Sports: Women’s Soccer Slips Past Mercy, 1-0

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (August 28, 2022) -- A ninth-minute goal was all that was in it on Sunday at Jess Dow Field, as the Franklin Pierce University women's soccer team completed a perfect opening weekend with a 1-0 win over Mercy. Junior Anna Crapanzano (Milano, Italy) provided the lone goal for the Ravens on the second and final day of the SCSU Women's Soccer Classic, hosted by Southern Connecticut State.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 2-0-0. Mercy, which received votes in the preseason national poll, opens its season at 0-1-0, after its game on Friday was canceled due to inclement weather.

Franklin Pierce found the only goal of the first half, with a bit of a fortuitous bounce in

Powerful Women Found in Higher Education in New Hampshire Women in Leadership Roles at Franklin Pierce University

Rindge, New Hampshire – Last fall, New Hampshire made history when it elected a female governor and its first all-women congressional delegation, but Franklin Pierce University was ahead of this trend. Several women had already been positioned in key leadership roles going into their 2012-2013 academic year: Dr. Kerry McKeever, Dean of the College at Rindge; Dr. Lynne Rosansky, Dean at the College of Graduate & Professional Studies; and Dr. Kim M. Mooney, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Dr. Kerry McKeever was hired as the Dean of the College at Rindge in the summer of 2012. “I decided to come to Franklin Pierce because I sensed that the University was at a crossroad and headed into a very interesting, innovative future. I also felt that I would work well with the faculty, staff, and administration,” said McKeever. “I felt at home from the first day, and as I continue to learn about the University and its community, that sensibility grows stronger.” Dr. McKeever received a master’s in English from the University of Rhode Island and specialized in British and Continental Romanticism and Critical Theory at the University of California at Irvine, where she earned her doctorate. Her background includes ten years in the California state community college system and teaching at the University of Idaho from 1989-2004 before becoming an Associate Dean of the State University of New York at Geneseo, where she served for eight years before coming to Franklin Pierce. Dr. McKeever is targeting some of her early efforts in enhancing program review and enabling curriculum redesign that can better meet student needs. She is also working on improving the culture and conditions in which faculty work.

Dr. Lynne Rosansky joined Franklin Pierce in September 2012 as the Dean at the College of Graduate & Professional Studies, overseeing its five centers throughout New Hampshire and Arizona, as well as its online

Inquiry-Based Showcase Features Freshman Best at Franklin Pierce University

Rindge, New Hampshire – Franklin Pierce University held an Inquiry-Based Showcase and Awards Ceremony on Dec. 3 on the Rindge campus, which highlighted a diverse array of research projects. The Showcase was the culmination of the semester’s class work done by close to 600 students, mostly freshmen, who participated in the First-Year Inquiry class, an integral part of the University’s new General & Liberal Education curriculum.

Thirty sections of the First-Year Inquiry class were taught by 26 faculty members with as many different themes. A unifying element of the First-Year Inquiry class is that students in all sections share an assignment designed to utilize a well-defined inquiry process leading to research findings on a subject of their own choosing; the research findings are then delineated in a poster and presentation format. The students who produced the top 58 posters/presentations were selected to participate in the First Annual Inquiry-Based Showcase.

The Inquiry-Based Showcase allowed those attending the event to engage with each of the selected students about their chosen subject matter on a one-to-one basis, as they stood ready to expound on the findings represented on their respective posters. An Awards Ceremony followed, during which President James

Physical Therapy Professor at Franklin Pierce University Receives Awards

Rindge, New Hampshire – Franklin Pierce University professor in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program and one of his recent doctoral students have distinguished themselves by receiving two prestigious awards. Josh Cleland, P.T., Ph.D., received the Rose Award: Rose Excellence in Research Award for the Best Research Article of 2013 published in the field of Orthopaedic Physical Therapy. Cleland also received the John Medeiros Award Winning Paper of 2012 from the Journal of Manual and Manipulative Therapy (JMMT). Cleland’s recent Ph.D. student, Louie Puentedura from the University of Nevada Las Vegas, was the lead on both award-winning papers; Cleland sits on Ph.D. committees for students from universities around the world.

The Orthopaedic Section of the American Physical Therapy Association research committee considers all published research papers that examine issues related to orthopaedic physical therapy in consideration for the esteemed Rose Award. Cleland and Puentedura's paper, “Development of a Clinical Prediction Rule to

Founder’s Day Celebrated at Franklin Pierce University

50th Anniversary of Official Date of Incorporation

Rindge, New Hampshire - Franklin Pierce University celebrated Founder’s Day on November 14 with a special program to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the day the institution was incorporated and chartered. The program took place on the Rindge campus, with faculty, staff, students, and members of the community in attendance.

