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Franklin Pierce University
Motto	Ex umbris ad lucem.
Established	1962
Type	Private
President	Dr. James Birge
Faculty	60 full-time
Undergraduates	1,700
Location	Rindge, NH, USA
Campus	Rural
Colors	Crimson and Grey
Mascot	Raven
Website	www.franklinpierce.edu/

Coordinates: 42°46′56″N 72°03′26″W / 42.7823°N 72.0573°W / 42.7823; -72.0573

View from Mountain View Apartments looking across campus.

Franklin Pierce University is a four-year liberal-arts university in rural Rindge, New Hampshire, founded in 1962 and named after Franklin Pierce, the New Hampshire-born 14th President of the United States. The university has an enrollment of 1,700 [1] students, and is located a few miles from Mount Monadnock, overlooking Pearly Pond. The area was bought in 1854 by sea captain Asa Brewer. Rindge tradition has it that the estate was a stop in the Underground Railroad. In the past the land has also been owned by a wealthy horse enthusiast, the Boy Scouts of America, and silent film actress Alma Monaco. The campus today covers approximately 1,200 acres (4.9 km²).

Franklin Pierce University gained university status in 2007 and is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).

In 2009, Franklin Pierce University was ranked on "Forbes List of America's Top Colleges" in the United States.^{[citation needed]}

The college at Rindge houses three institutes:

• Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communication—named for Marlin Fitzwater, White House Press Secretary under Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush
• Monadnock Institute of Nature, Place, and Culture
• New England Center for Civic Life

The university also operates Graduate & Professional Studies centers in Concord, Keene, Lebanon, Manchester, and Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Many courses are offered online.

The President of Franklin Pierce University is Dr. James Birge, having served as the university's fourth president since June 2009. Previously, Dr. George J. Hagerty was President for 14 years.

[edit] Facilities

[edit] Academic

• Library (books, serials, DVDs, etc.)
• Marlin Fitzwater Center (Mass Communication)
• Marcucella (Sciences/Misc)
• Monadnock (Fine Arts)
• Petrocelli (Graphic Communications, Social Sciences, classrooms)

[edit] Administrative

• Emily Flint Student Center (student life)
• DiGregorio (HR, Registrar, Finance)
• Peterson Hall (President, Academic Affairs, GPS, College Relations)
• Rindge Hall (Admissions, Student Financial Services)

[edit] Housing

• A-Frame
• Cheshire Hall
• Edgewood Hall
• Granite Hall
• Lakeview Townhouses
• Monadnock Hall
• Mountain View Apartments
• Mt. Washington Hall
• New Hampshire Hall
• Northwoods Apartments
• Pierce Village (trailers) (no longer housing)
• Sawmill Apartments
• Taggart Apartments (off-campus housing)

[edit] Sports

• Nationally recognized Division II Soccer Program
• Nationally recognized Division II Baseball Program
• Nationally recognized Division II Basketball Program

[edit] Recreational

• Emily Flint Student Center
• Dr. Arthur & Martha Pappas Field
• Field House
• Grimshaw-Gudwicz Activity Center at Northfields
• The FPU Men's soccer team won their first division II championship on Sunday December 2, 2007.

[edit] Pierce Media Group

The Pierce Media Group, or PMG, is the campus media group that consists of the Pierce Arrow, PMG News Center, FPTV 25, The Talon 105.3FM WFPC-LP and Four Corners Marketing.

All the media outlets are a part of the Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communication. Any student can easily participate in any facet of the PMG, even if they have no experience in marketing, advertising or journalism.

Franklin Pierce University holds an FCC broadcast license for WFPC-LP, The Talon 105.3FM. The station features hourly news briefs that consist of information from the Associated Press news feed and student sources.

The Pierce Arrow, the student newspaper, is the oldest student group on campus and recently launched an online version that features podcasts, an email edition and other new media technologies. This online newspaper has merged with the other facets of the PMG to become the Pierce Media Group Online.

FPTV 25 offers both student created content and studio produced feature length films.

The PMG News Center provides all of the media sources with up-to-date news

Connections provides all of the media sources with up-to-date political coverage.

[edit] Student Government Association

The executive board consists of the President of the SGA, the Vice President of Class Senate, the Vice President of Club Senate, the Secretary of the Class Senate, the Secretary of the Club Senate, the SGA Treasurer, and the SGA Parliamentarian.

The offices are currently filled as follows:

President of the SGA - Justin B. Sultzbach. Vice President of the Class Senate - Joe Ferris. Vice President of the Club Senate - Michele Sellers. Parliamentarian - Katelyn M. Riley. Secretary of the Class Senate - Megan Dingle. Secretary of the Club Senate - Nick Kostich.

[edit] Noted alumni

• Felix Brillant, Canadian soccer midfielder
• Temple Grandin, animal behavior researcher
• Henry Simmons, actor (NYPD Blue)

[edit] External links

• Franklin Pierce University Website