New England College

Founded in 1946,[4] New England College was established to serve the needs of servicemen and women attending college on the G.I. Bill after World War II.[5] In 1970, the college purchased the Tortington Park School for Girls in Arundel, in the English county of West Sussex. For a time, the school functioned as an extension campus for NEC students wishing to study abroad; at one point, the college even changed its logo to incorporate the flags of both countries. However, the Arundel campus closed in 1998.[6] For many years, the Theatre Department sent a group of students over to the British campus during the January term and spring term to prepare three shows for touring in England, Scotland, Wales, and sometimes elsewhere in Europe. This was a model program that combined study abroad with practical theatre experience.

John Lyons Academic Center

NEC is located in the small town of Henniker, New Hampshire, approximately 17 miles (27 km) west of Concord, the state's capital; 31 miles (50 km) northwest of Manchester; and 81 miles (130 km) northwest of Boston.[7] The Contoocook River runs through the center of town and alongside the NEC campus. A covered bridge joins the main campus with roughly 20 acres (8.1 ha) of athletic fields.

The 225-acre (91 ha) campus, which has no distinct borders separating it from the town of Henniker, features 30 buildings, many of which feature white clapboard-style siding or brick mid-century architecture. The campus is known throughout New England for promoting environmental education initiatives. Pats Peak ski resort lies just outside the village center, and many students participate in outdoor activities such as skiing, snowboarding, whitewater rafting, hiking in the White Mountains, and rock-climbing.[8]

The Institute of Art & Design at New England College in Manchester

New England College offers 9 associate degree programs, 37 bachelor's degree programs, 12 master's degree programs, and one doctoral degree program. The programs are divided into four divisions: the School of Arts & Sciences, the School of Education, the School of Management, and the School of Natural & Social Sciences.[2] The college is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education, and all programs offered by New England College are included in this regional accreditation.[3] Additionally, the school's Teacher Education Program (as well as the majors in Physical Education, Special Education, Elementary Education, and Secondary Education) are approved by the New Hampshire Department of Education.[9] Currently, the school employs 40 full-time faculty members and holds a 14:1 student-to-faculty ratio.[2]

The college's business degree programs have received "Candidate for Accreditation" Status by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP), which is one of three non-profit business school accrediting agencies recognized by CHEA (Council on Higher Education Accreditation).[10]

Henniker Bridge connects NEC campus with its athletic fields, and is listed on the New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places.

The college is home to 27 student organizations, including various student government committees and Kappa Delta Phi NAS. There were originally five chapters of Greek life: two sororities (Kappa Phi Sigma and Phi Sigma Sigma) and three fraternities (Sigma Phi Delta, Lambda Epsilon Delta, and Sigma Alpha Beta), but those dissolved beginning in the late 2000s. Students also publish an award-winning campus newspaper called The New Englander and operate a campus-based radio station, WNEC-FM.[2]

New England College opened an esports arena in January 2019.[20] This club sport at NEC is closely connected to several academic programs, such as Game and Digital Media Design and programs focusing on art, writing, marketing, graphic or website design, science, and strategy.[21]

New England Pilgrims
University	New England College
Conference	New England Collegiate Conference, New England Hockey Conference, National Intercollegiate Rugby Association, New England Rugby Football Union
NCAA	Division III
Athletic director	Dave DeCew
Location	Henniker, New Hampshire
Varsity teams	19 (9 men's, 10 women's)
Basketball arena	Bridges Gym (also volleyball and wrestling)
Ice hockey arena	Lee Clement Arena
Baseball stadium	Laurie Cox Memorial Fields (also rugby) Old Concord Road (softball)
Soccer stadium	Don Melander Field (also field hockey and lacrosse)
Mascot	Patty
Nickname	Pilgrims
Colors	Navy, Grey, White, and Red
Website	athletics.nec.edu

New England College's Pilgrims compete in 19 intercollegiate NCAA Division III athletic sports, including soccer, lacrosse, ice hockey, field hockey, softball, baseball, basketball, cross-country, wrestling, volleyball, rugby, and alpine skiing.[24] The Pilgrims compete in the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC). They were previously members of the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) from 2011 to 2018 and the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) from 1989 to 2011.[25]

• Geena Davis, Academy Award-winning actress who attended her freshman year at NEC before transferring to Boston University
• Ira Joe Fisher, meteorologist and former weather reporter for The Saturday Early Show
• Mariela Griffor, poet and diplomat
• Siad Haji, professional soccer player for San Jose Earthquakes of MLS who attended his freshman year at NEC before transferring to Virginia Commonwealth University
• Mark Lindquist, sculptor
• Maureen Mooney, N.H. State Representative, attorney, and educator
• Allen Steele, science fiction author
• Wallace Stickney, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) under President George H. W. Bush
• Steven Zirnkilton, voice actor, narrator, radio show host, and politician

• Official website