New Hampshire State Senator Lou D’Alessandro presented a proclamation from Governor John Lynch to President James Birge, proclaiming November 14 to be “Franklin Pierce University Day” in New Hampshire. D’Alessandro also extended a resolution of congratulations from the State Senate in recognition of: “Celebrating 50 years of outstanding liberal arts teachings, dedicated to the mission of providing an education that matters.”

Lloyd Astmann, chairman of the board of trustees, offered remarks that included greetings and well wishes from the University’s founder, Dr. Frank DiPietro, who currently resides in Arizona. Rick Falconi, a Class of ’69 alum and 50th Anniversary Committee chairperson, drew attention to the entrepreneurial spirit of the University, calling Franklin Pierce “an American success story.” Jed Brummer and Roberta Oeser, selectpersons from the Town of Rindge, presented the University with a three-foot tall Anniversary greeting card signed by dozens of local townspeople. Bummer’s remarks included special thanks to President Birge for being the first University president to live in Rindge, and for his part in helping to create a good relationship between the town and University.

Franklin Pierce University Proves It Is No Lightweight in Sprint Football!

Rindge, New Hampshire – Franklin Pierce University became the eighth team to play in the varsity Collegiate Sprint Football League (CSFL) this season, joining Army, Cornell, Mansfield, Navy, Penn, Post, and Princeton. Dubbed an expansion team this year under the same one-year probationary period through which Mansfield University and Post University joined in recent years, the Franklin Pierce Ravens are proving to be a formidable addition to the sport with their recent win against Princeton.

Sprint football (formerly known as “lightweight football”) is played like traditional heavyweight football, but there are a few key differences. Sprint football is played faster, with an emphasis on speed and agility rather than body weight and strength. Players have a weight limit of 172 pounds and must maintain five percent or more body fat in order to discourage players from losing excessive weight in order to play. The recruitment process for sprint football varies greatly from typical heavyweight football programs in that coaches are not allowed to go off campus to recruit players, and practices differ in that only 15 days of official practice are allowed in the fall, with no practice allowed in the spring. Finally, the league championship title is given to the team with the best record during the regular season, which heightens the sense of competition for each game.

Five teams have been playing in the CSFL since 1957, and two others have joined since 2008 in addition to Franklin Pierce (Mansfield and Post). While sprint football does not often share much of the limelight with heavyweight football, many notable players have come from the sport, including Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, (Columbia University); President Jimmy Carter, (Navy); and Donald Rumsfeld, the former Secretary of Defense, (Princeton).

Head coach Peter Ewald has guided the Ravens well in their opening games. The Franklin Pierce University Ravens nearly beat long-established Cornell University in their inaugural sprint football game on Sept. 22 before ultimately falling to Cornell 26-21. The Ravens second game was played on Sept. 30 against Penn, another close game in which Franklin Pierce fell behind in the last seconds of play to lose to Penn 24-20. On Oct. 12, Franklin Pierce won their first game in program history at Princeton Stadium, defeating the played Princeton Tigers with a final score of Franklin Pierce 21-14.

The Ravens have one more away game on Oct. 27 at Mansfield, and a final home game on Nov. 3 against Post. Because Franklin Pierce is in a probationary expansion period, they do not play all of the CSFL teams this year. Franklin Pierce home games are played at Oakmont Regional High School in Ashburnham, Mass.
For more information on Franklin Pierce sprint football, please visit the team's page at: athletics.franklinpierce.edu.

Leslye A. Arsht and Attorney Steven V. Camerino Join Franklin Pierce University’s Board of Trustees

Rindge, New Hampshire  – Franklin Pierce University is pleased to welcome Steven V. Camerino to its board of trustees and to welcome back former trustee Leslye A. Arsht to the board. Arsht served on Franklin Pierce’s board from 2001-2010 and is also a current member of the advisory board for the Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communication, an institute for mass communication on the Franklin Pierce campus. Camerino is an attorney at McLane, Graf, Raulerson & Middleton law firm, where he is chair of the Energy, Utilities & Telecommunications Group, and the managing director of the firm’s Concord office.

Arsht and Camerino began their 4-year term on Franklin Pierce University’s board of trustees on October 5, 2012.  “We couldn't be more pleased,” Dr. Birge states. “I know that Leslye and Steve will bring new dimensions to the board, and we are all excited about their participation.”

