Framingham State added two Bachelor of Arts programs in 1964: biology and medical technology. These additions marked the beginning of Framingham’s transition from a teacher-only college to a more multifaceted institution. Along with this change came the admission of men to the college for the first time. In September of 1964, Joseph Ahern, Paul Champagne, Michael Desilets, George Duane, Alexander Exarhopoulos, David Hurley, Dennis King, Terrence Montinari, Francis Murphy, William Priestman Jr., Norman Taylor, Joseph Valenti, and Paul Willitts became the first men to enroll at Framingham State, which had been a women-only institution since its inception in 1839. Of those thirteen, six students, Desilets, Duane, Montinari, Taylor, Valenti, and Willitts, graduated on time in 1968, and a seventh, David Hurley, completed his degree in 1970. The number of men admitted increased each year. By 1970, Framingham fielded a full men’s basketball team and by 1972, the college was able to put together a football team with a 44-man roster.
The transition was not entirely seamless, especially early on. Some women of that first male class, along with those already enrolled by the time the men were admitted, expressed their concerns, saying that they didn’t want to go to a co-ed school. Sentiments ranged from “tradition will not be seriously affected” to “I hate it. I think it’s the worst thing that could ever happen to Framingham State.” The local media did not help ease the transition. Notably, the Boston Sunday Advertiser ran an article in September of 1965 which opened: “There are 32 reasons why the 1100 girls at [Framingham State] are going to look prettier, better dressed and more crisply groomed this year. Most of the reasons stand about 6 ft. tall—but what’s more important, they’re male.” Despite the hesitant, and mildly sexist start to FSU’s co-ed history, numbers have only risen since 1964, with men making up 35% of the student body as of 2011. Current students could probably hardly imagine a time when men and women attending FSU together was not the norm, which certainly marks that it was altogether a successful transition.