The largest philanthropic commitment in Franklin Pierce University’s history will fund a new center to support students that also bears the name of its outgoing president.

The $1.75 million gift from Frederick W. Pierce IV, a university trustee, and his wife, Christine, will help construct and sustain the Dr. Kim Mooney ’83 Student Success Center, according to a news release from the university. Mooney, an alumna and the first woman to lead Franklin Pierce, will retire at the end of June after eight years at the helm.

The center will bring together in one place Student Accessibility Services, the Wensberg Writing Center, International Students Services, Peer Tutoring and non-academic programs such as Peer Leaders, the university said. It will also include the Lloyd and Helen Ament Astmann ’69 Career Center, which will help to develop paid internships that integrate with academic programs.

“At the heart of any vibrant university is a center that brings together in a single location the services essential to an academic career — and the professionals that support those activities,” Frederick Pierce said in the release. “As we learned more about the project, Christine and I just had to be a part of this.”

The center will also encompass the PATHS@PIERCE initiative, which includes developing personalized learning for Franklin Pierce students.

“The consolidation of all support services in one central and easy to access space, combined with proactive outreach by the new Student Success Center, will make a world of difference in helping our students succeed while at Franklin Pierce, and through to graduation,” said Derek Scalia, director of the Student Success Center, and an alumnus of the university.

Frederick Pierce was chair of the university’s board of trustees from 2019-23 and has served on the board since 2017. His career includes real estate investment, development, consulting, finance and acquisition, according to the release.

— KEENE SENTINEL