Honorary Degree & Peterson Award Winners
Mar 24, 2016
Massachusetts Congressman, Former Franklin Pierce Chairman and NHPR Host Bestowed with University Honors
Franklin Pierce University will award honorary degrees to Barney Frank and Michael
C.J. Fallon, and The Honorable Walter R. Peterson Citizen Leader Award to New Hampshire
Public Radio (NHPR)’s Laura Knoy, host of “The Exchange,” during its Commencement
exercises on Saturday, May 13.
It is a long-standing tradition at Franklin Pierce University to award honorary degrees to individuals whose personal and professional accomplishments provide examples for Franklin Pierce students to admire, and hopefully, emulate.
Frank will be conferred with an honorary Doctor of Laws degree in recognition of his service to Massachusetts in the House of Representatives, and his work on the 2008 American Housing Rescue and Foreclosure Prevention Act and the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which brought the most significant changes to financial regulation in the United States since the Great Depression.
“Mr. Frank has demonstrated courage and care for the American people in ways that protect the more vulnerable populations of our society. His civic work has inspired us, and we hope that in turn, it will inspire our graduates,” said President Kim Mooney.
Fallon will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree in recognition of his selfless commitment to Franklin Pierce as a member (since 2009) and Chair (from 2013-2016) of the Board of Trustees, the governing body of the institution. Fallon’s professional career began after serving as a captain in the U.S. Army from 1968 to 1970 with the Chase Manhattan Bank; he subsequently held positions with Chemical Bank, Lehman Brothers Kuhn Loeb, and Cushman and Wakefield. More recently, Fallon was president of United Properties Group of Montvale, N.J., and later president of the Southwood Corporation of Merrimack.
“Mr. Fallon’s leadership of the Board of Trustees came at a crucial time for the University, as he expertly advised the previous administration and led the institution back on to solid ground. It is this foundation upon which I am building a sustainable future for this University that is focused on student success,” Mooney said.
The Peterson Award is named after the former New Hampshire governor who served as the second president of Franklin Pierce, in recognition of an individual who demonstrates select characteristics of his personality, including an extraordinary commitment to public service, selfless contributions to higher education, a sense of humor and high moral character.
“Ms. Knoy’s invaluable coverage of important state and national issues through “The Exchange,” including probing discussions about the higher education sector, makes her an ideal recipient of this honor,” Mooney said.
Upon receiving their honors, Frank, Fallon and Knoy will each share remarks with Franklin Pierce’s 2017 graduating class.
For more information about Franklin Pierce University’s 2017 Commencement Exercises, please visit http://www.franklinpierce.edu/commencement.htm.
