It was a perfect October Saturday for our Homecoming Football Game and Senior Day. Alumni joined their fellow Falcons to cheer on our team, who took on UMASS Dartmouth at the newly renovated Elliot Field.

Last night we kicked off our Homecoming and Reunion Weekend with a Pep rally, Bonfire, and Carnival in a transformed Ross St. Parking Lot. Homecoming is our annual celebration that brings our entire Falcon community together for an amazing fall weekend and the opening night was amazing, we celebrated our athletic teams, and everyone enjoyed  rides, games, food and more!

The 4th Annual Go Falcons Challenge began yesterday with President Lapidus' kick-off gift to each Falcon Athletics team. With Freddy spreading the word, in the last 48 hours, 80+ student athletes contacted more than 1,500 former Falcon athletes, family, and friends to raise over $17,000 to support their respective athletic teams. 

Yesterday, The New York Times bestselling author, and Fitchburg State University Alum, R.A. Salvatore '81, '91 spent the day here on campus. While here on campus, he monitored Professor Les Nelken's Virtual Reality Development, shortly after, he spoke with two classes; The Global Middle Ages, and Sci-Fi and Fantasy Writing. After a luncheon and tour of the campus, the visit ended with "The Future of Storytelling" a discussion on literary and storytelling concepts co-moderated by English Studies Professor Frank Mabee, and Communications Media Professor J.J. Sylvia IV.

Jordan Geyster, ‘22 is currently working as a physical therapy aide and will be starting in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at the University of New England in the fall.

Fitchburg State has long embraced the importance of supporting the city beyond the borders of campus, and this summer that included some fresh paint and a lot of artistic expression.

Several Falcons played key roles in the design and creation of a series of major public art murals that were unveiled this summer. The Community Mural Institute led the effort, which supported 12 artists in the design and creation of pieces on large public facades in the heart of the city.

There was free admission to the Fitchburg Art Museum  during this past (8/4/22), and every, Intown Fitchburg First Thursday. Among exhibits that patrons were able to enjoy for free included two by Fitchburg State University alums Bridie Wolejko and Betsy Sawyer. Sawyer's exhibit entitled Big Book: Pages for Peace is the largest book in the world dedicated to the topic of peace. It is the product of a 12-year project begun in 2004 by middle school students from the Groton-Dunstable Regional School District and Sawyer, their dynamic teacher. Hypnagogia: Bridie Wolejko’s Mixed Media Fantasies are hand-crafted mixed-media collages and objects that create dream-like images, informed by her interests in myth, magic, horror, popular culture, surrealism, architecture, and nature.

Heaven-Leigh K. Daniel, ‘22, didn’t waste any time after graduation. She got her new job a few days after graduating, as a communication specialist for Caribbean Integration Community Development in Boston. 

Recent business administration graduate Devin Tormey '22, who was featured in March for the murals she painted as part of her her capstone thesis project for the university’s Honors Program, was recently interviewed on wildly popular Matty in the Morning show on Kiss 108 Boston Radio. Devin spoke about her mural project, her experiences at Fitchburg State University, and her latest art/business venture as a Wedding Painter.

Rebecca Hess '22 is putting her customer service and political science skills to work.

"My political science simulations taught me communications and management skills. Even if I don’t agree with you, I can understand your position so we can try to meet in the middle."

As a newly-minted university graduate, Rebecca Hess ‘22 has already made a career out of constituent service.

The Leominster native enrolled at Fitchburg State University four years ago because she wanted to stay local while pursuing a college degree in political science, and planned to keep working part-time.

“As soon as I turned 16, I had a job,” said Hess, who counts Chuck E. Cheese and Barnes & Noble among her prior posts. 

Those jobs weren’t glamorous, but Hess learned a lot about customer service from the daily interactions with patrons. “I had years of interacting with so many different types of people,” she said. “What I’ve learned is you can’t be taught those skills without having that experience in customer service.”