Fitchburg State University will launch the 2026-27 academic year with a celebration for students, faculty, staff and the wider community.
University President Donna Hodge will present her third annual State of the University address on Wednesday, Sept. 2 at 10:30 a.m. on the main quadrangle. The celebration will include the presentation of faculty and staff awards, as President Hodge outlines her vision for her third year leading the institution.
Following her address, which will focus on the theme of “possibility,” the campus will host a picnic on the quadrangle that is open to all.
"Possibility is more than optimism. It's what becomes possible when an institution knows who it is, understands what its students need, and has the discipline to focus its energy where it can make the greatest difference," President Hodge said. "At Fitchburg State, we've spent the last two years strengthening our foundation, rebuilding trust, and making deliberate choices about our future. We begin this academic year ready to build on that work, with students at the center and a clear commitment to academic excellence, opportunity, and the communities we serve. I'm enormously proud of how far we've come, but I'm even more excited about what we can create together from here."
The start-of-semester celebration will begin earlier that day when the university formally welcomes its incoming class of first-year and transfer students at a matriculation ceremony at 9 a.m. in Weston Auditorium. The ceremony will mark the official start of the academic journey for Fitchburg State’s new freshmen, transfer students and graduate students. The keynote speaker for the morning’s program will be hip-hop artist, educator, community activist and cultural architect Red Shaydez, a 2014 alumna of Fitchburg State. The award-winning artist has been featured on MTV, BET Jams, NPR Music and the Boston Globe.
Additional dates of note for the coming semester:
- The majority of new residential students will move in Sunday, Aug. 30, starting at 9 a.m. from the Wallace Civic Center. The northbound lanes of North Street will be closed to non-university traffic between Pearl and Ross Streets from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on that date. The majority of returning residential students will move in starting Tuesday, Sept. 1. There may be brief road closures around campus between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. that day.
- Fall semester classes will start Thursday, Sept. 3.
- The Fitchburg State football team travels to Dean College on Saturday, Sept. 5 at noon to kick off the season. Their first home game will be at noon Saturday, Sept. 12 at Elliot Field.
- Rock the Block, where dozens of student clubs and organizations, along with campus offices, share information about extracurricular opportunities on and off campus, will be held on the main quadrangle and along Highland Avenue starting at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 8. The rain date is Thursday, Sept. 10.
- The 9th recruit officer course (ROC) of Fitchburg State’s groundbreaking police program will graduate at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 9 in Weston Auditorium, 353 North St. The five graduates, who completed their bachelor’s degrees in criminal justice in May and spent 17 weeks this summer in police academy training, will be certified as police officers ready to work in municipal departments in Massachusetts and neighboring states.
- Hispanic Heritage Month will be observed from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. There will be a series of entertaining and informative events throughout the month and will be posted to the university website at fitchburgstate.edu.
- The Class of 1976 will have its 50th reunion on Saturday, Sept. 19 from 1-3 p.m. in Hammond Hall’s Falcon Hub. The Gold Key Breakfast and reunion starts at 9:30 a.m. in Hammond Hall’s Main Lounge. For ticket information, contact the Alumni Office at 978-665-4555 or alumni@fitchburgstate.edu.
- Returning for the first time since 2019, the Fitchburg State University Golf Tournament is officially back on Monday, Sept. 28 at Oak Hill Country Club in Fitchburg to celebrate being together once again, while raising vital funds to empower Falcon Athletics. Proceeds from this year’s tournament will directly fund transformative athletic initiatives—including necessary facility upgrades, essential infrastructure remodeling, and enriched student-athlete experiences that give our teams the modern resources they need to excel both in competition and in the classroom. Those interested in playing or buying a foursome for this scramble can register online and others interested in making a direct donation to support athletics at Fitchburg State can also contribute through our tournament website.
- Homecoming 2026 events will be held on Thursday, Nov. 5 to Sunday, Nov. 8 and will include a pep rally at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5; a casino night and semi-formal dance at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6; and a carnival in the Ross Street parking lot from 4 to 10 p.m. Additional information on tickets will be posted to the Homecoming website.
- Athletic events scheduled for Homecoming Weekend include: women’s volleyball vs. Keene State (6 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 5 at the Recreation Center), women’s basketball vs. Regis (6 p.m., Friday, Nov. 6 at the Recreation Center), and football vs. Plymouth State (noon, Saturday, Nov. 7 at Elliot Field). The tailgate at the Wallace Civic Center Parking Lot runs from 10 a.m. to noon.
- Our fall Open House for prospective students will run from 8:30 a.m. to noon across campus on Saturday, Nov. 7.