforce Preparation Center
The Mancuso Humanities Workforce Preparation Center's (MHWPC) mission is 1) to promote humanities disciplines at FSU in order to raise awareness of the value of humanities education for the twenty-first century, 2) to increase enrollment in these majors and minors, and 3) to ensure that FSU humanities majors are prepared for rewarding employment upon graduation.
The MHWPC provides funding opportunities for faculty to build relationships with regional businesses and to initiate meaningful faculty development that furthers the Center's mission. The MHWPC also provides funding for humanities student internship stipends and for student leadership opportunities within their particular humanities departments (Art & Music; Communication, Media & Performance; English; Fashion Design & Retailing; History; and World Languages).
For prospective students interested in majoring in one of FSU's humanities disciplines, there are scholarships available that cover 4 years of your tuition, fees, room & board. Please see the Mancuso Scholarships Program.
MetroWest College Planning Collaborative
The MetroWest College Planning Collaborative (CPC) is a regional joint college access initiative founded in December of 2014 by Framingham State University and Mass Bay Community College through the Department of Higher Education's Vision Project. The mission of the CPC is to provide the necessary outreach, training, mentoring and advising to connect with youth and non traditional adult learners in the region and guide them on their desired educational pathway to higher education. The CPC helps the community explore opportunities to develop specific skills training through certificates, associate's degree, Mass. Transfer, or completion of a four year degree. The CPC welcomes and serves all members of the community and supports specific outreach focus for underrepresented, low-income, first generation, minority students and their families.
Location: The 1812 House at 13 Salem End Road, Framingham, MA 01701
Drop in Open Advising Hours: Tuesdays-Fridays 3-7:30pm Saturdays 10:00-2:00pm
Book Appointment: MetrowestCPC [at] gmail.com (MetrowestCPC[at]gmail[dot]com)
John C. Stalker Institute for Food and Nutrition
The John C. Stalker Institute (JSI) of Food and Nutrition at Framingham State University (FSU) was established in 1988 as a partnership between FSU and The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). JSI is the premier provider of professional development and resources for Massachusetts school professionals, including school nutrition directors, managers, and staff; teachers of health, family and consumer sciences, physical education and biology; child care providers; school nurses; and other professionals working to improve the nutritional health of Massachusetts' school children. Programming includes Workshops to Go, regional conferences and events, certificate and leadership programs, and online courses. The Institute is funded annually by the Office for Food and Nutrition Programs at DESE.
MetroWest Economic Research Center (MERC)
The MetroWest Economic Research Center (MERC) at Framingham State University, established in 1991, collects and analyzes data related to economic conditions in the MetroWest, South Shore and Tri-Center Cohesive Commercial Statistical Areas (CCSA). MERC provides information and commentary on economic issues of vital interest to these regions. Faculty and interns from the Department of Economics and Business Administration produce MERC presentations and publications including award-winning economic profiles and labor force studies. MERC analysis has proven critical for regional and town planning as well as retention and recruitment of businesses.
MetroWest STEM Education Network
The MetroWest STEM Education Network (MSEN) is dedicated to promoting quality education and career pathways in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in the MetroWest region of Massachusetts.
Based at Framingham State University, MSEN brings together K-12 schools, institutions of higher education, business and industry, non-government advocacy groups, and a variety of non-profit organizations committed to develop partnerships and collaborations based on the sharing of network members' resources, expertise, and common goals.
MSEN initiatives are informed by the urgency of connecting the dots between the talent acquisition needs of major STEM industries in the state and the capacity of K-16 institutions to prepare local students, especially those financially disadvantaged and from underrepresented populations, for college and career pathways in STEM.
The goal of MSEN collaborating partners is to transform our organization from being a group of dynamic providers of STEM learning that often operate on parallel tracks, to an actual system of partners that, through a web of interaction and collaborations, integrate their STEM efforts toward the realization of our common vision: to articulate a continuity of efforts where youth have access to quality STEM programming throughout their K-12 and college education programs.