Press Releases - Franklin Pierce University

For immediate release
Contact: Brian Stuart
Director of Marketing
603-899-4221
stuartb@franklinpierce.edu

The University Seeks to Expand DPT Program to Goodyear, Arizona, Campus

Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Program in Arizona.

The Franklin Pierce University, College of Graduate and Professional Studies, Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Program is seeking accreditation for the expansion program at Goodyear, Arizona by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education of the American Physical Therapy Association (1111 North Fairfax Street, Alexandria, VA 22314; phone 703-706-3245; accreditation@apta.org.

The program will submit an Application for Approval of Substantive Change, which is the formal application required to expand the program to an additional site. Submission of this document does not assure that the program will be granted Accreditation status to the expansion site.

The DPT expansion program is part of the University’s strategy to extend educational opportunities to more students in other parts of the country. In 2006, the mayor of Goodyear, Arizona invited higher education institutions around the country to consider establishing a campus in one of the nation’s fastest growing regions. Franklin Pierce was selected as a finalist and the University is one of two schools that will be offering classes in Goodyear. Franklin Pierce’s initial focus in Arizona will be on degree programs in health care and business.

For more information on the Doctor of Physical Therapy program click here.

If you would like to speak with someone regarding the DPT program in Goodyear, please contact Ann Greiner, PT, MS, at greinera@franklinpierce.edu.

View videos - Student Media Interview Presidential Candidates

January 25, 2008
Student reporters from Franklin Pierce University earn accolades for New Hampshire Primary reporting

MANCHESTER, NH - Franklin Pierce University students had the extraordinary opportunity to participate in New Hampshire’s First in the Nation Presidential Primary, serving as pundits, pollsters, podcasters, video technicians and as contributors to YouTube’s political footage.

Student efforts were affirmed by the presidential candidates and their campaigns (who granted access and interviews), by the mainstream media (who treated student reporters and technicians as professional peers) and by web-based media including YouTube (whose political editor praised the video footage provided by the University and its fast turnaround time).

“I don’t know of any other college or university across the state that had the number of reporters getting up close to the candidates, asking questions and generating the volume of coverage that we produced,” said junior Steven Dodrill, who served as the Pierce Media Group’s political reporter and director of Fitzwater Connections. Fitzwater Connections is the program at the Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communication at Franklin Pierce that focuses on political coverage of the 2008 Presidential Campaign.

In the course of the past year, Franklin Pierce students tracked the political winds, participated in professional polling, and followed presidential hopefuls around the state. Students also engaged in robust debate – and asked tough questions – when candidates visited campus. The flurry of activity preceding the primary included capturing hundreds of hours of video and audio, crafting hundreds of words into stories, sending countless e-mails, and building solid relationships with campaign staff and local media.

On the day of the primary, students arranged space at Franklin Pierce University’s Manchester Center to serve as news production headquarters. The set-up was complete with a video editing suite, a set for filming interviews, an assignment desk and a whiteboard where students scribbled furiously to record unfolding events and keep track of teams of reporters.

Under the leadership of Dr. Kristen Nevious, director of the Fitzwater Center, and utilizing the training they received through Fitzwater Center programs, they sought and obtained press credentials and fanned into the streets of Manchester and surrounding towns. The region had become the focal point for candidates and media from across the nation, and students had little trouble finding candidates and analysts to interview. Their hard work paid off in several significant accomplishments.

• Franklin Pierce student media were selected by New Hampshire Public Television to provide video footage of the Dennis Kucinich, Bill Richardson and Rudolph Giuliani campaigns on Primary Night.
• Franklin Pierce student reporters and videographers were selected by WMUR-TV, New Hampshire’s ABC affiliate, to provide video news clips for the television station’s YouTube page. WMUR staff members even handed out free “flip cam” handheld video recorders so students could capture more video.
• The Pierce Media Group’s Political Reporter and Fitzwater Connections Director Steven Dodrill was featured in the Boston Herald along with George Stephanopoulos, chief Washington correspondent for ABC News, and Dan Rather.
• Franklin Pierce students participated in pre-primary polling for the University’s polling partnership with WBZ-TV in Boston. The final poll preceding the primary was the most accurate poll among a handful of major voter surveys by well-known national pollsters. The Franklin Pierce / WBZ-TV poll accurately predicted the close finish between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, and again was within the margin of error in forecasting John McCain’s spread of victory over Mitt Romney. The poll was quoted nationally.
• The University’s YouTube channel, containing footage of candidate interviews, was ranked in the Top 100 most viewed YouTube channels for most of Primary Day. The Franklin Pierce / Fitzwater Center YouTube channel topped out at #73 for a good portion of the afternoon!
• YouTube’s political editor was so impressed with the quantity, quality and fast uploading of students’ work that he offered Franklin Pierce a position as a “branded partner” and content provider for the popular video portal site.

Dr. Nevious praised the students for their work and said she looked forward to working with them on continuing political coverage as the general election approaches. “The Fitzwater Center and the university couldn't be more proud of your contributions to the robust debate that is so essential to a healthy democracy,” she said. “Our country's future is in good hands.”

FRANKLIN PIERCE UNIVERSITY EXPLORES CAMPUS VILLAGE INITIATIVE

RINDGE, NH, November 26, 2007– Franklin Pierce University announced today that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Leewood Real Estate Group to explore the feasibility of creating a Campus Village Initiative to potentially include retail shops, new student housing and an active adult community.

