PRESIDENT KIM MOONEY:
NATURE LOVER.
IS ALWAYS FRANK
PRESIDENT KIM MOONEY:
VISIONARY.
IS ALWAYS FRANK
PRESIDENT KIM MOONEY:
LEADER.
IS ALWAYS FRANK
PRESIDENT KIM MOONEY:
STUDENT ADVOCATE.
IS ALWAYS FRANK
PRESIDENT KIM MOONEY:
PROUD RAVEN.
IS ALWAYS FRANK
MEET PRESIDENT MOONEY
For the first time in nearly six decades, a Franklin Pierce alum—and a woman—sits behind the desk of the president. When she’s sitting. For Dr. Mooney, who is known for her tireless work ethic, making sure that every student has a place at Franklin Pierce is no nine-to-five job. Under Dr. Mooney's dynamic leadership, Franklin Pierce University prepares students to be confident, knowledgeable citizens equipped to work across disciplines and differences in our diverse and increasingly interconnected world. With the distinction of being both the first female and the first alumna to serve as President of Franklin Pierce University, Dr. Mooney has inspired a new era of collaboration, communication, and community.
A love affair that began as a college freshman.
Dr. Mooney knew Franklin Pierce was a special place even before she earned her undergraduate
degree in 1983. She says faculty and staff “share a powerful belief that every student
brings their own brilliance and intelligence, a unique way of living in the world—qualities
that are not always reflected in traditional metrics like grades.” Which is why so
many successful students and alumni credit the organization with transforming their
lives.
The importance of planning.
Over her six-year tenure, she has positioned Franklin Pierce for long-term sustainability
through clear objectives and ongoing, strategic and long-range planning, with significant
surpluses and the tripling of the University’s endowment. Fostering a culture of planning,
she established an ongoing strategic planning process and the Long-Range Planning
and Effectiveness Council with broad representation from across the University to
examine and address institutional challenges. Dr. Mooney trusts in the power of planning
to reach goals—personally, professionally, organizationally. She’s made it central
to the University, clarifying her own vision for the institution and collaborating
closely with colleagues to develop the Pierce@60 strategic plan to establish clear
milestones for the future. Dr. Mooney’s administration has also increased Franklin
Pierce’s collaboration with civic leaders, businesses, municipalities, nonprofits,
and healthcare facilities in New Hampshire, the New England region, and Arizona. Receiving
national recognition for its response to the COVID-19 pandemic for effective planning
and communication, the University has emerged stronger than ever as it prepares to
celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2022.
What legacy would she like to leave?
Well aware of the pressures facing higher education, Dr. Mooney believes the needs
Franklin Pierce fills are even greater. She urges all of us to “imagine our future
with a sense of renewed purpose and urgency. Together, we must rise to this historic
moment and leverage our creativity, courage, and resilience.” She encourages all of
us to remain responsive to present needs while always seeking opportunities and preparing
for transitions.
A distinguished academic and professional career.
President Mooney earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and English from Franklin Pierce College, magna cum laude, and holds her Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of New Hampshire. She enjoyed a rewarding career as a psychology professor and academic administrator at St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York. During her twenty-year tenure, she was the associate dean for faculty affairs, the founding director of the Center for Teaching and Learning, the special assistant to the president for assessment, and earned the Owen D. Young award for outstanding teaching.
THE FUTURE OF FRANKLIN PIERCE UNIVERSITY -
PRESIDENT MOONEY'S VISION TO THRIVE.
THRIVING BY EMPOWERING STUDENTS TO REACH THEIR POTENTIAL.
More important than memorizing facts and dates are the learning opportunities that support the acquisition of invaluable intellectual skills: critical thinking skills; strong communication and collaboration skills; and the ability to observe carefully, write expertly, and articulate with confidence. These attributes will prove themselves more valuable over the course of a lifetime—a lifetime in which entire fields will be handed over to AI and new, completely unimagined fields will appear.
In the decades ahead, we’ll focus even more on cultivating these proficiencies. How? By expanding our partnerships with businesses and local municipalities, by shaping our future programs to better resonate with the demand of the broader marketplace, and by continuing to offer our students more and more opportunities to think and act on their feet.
By being bold, nimble, imaginative, and deliberate in the programs we offer and the ways we teach, we can help our students thrive as leaders and engaged members of society.
THRIVING BY FOSTERING COMMUNITY
Raven nation is our 2,300-member student body. But it’s also the towns and cities that surround us. In the future, we’ll continue to work hard to sustain and strengthen both.
On our campus, that means focusing on athletics, new student life opportunities and diversity-enhancing efforts, creating an even more inclusive haven from which young people can explore and grow.
In the surrounding community, it means building new alliances that help local business and municipalities develop and strengthen their workforces, which our students become part of.
As we better engage the larger community in our athletic programs and campus events, new doors and relationships will open for all students, and a broader audience will share in their gifts.
In the future, we’ll continue to erase the lines between our Franklin Pierce community and the communities beyond, strengthening the bonds that make us a better institution, and better people.
THRIVING BY EMPOWERING STUDENTS TO REACH THEIR POTENTIAL
We’ve always been a place where students find their way past challenge and learn to leverage their strengths. How do we become even better at that in the future?
We create new programs with career development and experiential learning built in, from Day One. We create ways for students to finish degrees in less time, with flexible learning options. We put together undergraduate and graduate program combinations, so students keep their early momentum going. We set plans in place to reduce our dependency on tuition, giving more students the opportunity to attend. We look at what our corporate and municipal partners need and dovetail our offerings. We help students create online portfolios that make them stronger job candidates.
And perhaps most importantly, we provide our incredibly dedicated faculty, coaches, and staff with more resources and support through a Center for Teaching and Learning, helping our leaders better engage with students and challenge them to find their own amazing-ness.
THRIVING THROUGH DIFFERENCES
Inclusivity and diversity are basic tenets, central to our very being. We’ve always honored our students because of who they are and what they bring to enrich our community: their races, creeds, gender identities, and sexual orientation; their wide range of previous academic successes and challenges; and at the core of it all, their untapped potential.
Our long-term commitment to honoring every student is reflected in the development of our new Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council, and in the addition of a new chief diversity officer. We’ll focus on hiring and retaining diverse faculty and staff members until their faces on campus better reflect the faces of our students. And all future employees will receive more comprehensive training and support.
In the days ahead, you’ll witness Franklin Pierce become not just a more welcoming place, but a place of radical welcome—adding programs and taking action to better recognize, respond to, and celebrate the individual and their contribution.
"I'VE ALWAYS BELIEVED FRANKLIN PIERCE LOOKS AT STUDENTS DIFFERENTLY. EACH BRINGS THEIR OWN BRILLIANCE AND INTELLIGENCE, THEIR OWN UNIQUE WAY OF LIVING IN THE WORLD."
Learn more about President Mooney’s vision for the future of Franklin Pierce University
PRESIDENT MOONEY
IN ACTION
IN ACTION
Welcoming New And Returning Students to the Fall 2023 Semester
2023 Commencement
Goodyear Center Expansion Ribbon Cutting Ceremony - February 25, 2022
Holiday Greetings from Franklin Pierce University
President Mooney offers a Thanksgiving message to the Franklin Pierce community.
Celebrating our 60th Anniversary, we treasure our history and our alumni.
President Kim Mooney ’83 Recognized With 2022 Extraordinary Women Award
Welcoming New and Returning Students
Fall Forum 2020
President Kim Mooney's Five Year Anniversary
Virtual Open House Welcome
