President's Message

As we celebrate our 152nd year, Plymouth State University is proud to respond decisively to both student interests and the demands of the marketplace with new programs, facilities, and educational approaches.

The BA in digital music production and entrepreneurship, which debuts in Fall 2023, is in sync with today’s musicians who craft compositions with digital audio workstations. The program joins other recent new majors in climate studies, forensic science, game design, robotics, and sustainability, along with the University’s traditional strengths in the arts, business, education, health, and the humanities.

Our wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs, including the option to design your own major through our interdisciplinary studies program, ensures that your unique career goals can be met at Plymouth State.

At PSU, we’re not satisfied with the status quo, but instead are reinventing higher education for a rapidly changing world. Our Cluster Learning model powers a unique and integrated academic environment that centers on 1) interdisciplinary inquiry and research, 2) project-based learning that extends past the walls of the classroom, and 3) open educational practices that lower barriers and empower students to contribute to the knowledge commons. Our Habits of Mind Experience (HoME) prepares students to have a high level of impact, work effectively in teams, see the big picture, and solve real-world problems.

Our students are part of a university that is on the move! In just this past year:

  • Plymouth State was named Education Business of the Year.
  • A 2023 graduate was named College Student of the Year.
  • Our nursing program received over $2 million in federal funding to improve and expand facilities to prepare the next generation of nurses.
  • We are completing a new, state-of-the-art robotics laboratory supported by $1 million in federal funding.
  • We opened the Morgridge Strength and Performance Lab, a $4 million project surpassing those of many Division I institutions.
  • Our renowned meteorology program, consistently one of the best in the nation in preparing undergraduates for careers in related fields, celebrated its 40th anniversary and remains a model that other schools follow.
  • We launched an exciting new partnership with the NH Department of Safety that will lead to new internships and opportunities for students studying criminal justice, pre-law, and other disciplines.

Our students place highly in national and international competitions, engage in productive, résumé-boosting partnerships with area firms and nonprofits, and serve their communities in many substantial ways. We welcome your contributions as you build your skills on our campus.

My best wishes for a rewarding and productive year,

Donald L. Birx
President