FSU recognized as a College of Distinction

By Francisco Omar Fernandez Rodriguez

Editorial Staff

Framingham State was named a College of Distinction for the second year in a row in early June, according to Dan Magazu, executive director of the Office of Marketing & Communications.

President Nancy Niemi said the University was recognized as a College of Distinction with specific areas of recognition, including public colleges, affordability, career development, diversity and inclusion, business, and education.

Colleges of Distinction is a nonprofit organization that awards distinctions based on whether the university has “engaged students, great teaching, a vibrant community, and successful outcomes,” Niemi said.

The Colleges of Distinction conducts research and many interviews when deciding whether to award a recognition, she added.

It’s different from the U.S. News and World Report College Ranking System in the sense that it doesn’t rank you against other colleges, she said.

The U.S. News and World Report College Ranking System is an annual set of rankings that compares institutions of higher education across the United States.

According to the official U.S. News Best Colleges website, “U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges rankings can take some of the stress out of the school research and selection process and help students find a college that’s a good fit.”

The Colleges of Distinction recognition is not a financial award, but it does allow the University to use their badges on its website, Niemi said.

The recognitions are one way for the University to see how people from outside the FSU community evaluate their work, she added.

She said this is the first year the University has decided not to pay to be part of the U.S. News and World Report College Ranking System.

Niemi said, “U.S. News is a much bigger organization, and it’s well known, but its ranking system is entirely different and it does rank colleges and universities against each other, and it’s almost always because of money and prestige.

“That’s not the way I think you rank or you assess a university or school,” she added.

The recognition is “a different way to acknowledge what we say, what we are proud of, and what we say about ourselves,” she said.

“That way, you don’t have to just take our word for it,” Niemi said.

Magazu said the Colleges of Distinction is an organization that invites colleges “showing distinction in certain areas” to apply to join the group.

According to Magazu, the cost of applying to be considered as a College of Distinction is $3,312 this year and “covers everything.” This includes the application fee, marketing materials, and recognition on their website.

“Less than $5,000 isn’t a huge investment, and it’s something we can feature on our website. We can feature it in communications to prospective students. We can feature it in social media,” Magazu said.

He said it’s different from the U.S. News and World Report College Ranking System because they base their ranking on statistics without getting to know the university well.

“I think a lot of schools have problems with U.S. News and similar rankings trying to order us from one to 100 or whatever the case may be, where it doesn’t really capture what a college is all about,” Magazu said.

One of the reasons the University is pulling out of the U.S. News and World Report College Ranking System is, “Using that ranking didn’t really feel like it was living to the truth because we don’t really believe in the ranking,” he said.

He added using the U.S. News and World Report College Ranking System logo costs approximately $17,000 now.

Colleges of Distinction looks for educational impact, he said.

“They want to make sure that we have first year seminars and collaborative projects for undergraduate research. They want to make sure we offer global learning and internships,” Magazu said.

Iris Godes, vice president of Enrollment Management, said she doesn’t have a way to measure the impact the recognition has on enrollment.

However, she hopes prospective students and families are impressed with the recognition, especially in areas such as equity, inclusion, and affordability, she said.

Sarah Rodriguez, director of Career Development, said it’s helpful to see an external organization recognize their efforts.

She said, “When you’re doing things that are innovative and on the cutting edge, it can be hard to brag about that sometimes when you’re so busy doing them.

“So it’s really nice to be able to pause and say, ‘Hey, not everyone’s doing this. Not everyone has a career community model,’” Rodriguez added.

She said students should take advantage of the services they have available in Career Development.

Jeffrey Coleman, vice president for Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement, said the recognition is an opportunity to show prospective students that the University is a place they’ll feel welcomed.

He said last year, their work around creating an environment where students feel seen, valued, and heard was noted. 

He said when creating a campus that “embraces people from all backgrounds and experiences and ideologies and beliefs,” that environment will recruit students on its own.

“Equity, inclusion, diversity work, and belonging: … all of those efforts are not going to ever disappear. The need is not going to ever disappear,” Coleman said.

Freshman Cameron Higbie said the school’s diversity is welcoming and “overwhelmingly positive.”

Sophomore David Forgione said the recognition would have impacted his choice to come here.

“When you’re choosing a college, you want to pick somewhere where you know you’re going to get your money’s worth when it comes to your education,” Forgione said.

Junior Josh Gillen said it’s great that a small school like FSU is being recognized.

“I really didn’t think anyone would have known of us outside of local areas,” Gillen said.

Junior Dheralth Carmo said he’s concerned about accessibility on campus, but otherwise, he agrees with the recognition.

Senior Joshua Reissoares said he’s proud of the opportunities he’s had while at FSU, though he thinks “it wouldn’t necessarily change whether I went to here or to UMass Amherst, or even somewhere across the country.”

He said he was pressured to go into college, but over time, he “embraced the opportunity.

“Some of the best relationships I’ve had in college come from the personal interactions I’ve had with professors,” Reissoares said.

Freshman John Feeney said many people look down on state schools and “it’s a real shame because they’re a real resource and they’re awesome. FSU Pride - two years in a row!”