Plymouth State University

Ellen Reed House, home of the English Department faculty

The university offers BA, BFA, BS, MA, MAT, MBA, MS, and MEd degrees, the Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies (CAGS), and the Doctor of Education (EdD) in Learning, Leadership, and Community. Plymouth State is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, the New Hampshire Postsecondary Education Commission, and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). Program-specific accreditations include the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) for undergraduate and graduate degrees; the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) for athletic training; the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) for social work; the Society of Public Health Education and the American Association of Health Education (SOPHE/AAHE) for health education; and the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) for the Master of Education in Counselor Education, including mental health counseling and school counseling concentrations.

The university currently has 19 academic departments. Within each department there are several different study options and degree programs. The most popular majors at Plymouth State are business and education. Other popular majors include physical education, health education, art, social science, psychology, and communication studies. In 2011, Plymouth State University added a BS in nursing degree to its list of available programs of study.[3]

Beginning in fall of 2017, the university switched to a "cluster model" with seven interdisciplinary areas instead of academic departments or colleges. The clusters are:

• Arts and technology
• Education, democracy and social change
• Exploration and discovery
• Health and human enrichment
• Innovation and entrepreneurship
• Justice and security
• Tourism, environment and sustainable development

The cluster approach is designed to encourage collaboration and communication in the application of solving problems and innovating for the digital age.[4] The cluster model is championed by university president Donald Birx who was hired in 2015 after creating cluster models at other colleges and universities at which he previously worked.[5]

Rounds Hall

Rounds Hall and Clock Tower, 2013

Rounds Hall, with its iconic clock tower, was built in 1890 and named for Principal Charles Collins Rounds, who, as enrollment grew, strongly advocated for construction of a new classroom building. Today, Rounds Hall houses the university's education departments, which prepare tomorrow's leaders in early childhood, elementary, secondary, and special education, and social science department, which encompasses a wide variety of disciplines, including anthropology, political science, environmental planning and geography, and tourism management and policy.

Samuel Read Hall Building

In spring 1923, Plymouth Normal School opened Samuel Read Hall Dormitory, named after an innovative teacher educator who taught at Holmes Plymouth Academy in the late 1830s. The facility is now focused on human and environmental health and housing the departments of Counselor Education and School Psychology, Nursing, Social Work and Physical Therapy (DPT).

Harold E. Hyde Hall

Built in 1974, Hyde Hall is named for Plymouth State's 10th president, Harold E. Hyde, whose 26-year tenure—from 1951 to 1977—was a period of growth for the institution in both number of students and in campus facilities. Today, Hyde Hall is home to academic programs, including the College of Business Administration and the Departments of Criminal Justice, Languages and Linguistics, Mathematics, and Psychology.

Boyd Science Center

Boyd Science Center is the heart of scientific research and study at PSU. The building, named for longtime science professor Robert L. Boyd. Boyd is also home to the Mark Sylvestre Planetarium and the Judd Gregg Meteorology Institute, a resource for students in PSU's undergraduate and graduate meteorology degree programs, the only such programs in New Hampshire.

Enterprise Center at Plymouth

The Enterprise Center at Plymouth (ECP) opened in 2013 as a collaboration between the university and the Grafton County Economic Development Council. The ECP serves as a business incubator and accelerator, assisting start-ups and existing businesses with professional services and resources, including PSU student interns, who are regularly recruited to work with local businesses. Located on the banks of the Pemigewasset River at the point where the two sides of campus meet, the ECP represents the strong bond Plymouth State has formed with the community.

Mary Lyon Hall

Built in 1916 and renovated in 2006. In 2012, Mary Lyon was added to the New Hampshire Register of Historic Places. Mary Lyon is home to PSU's international programs as well as the Center for Student Success, which offers academic support programs, undergraduate advising, global education resources, and career services.

A statue of Robert Frost sits on a bench behind the Silver Center.