Arsht has an extensive and impressive background in government and military affairs, including work in the White House during the Reagan administration as deputy assistant to the President and as deputy press secretary. She co-founded the nonprofit education consulting firm StandardsWork, Inc. and is currently working as a consultant for military families and education. In 2004 Arsht received the Joint Civilian Service Commendation Award by Ambassador L. Paul Bremer for her service in Iraq, where she served as the senior advisor to the Ministry of Education; in 2008, she received the U.S. Department of Defense medal for distinguished public service. Arsht received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Philosophy from the University of Houston in 1968, and an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Franklin Pierce University in 2007.

Camerino has tremendous experience in the energy and public utilities field in the state of New Hampshire, and has participated on many community and nonprofit Boards. Woodward/White's The Best Lawyers in America distinguished Camerino by naming him Concord's Energy Lawyer of the Year for 2012. The New Hampshire Bar Association awarded Camerino its L. Jonathan Ross Award for Legal Services to the Poor in 1999. Camerino earned a degree in government from Dartmouth College in 1980 and a Juris Doctor from Columbia University’s School of Law in 1983.

Franklin Pierce University Kicks Off Its 50th Anniversary at Alumni & Reunion Weekend

Rindge, New Hampshire – Franklin Pierce University inaugurated its 50^thAnniversary celebrations last weekend with special kick-off events during its annual Alumni & Reunion Weekend on its Rindge campus. Highlights of the weekend’s activities included a dedication ceremony and tour of the Dr. Arthur & Martha Pappas Health Sciences and Athletic Training Center, and a world premiere screening of the documentary An Education that Matters: The First Fifty Years ofFranklin Pierce University. Three of the University’s four presidents were on site for the celebrations, as was Dorothy Peterson, wife of the late President Walter Peterson.

Franklin Pierce’s founder and first president, Dr. Frank DiPietro, flew in from his home in Arizona to be a part of the weekend’s festivities. When asked what advice he would give to students today, he said, “Pick up a marketable skill while you’re in college, be conscious of any financial debt, and remember you have to pay it back!” Timely words from the founder of the liberal arts university that recently revamped its General & Liberal Education Curriculum to closely connect academic learning to career and life choices; the University is also mindful of national student debt issues and froze its tuition two out of the last three years.

Dr. Arthur and Mrs. Martha Pappas were on hand for the ribbon-cutting ceremony and dedication of the newly opened Dr. Arthur & Martha Pappas Health Sciences and Athletic Training Center, made possible through a generous lead donation by the couple. The new center provides classroom and lab space needed to accommodate the University’s new health sciences major, coupled with space for expanded athletic training facilities for their intercollegiate sports teams for the treatment and rehabilitation of sports injuries. Dr. Pappas, a retired orthopedic surgeon and one of the pioneers of sports medicine, envisions that the new center will further the study of sports medicine and “will encourage students to pay more attention to the needs in their communities when they graduate.” Mrs. Pappas added, “There is nothing comparable in the state of New Hampshire to this, and I think the whole state and beyond will benefit from it when students graduate.”

An Education that Matters: The First Fifty Years of Franklin Pierce University is a lively documentary about the University’s history, filmed and produced by Franklin Pierce Professor Doug Challenger and Laurie Stamell of Chrysalis Arts Productions. The film premiered under an outdoor tent on a big screen, viewed by President James Birge, Dr. DiPietro, past President George Hagerty, Mrs. Walter Peterson, and hundreds of students, alumni, faculty, staff, and invited community members who frequently erupted into laughter and applause throughout the screening. Prof. Challenger commented, “Lots of colleges started in the 60s, but while many went out of business, Franklin Pierce persisted. I hope this film helps answer why this school survived.” Immediately after the film, the sky lit up over Pearly Pond with a 30-minute fireworks display, complemented with an energizing rock ‘n’ roll soundtrack – a spectacular way to launch the University into its next half century!

