Bridgewater State College is one of the oldest public colleges in America, founded in 1840 as Bridgewater Normal School. The renowned statesman Daniel Webster, former U.S. President John Quincy Adams and the great educator Horace Mann were among the early supporters of the school. Today, full-time faculty number more than 260 men and women, the full-time and part-time student body exceeds 9,000 students, and more than 100 undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs are offered. A single building on a quarter-acre of land in 1846, the college campus now has 240 acres and 29 academic, administrative and residential buildings, all connected with high-speed data, voice, video, and wireless.