Secretary of State Bill Gardner Speaks at NEC Founders Day 2012

New England College celebrated Founders Day on January 24. Secretary of State Bill Gardner was the speaker.

William M. Gardner has served the State of New Hampshire for nearly forty years. He was elected to the New Hampshire House in 1973 and served as a state representative from 1973 – 1976. In 1976 he was elected secretary of state and has served the past nine governors. In his role as secretary of state, Gardner oversees the primary and general elections, and voter registration. By New Hampshire law, he is the only person with the authority to establish the date of the state’s presidential primary. Gardner is the co-author with former New Hampshire Governor Hugh Gregg of Why New Hampshire, written in 2003, which describes the history and importance of the New Hampshire primary. He is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire and studied at Harvard, the London School of Economics, and the University of North Carolina, Greensboro.

The celebration of Founders Day at New England College was instituted to honor the vision and leadership of the founding faculty, administration, and students of the College, and is one of three major academic events during the year. New England College was founded in 1946 to serve the educational needs of the country’s military men and women returning from World War II. According to President Perkins, “Founders Day is an opportunity to reflect on the vision of those leaders who sought to make education accessible to a new generation and who pioneered educational opportunities for non-traditional students. Sixty-six years later, we acknowledge how that vision continues to transform our community through the many accomplishments of the College, its students, faculty, staff, and alumni.”