Hartman Union Building

The center of student life on campus, known as the HUB, is a multi-function building. It hosts functions and events, has administrative offices related to student activities, is home to The Clock, Poets & Writers, Yearbook, and PSU Pride, and contains a mail center, courtroom, computer clusters, workout facilities, and cafes.

Silver Center for the Arts

Built in 1956 and named for longtime Plymouth State president Ernest Silver, Silver Hall served as a physical education center, a music and theater teaching and performance facility, and an assembly hall. The Silver Center for the Arts supports PSU students of the performing arts.

The Silver Center is also the home of the New Hampshire Music Festival, which performs classical and pops concerts in the Hanaway Theater and chamber music concerts in Smith Recital Hall. The festival begins the week after the July 4th holiday and runs through the middle of August.

Draper and Maynard Building (D&M)

In the early twentieth century, the Draper & Maynard Building was home to premier sporting goods manufacturer Draper & Maynard Sporting Goods Company. It is home to PSU's Department of Health and Human Performance, which is focused on health, wellness, adventure education, and athletic training professionals. The first floor of the building houses the University's MakerSpace. The fourth floor is currently under construction and will soon feature several labs for the University's program in Electromechanic Technology and Robotics (EMTR), spearheaded by Dr. Martin D. Hellwig.

Lamson Library and Learning Commons

Lamson Library and Learning Commons opened in September 2006. It is the largest publicly accessible library in central/northern New Hampshire, second-largest overall after Dartmouth College. The Learning Commons at Lamson Library is a state-of-the art,[6] integrated research and technology center that provides PSU students, faculty and staff with access to a wide variety of research tools and materials, information technology resources and academic support services. Resources include open technology labs,[7] the Spinelli Archives, and the Writing Center.[8]

Plymouth State University's athletic teams are known as the Panthers. The athletic teams' colors are green and white. PSU competes in NCAA Division III as a member of the Little East Conference (LEC) for most of its intercollegiate sports. They've been successful in men's and women's skiing, ice hockey, football, basketball, and soccer, and women's field hockey, swimming and diving, and volleyball. The school's main rival is Keene State College, which also competes in the LEC. Every year the President's Cup is awarded to the school which has more victories in total sports competitions against each other.

Plymouth State University athletics mostly take place in the Physical Education (PE) Center which was opened in the Spring of 1969. Since that time it has undergone several expansions and renovations, and plans are now being developed to build a new, larger facility.

Plymouth State gained national attention in 1985 when Sports Illustrated featured[10] PSU student and football player Joe Dudek as their favorite to win the Heisman Trophy. Dudek, a running back for the Panthers, earned the attention for breaking Walter Payton's mark for career touchdowns.[11]

The 1993 women's varsity tennis team claimed the Little East Conference championship and during the NEWITT (New England Women's Intercollegiate Tennis Tournament), the number 1 doubles combo of Laura Comi and Shea Hansen reached the semi-finals. Plymouth State Panther award winner Laura Comi (number 1 singles player from 1990–1993) holds the record of most wins in Plymouth women's tennis history with a season of 10–1. Comi was coached by Dave Webster.

In November 2008, the Plymouth women's volleyball team upset Colby-Sawyer College to claim the 2008 ECAC Division III New England Volleyball championship. Also in 2008, the self-coached men's rugby club won the Division III national championship, defeating Furman University in the final.

The Museum of the White Mountains showcases artifacts and art from the White Mountains region and supports the university's teaching and research missions. Among the collections acquired by the museum are:

• Archives and images, including rare glass-plate photographs, stereoscopic images, hotel ledgers, postcards and more donated by the late Dan Noel.
• A comprehensive collection early and first edition as well as more recent books and guides about the region from John W. (Jack) and Anne H. Newton.
• White Mountains art by women artists from Frances "Dolly" MacIntyre.
• Images and collectables from the Balsams Grand Resort Hotel from Steve Barba.[12]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Plymouth State University.

• Official website