FRANKLIN PIERCE PRESIDENT’S DAY
Mooney installed as school’s first female in top job
Franklin Pierce University marked the historic installation yesterday of Dr. Kim Mooney as the school’s sixth president — the first woman and alumna to hold the post — with a daylong celebration during which she emphasized the importance of experimental learning and a focus on community service.
The campus-wide installation celebration at the university’s main campus in Rindge, N.H., which coincided with Family Day and a series of Homecoming events, began with a faculty procession into the field house led by a bagpiper, followed by addresses from school officials and Mooney’s sisters, Tracy Mooney and Beth Mooney-Stokes, all of whom praised her work ethic, generosity and commitment to ensuring that every student has a place at Pierce. Her mother, Florence, and husband, Gregory Walsh, were also in attendance.
After being presented with the symbolic gold chain of office, Mooney, who had been serving as interim president, told those in attendance how her love for the school began as a student and only grew as she moved on to serve as an active alumna on the Alumni Association Board of Directors, as the chairwoman of the Board of Trustees’ Academic Affairs Committee and as provost and vice president for academic affairs.
As president, Mooney vowed to cultivate a spirit of innovation and encourage faculty and staff to imagine new ways to engage and educate students through experiential learning, research, internships and co-ops in the hopes of preparing them for life on the other side of a university degree.