Westfield State University Awarded $30,000 grant from Beveridge Foundation
Nov 8, 2023
Bill Hynes, Director, Advancement and Major Gifts, left, and Lamis Jarvinen, Executive Director of the RIDE center, right, give a tour of the facility to Noe Ortega, Massachusetts Commissioner for Higher Education in October.
The Beveridge Family Foundation Inc. has awarded a $30,000 grant to the Westfield State University Foundation to purchase state-of-the art equipment from MakerHealth, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology-based company, for Westfield State’s new Research, Innovation, Design, and Entrepreneurial (RIDE) Center.
Westfield State is the first undergraduate institution in the country to benefit from the training, expertise, curriculum guidance, high-tech equipment, and workshop kits from MakerHealth. Faculty across multiple disciplines will be invited to utilize MakerHealth’s equipment and curriculums to teach students the skills needed to lead in a challenging and rapidly evolving innovation-based economy.
The opening of the RIDE Center positions Westfield State as a programmatic leader, augmenting the University’s educational efforts to equip students with the collaborative, creative, and entrepreneurial skills needed to succeed in the future workforce.
Since 1994, The Beveridge Family Foundation has granted over $73,000 to the Westfield State Foundation for scholarships and programs to benefit students at Westfield State.
“Westfield State is extremely grateful to our friends at The Beveridge Family Foundation. Their commitment to support the future of education and the development of our students is commendable and we look forward to our continued work with them to better our communities,” said Dr. Linda Thompson, president of Westfield State University.
The mission of The Beveridge Family Foundation is to preserve and enhance the quality of life by embracing and perpetuating Frank Stanley Beveridge's philanthropic vision, through grant-making incentives in support of programs in youth development, health, education, religion, art, and environment, primarily in Hampden and Hampshire counties.
The Foundation’s first endeavor was in 1949 to financially support The Stanley Park of Westfield. Beginning as 20 acres, the Park now encompasses over 300 acres, including formal gardens, a carillon tower, trails, sports fields, and nature areas.
