Framingham State University was founded by Horace Mann in 1839 as the first state-supported institution of public higher education in the United States for the training of teachers. Located in Framingham, Massachusetts, a community 20 miles west of Boston, the University assists in fulfilling the workforce needs of the Commonwealth with an emphasis on the rapidly growing high technology and service region known as MetroWest. The University integrates liberal arts and science programs with a variety of professional programs at the Baccalaureate and Master's levels.Framingham State University draws the majority of its students from within Massachusetts and the New England region. Traditional college-age students, as well as non-traditional students seeking higher education on either a full- or part-time basis, are served and are accorded opportunities to participate in campus life through a variety of co-curricular programs and activities, and to develop the necessary knowledge and skills to compete in a global and technological society.