In the real world, three weeks is generally plenty of time to get things done. On Beacon Hill it can go by faster than a coffee break.
So there's no time to waste for supporters of Salem State College. Thursday, the state House approved a measure elevating the college to university status. It was a watershed moment in a decade-long effort, but it was only half the legislative battle.
The measure now moves to a Senate committee, where it needs to be approved before a full Senate vote. Senate Majority Leader Frederick Berry said he was "optimistic" about the bill's chances there. Gov. Deval Patrick would also need to sign off on the measure, which would give all of the state's nine colleges university status.
Supporters, such as state Rep. John Keenan, say the change would make Salem State and its students more competitive with their counterparts from other states. New Hampshire's Plymouth State University, for example, changed its name in 2003.
It's an idea whose time has come. Salem State, with its robust graduate programs, already meets many of the criteria ascribed to universities. More than 80 percent of the college's graduates live on the North Shore or elsewhere in Massachusetts.
Approval of the bill, however, is not a sure thing. Legislators in areas that already have universities, such as state Rep Kevin Murphy of Lowell and Ellen Story of Amherst, are critical of the measure, and there's plenty that can go wrong on Beacon Hill in July, with its flurry of back-room deals.
This change, however, is too important to be lost to the silly season of Massachusetts politics. So the time is now for Berry and his colleagues to convert their optimism into action.
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