Franklin Pierce University Invites Public to Observe Constitution Day at Events on Rindge Campus

Rindge, New Hampshire – The Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communication at Franklin Pierce University has organized observations of Constitution Day on September 17 by inviting voters to visit with various campaigns at the Rindge campus. The 225th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution by 39 men, including New Hampshire's Nicholas Gilman and John Langdon, acknowledges the document that established our democracy and allowed the citizens of the new country to elect their representatives.
Voters are invited to observe Constitution Day on September 17 by visiting with campaigns as follows:
9 a.m. - 3 p.m.: Candidate’s Fair for state and federal offices in the Library Courtyard (rain locations are in Spagnuolo Hall and the Alumni Lounge in Peterson Hall)

Presidential campaigns will engage those gathered in conversations throughout the day in Spagnuolo Hall as follows:

10 a.m.: White House staffer and actor Kal Penn and the Obama for America campaign (Democratic Party)
12:30 - 1:30 p.m.: The Johnson campaign (Libertarian Party)
2 - 3 p.m.: The Romney campaign (Republican Party)

The Libertarian Party's Vice-Presidential Candidate, Judge Jim Gray, will be on campus on Friday, September 21, noon - 1 p.m. He will speak about "Over-Criminalization and Legal Reform."

The general public is invited to all of the aforementioned events. For more information, please contact Dr. Kristen Nevious, director of the Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communication, at (603) 899-1039.


Franklin Pierce University is a regionally accredited university grounded in the liberal arts, with a focus on personal attention and high-quality instruction. The University consists of the College at Rindge and the College of Graduate & Professional Studies with locations in Arizona and throughout New Hampshire. Degrees are offered through the doctoral level. The institutional mission embraces an education that matters: one that achieves academic success through the integration of liberal arts and professional programs. Our community of educators and learners creates an environment that fosters intellectual curiosity and encourages experiential and applied learning. A Franklin Pierce experience enables each student to discover and fulfill his or her own unique potential. We prepare students to become confident, knowledgeable individuals and leaders of conscience.

Franklin Pierce University, 40 University Dr., Rindge, NH 03461, (603) 899-4000, www.franklinpierce.edu

10th Anniversary of Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communication Celebrated at Franklin Pierce University

Rindge, New Hampshire - Franklin Pierce University celebrated the 10th Anniversary of the Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communication, which has developed a vibrant body of programming in pursuit of its mission to educate leaders of conscience in public communication. Marlin Fitzwater, who served as press secretary to Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, and who is also a trustee of the University and a member of the Fitzwater Center Advisory Board; author and journalist Tom Rosenstiel; and Presidential photographer David Valdez took part in special 10th Anniversary events September 9-11. The Fitzwater Center includes a radio broadcasting studio (WFPC-LP 105.3FM), a television station (FPTV-25), The Pierce Arrow campus newspaper, audio production facilities, an online journalism lab, writing and lecture rooms, and non-linear editing suites. The department of mass communication is also housed within the Fitzwater Center.

The 10th Anniversary keynote address was given on September 10 on the Rindge campus by Rosenstiel, recipient of the 2012 Leadership in Public Communication Fitzwater Medallion. A journalist for more than 30 years, he has also written six books, including, with Bill Kovach, The Elements of Journalism: What Newspeople Should Know and the Public Should Expect; and most recently Blur: How to Know What's True in the Age of Information Overload. Rosenstiel spoke about the future of journalism and the new technologies that impact the gathering and dissemination of news. “It is the greatest moment to be 18, 20, or 25 and to be thinking of journalism and mass communication,” Rosenstiel said, expounding on how his generation tried to learn how their elders did things, while today’s crop of journalists have opportunities to create something new. “The potential you have in your hands is so much richer,” he concluded.

David Valdez was introduced by Marlin Fitzwater at an event in his honor on September 11, and presented with a Visiting Fitzwater Fellow Medallion by James Birge, president of Franklin Pierce. Valdez, who is on the advisory board for the Fitzwater Center, has been a professional photographer for more than three decades; he served President George H.W. Bush as Director of the White House Photo Office and as his personal photographer, among many other accomplishments. Valdez gave a briefing about his years at the White House, giving the audience a rare opportunity to learn about the experiences of a professional photographer in the Oval Office. Students had additional opportunities to engage with Valdez in scheduled visits to various classes at the University.


Franklin Pierce University is a regionally accredited university grounded in the liberal arts, with a focus on personal attention and high-quality instruction. The University consists of the College at Rindge and the College of Graduate & Professional Studies with locations in Arizona and throughout New Hampshire. Degrees are offered through the doctoral level. The institutional mission embraces an education that matters: one that achieves academic success through the integration of liberal arts and professional programs. Our community of educators and learners creates an environment that fosters intellectual curiosity and encourages experiential and applied learning. A Franklin Pierce experience enables each student to discover and fulfill his or her own unique potential. We prepare students to become confident, knowledgeable individuals and leaders of conscience.

Franklin Pierce University, 40 University Dr., Rindge, NH 03461, (603) 899-4000, www.franklinpierce.edu