SALEM - Now is the time for Salem State College to graduate and become Salem State University.
That's the opinion of local lawmakers and educators who think the signs are right for passage of a bill that would pave the way for state colleges to claim university status, thus allowing them to bestow doctorate degrees.

A leading indicator, according to Senate Majority Leader Fred Berry, D-Peabody, is new Gov. Deval Patrick's choice of former Bridgewater State College President Dana Mohler-Faria as his higher education adviser. Mohler-Faria is a strong supporter of the new measure.

The bill, meanwhile, remains in a holding pattern within a legislative committee, Berry said. "We're waiting to see what they are going to produce. ... I do think it's time for us legislative leaders and state leaders to begin to upgrade the state college system."

If it happens, Salem State College will be the top candidate for university status. "The North Shore of Boston is one of the few areas in the state that has no public university within its boundaries," said Salem State President Nancy Harrington. Even without university status, the school is the third-largest public institution of higher learning in Massachusetts.

Salem State hands out 450 master's degrees each year and all of those students must look elsewhere to achieve their doctorates, Harrington continued. Meanwhile, a shortage of trained nurses in the region could be addressed if there were more nursing instructors trained in doctorate programs.

That would be the first program a new Salem State University would address, according to Harrington. The second would award doctorates in social work.

To make all this happen might cost more money, but Harrington downplays the cost. She is not looking at great changes for a new Salem State University. "We would probably decrease undergraduate enrollment a bit." The size of the school campus would not be affected. "I don't think we can grow much bigger." And some courses might be held off campus, even out of Salem.

Harrington has been lobbying for this change for more than 10 years. "The president is very pro-active in making this happen," said Diane Lapkin, the school's vice president of academic affairs, noting that she has worked hard in convincing political and civic leaders of the need for the new designation. The school is virtually a university now, she said.

"It's just a question of changing our name. We're ready to go."

Her optimism is reflected by state Rep. John Keenan, D-Salem, who cites such a change as a boon for the region. He expects that the school could make the transition and not lose sight of its "core mission ... being a working-family college. It's a great education. At an affordable price."

Keenan wants the school to guard against increases in fees and tuition, which have already risen significantly. "I think they still have to do their due diligence on that."

For his part, Berry cautioned that opposition might arise from jealous advocates of the University of Massachusetts chain - a Salem State University would be independent of the UMass system. But Harrington said she has not heard of opposition from that quarter and expects she would more likely find support.

"For 16 years, the state colleges throughout the commonwealth have lost their way," Berry said, noting that the Romney administration had few public college graduates. For the new bill to prosper now, the senator stressed, it needs a push from the new governor.

In addition to providing doctorates, he said, a new status for Salem State College would have other benefits, attracting research dollars, giving the school prestige, and contributing to the overall well-being of the North Shore.