Director of Upward Bound Math & Science Nate Obin gave welcoming remarks and introduced Keynote Speaker, and First Generation Student, Dustin Hodge for our celebration of First Generation Day in the Hammond Main Lounge. Director of TRIO Student Support Services Elizabeth Swartz served as moderator for two First Gen panels; one consisting of current students, the other faculty and staff who all shared their experiences as a first generation college student. 

On Saturday morning in the Hammond Hall Main Lounge, the 2025 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) champion Fitchburg State University men's hockey team was finally handed the glittering, custom-forged rings, transforming months of sweat and sacrifice into a single, overwhelming flash of victory.

Each year, Fitchburg State University's Office of Student Engagement holds, and judges, the Staff Golden Pumpkin Costume Contest - this year's theme was Streaming Shows. The winning office gets bragging rights for an entire year along with the Golden Pumpkin Trophy! 

President Hodge helped kick off the Annual Go Falcons Challenge this morning in our Alumni and Giving Office.  to each Falcon Athletics team. To support their respective athletic teams. Help support Fitchburg State Athletics by donating to the Falcon Athletics team of your choice, just click here.

Nursing Simulation Lab Director Ian Murray, Nursing Department Chair Deborah Benes, and Nursing faculty Heather Wironen gave a tour of our Nursing Simulation Lab. After the tour, President Hodge shared; "That’s why this program matters so much. What I saw in the lab—students practicing with focus and humanity—reminded me that investing in nursing education is not just about the university. It’s about the quality of care every one of us hopes for when we or someone we love needs it most."

Last week, the morning of our Homecoming Pep Rally, President Hodge visited English Studies Professor Heather Urbanski's Foundations of Professional Writing course for a Q&A with students. As President Hodge holds a Ph.D. in Rhetoric, Master's degrees in English and Women's Studies, she is uniquely qualified to address students questions and share how she and her executive cabinet handle communications at the university.

Yesterday, President Hodge welcomed alumni and their guests to our annual Alumni Award Brunch. Awardees were; Young Alumni Award - Mary Nankya '23, Alumni Leadership Award - Jennifer M. Curran '86, Alumni Service Award - Jim M. Walsh '75, and  Alumni Achievement Award - George B. James '57, '60 (accepted by Patricia James'58.

Yesterday afternoon English Studies Professor Kisha Tracy welcomed all to the 
You FIT Here! Fitchburg Your Story Celebration on the quad. The event celebrated both the university and the city, learning about some of our shared heritage. Remarks were made by  SGA President Michael Burns, Communications Media Professor Dr. J.J. Sylvia Coordinator, Crocker Center for Civic Engagement and School of Business and Technology Professor Renee Scapparone, Dean of the Amelia V. Gallucci-Cirio Library Jackie Kremer. Dr. Tracy presented the 2025 "Fitchburg Your Story" Podcast Winners: Most Compelling Emphasis on Marginalized Communities - "The Voice of the First" by Justin Conner, Best Delivery - "From Chaos to Community" by Michael Sauvageau, and  Best Overall - "She Spoke" by Julia Grace Ducharme. 

Fitchburg State University is marking Constitution Day 2025 with a week full of events organized by the General Education Program co-sponsored with the Office of Student Development and the Student Government Association will focus on the topic of the due process of law. Yesterday afternoon, English Studies Professor Kisha Tracy  and President Hodge welcomed the first speaker, Fitchburg State Board of Trustees Member Shane Rodriguez a '94 Alum, Attorney, Assistant Professor at MA School of Law, and former Leominster Police Department Officer who presented "Rights, Wrongs, and the Rule of Law: Understanding Due Process."

The 13 members of the 8th Fitchburg State University Police Program's Recruit Officer Course (ROC) at Fitchburg State were sworn in as police officers on Friday September 12, 2025 before an audience of family, friends, elected leaders and public safety professionals. All of the graduates of our groundbreaking program have already been hired by police departments across the state. As President Donna Hodge told the assembled graduates and audience, “This academy is more than a program, It is a promise. A promise that public higher education and public safety can work hand in hand. A promise that innovation and integrity can meet in the same training ground. A promise that Massachusetts can lead the nation in preparing those who serve and protect." Read the full article here.