The agreement signed today permits the University, Leewood and the Town of Rindge to move ahead in collaborating to ascertain the development potential and marketability of the projects. Leewood would be the exclusive developer, if one or more of the proposed projects were determined by the University and Town of Rindge to be feasible.

Both Franklin Pierce and Leewood said they are looking forward to working with Town’s government, community leaders and residents to create a plan that maintains the rich character and traditions of the town, while serving everyone’s needs.

“Franklin Pierce and Leewood both have made a commitment to involve the Town and its residents and keep everyone informed as plans move forward,” said Rindge Town Administrator Carlotta Pini. “They already have demonstrated the sincerity of that commitment by reaching out to me and others in the community. This is an exciting opportunity with huge potential for our town and I am eager to see the process move forward.”

Founded in 1967, Staten Island, New York-based Leewood Real Estate Group provides design, construction, marketing, land development, operational management and general contracting services. Leewood, over the past 40 years, has completed many community organization-based projects, with more planned for coming years.

“Among those developers who expressed interest in the project, Leewood demonstrated genuine out-of-the-box thinking and ideas,” said Franklin Pierce University President Dr. George J. Hagerty. “The company’s track record of forming a consensus with communities and government leaders to move projects forward is impressive, as is its four decades of success.”

“Leewood Real Estate Group is extremely excited about working with Franklin Pierce University and the community of Rindge on these projects,” said R. Randy Lee, founder and CEO of Leewood Real Estate Group. “We have a proven track record of long term relationships with many fine institutions. We want to work to meet a need in a way everyone will be proud of.”

The exploratory phase of the Campus Village Initiative has three components.

One involves considering possibilities for creating a village center on campus property adjacent to Route 119, with the potential of retail, medical and office uses that the entire Town could utilize. An inn and conference center will also be considered. This Village Center concept could have wide-ranging benefits for the entire area. The vision for the village center will be a collaborative one with all of the stakeholders involved.

A second aspect of the project focuses on determining the feasibility of developing an active adult community on campus. Residents could have a unique opportunity to utilize a variety of the University’s amenities, including athletic facilities, a dance studio, theatre, art facilities and a lakeside beach. They would also be afforded the chance to audit classes, making the development a true “live and learn” community.

The third facet involves considering opportunities for new on-campus student housing to replace existing housing with more spacious and modern accommodations and to provide some additional capacity.

“These projects, if done right, can have enormous benefits for the Town and its residents as well as the University and its students,” said President Hagerty. “If they cannot be done right, they won’t be done at all. The character of Rindge is of paramount importance to us and we will work to preserve it while ensuring that residents and Town officials are involved throughout the process.”

The initial planning process is expected to take several months with an emphasis on gathering community input. A forum with students, faculty and staff will take place in January along with sessions involving Town residents. A June 2008 timeframe is anticipated for presenting a more detailed formal proposal. The final objective is to develop projects that serve the needs of every stakeholder in the Rindge community.

A new academic building for a new university

Franklin Pierce University broke ground for a new academic building that will house the arts, humanities and social science programs at the Rindge Campus.

The three-story, $4.5 million academic building will be called Attilio and Beverly Petrocelli Hall, to honor the major donors to the project. It will occupy a footprint of 8,000-square-feet and contain functional space of 23,000 square-feet at the Four Corners entrance to campus. Construction is scheduled to be completed for the fall of 2008.

Specifically, the brick building will contain classrooms, a computer lab, a digital photo lab and darkroom, print labs, and faculty and administrative offices. New classrooms will be wired for technology and arranged to foster collaborative learning and close engagement between students and faculty.

Three generations of Petrocellis at groundbreaking.

Three generations of Petrocellis at groundbreaking.

Construction of this new first-class learning space was made possible by a $1 million gift from Attilio F. and Beverly L. Petrocelli of Great Neck, NY. Both of the Petrocelli’s daughters (Jill ’91 and Melissa ’89) attended Franklin Pierce and met their spouses there (Michael Lamoretti ’90 and Michael Weinbaum ’89).

“This is a family that is thoroughly acquainted with the special quality of a Franklin Pierce education,” Dr. George J. Hagerty, president of Franklin Pierce University, said at a formal groundbreaking. The event was attended by three generations of the Petrocelli family who put on hard hats and turned a ceremonial spadeful of dirt.

The Petrocelli gift marks the single largest donation to Franklin Pierce by an alumni family. The Petrocellis stated their wish to make a significant investment in the institution that had such a positive impact on their children and sons-in-law. They explained that they wanted to make sure their grandchildren and others will continue to receive a superior education at Franklin Pierce.

“I sent two beautiful girls to this school here and this is where they met their husbands,” Attilio Petrocelli said. “I want to see that future generation of Franklin Pierce students have access to the same excellent education that they received. I also know that a gift like this can make a significant difference at a small university. I know the returns on this investment in academic life at Franklin Pierce will be significant.”

President Hagerty hosted the Petrocellis at a short reception following the groundbreaking. “In my conversations with this wonderful family,” he said, “I heard many stories about faculty and staff who had a profound influence on their children during their formative years here. This gift is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and personal attention to students that we demonstrate daily in the course of our work. It will make a difference and we are extremely grateful.”