Campaign Gift Honors
Outgoing UNH President
A $2 million gift from Leslie S. Hubbard, Class of 1927, will establish the Joan and James Leitzel Center for Mathematics, Science, and Engineering Education at the University of New Hampshire.
The endowment pays tribute to the extraordinary leadership and contributions of Joan Leitzel, the University’s 17th president, who retires at the end of the month, and her late husband, James, a renowned scholar and beloved professor of mathematics.
Leslie Hubbard has been among the University’s most generous benefactors,
supporting programs in the marine and biological sciences, climate change
and athletics. Over the decades, Hubbard and his brothers, Oliver ’21
and Austin ’25, have made a series of important gifts that have allowed
for the university’s growth in its academic programs and in its scholarship
funds.
"We’ve always felt there was no reason for anyone from New Hampshire
to go outside the state for the best education," says Hubbard, "and
we have always wanted to make sure the same will be true for generations
to come."
The center will engage university scientists and mathematicians as well
as mathematics and science educators in research and its applications
in order to improve the quality of teaching in these critical areas. "The
Joan and James Leitzel Center for Mathematics, Science, and Engineering
Education provides us with a unique opportunity to combine our considerable
expertise in the sciences and mathematics with our strengths in teacher
preparation," says David R. Hiley, provost and vice president for
academic affairs. "It will allow us to do an even better job of working
with New Hampshire’s teachers and their students by applying these
new findings to the classroom experience at the primary, secondary and
higher education levels."
During her six-year tenure at UNH, Leitzel initiated the $100 million
Next Horizon campaign, the most ambitious fundraising effort in the university’s
history. The gift that bears her name brings the campaign total beyond
the $103 million mark. "I am honored to be recognized in this way,
" says President Leitzel. "The University of New Hampshire holds
a very important place in this state. It also holds a singular place in
my heart. I am grateful for the generosity and the vision of this gift,
which will have a lasting and positive impact on the future."
"It is fitting for President Leitzel to be acknowledged with this
gift that closes the campaign," says Young P. Dawkins III, president
of the UNH Foundation. "Her belief in the potential of the University
of New Hampshire has positioned us for a new era of achievement and excellence."
Leitzel earned a B.A. from Hanover College, followed by an M.A. from Brown
and a Ph.D. from Indiana University, all in mathematics. She held faculty
positions in mathematics before moving into administrative positions at
The Ohio State University, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and the
University of New Hampshire, where she served as its president from 1996-2002.
She was also the National Science Foundation’s Division Director
in the Division of Materials Development, Research, and Informal Science
Education. Leitzel has authored numerous publications and delivered scores
of presentations on mathematics and mathematics education, served many
professional associations, and received numerous honors, including The
Ohio State University Distinguished Teaching Award, the National Science
Foundation Director’s Award for Management Excellence, and the UNH
Pettee Medal. She currently chairs the Mathematical Science Education
Board of the National Research Council at the National Academy of Sciences.
James R.C. Leitzel earned a B.A. and an M.A. from Penn State and a Ph.D.
from Indiana University, all in mathematics, and served on the mathematics
faculty at The Ohio State University, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln,
and the University of New Hampshire. He was nationally known for his research
and expertise in mathematics education and teacher preparation. A prolific
author, he was also a well-known speaker who chaired numerous national
committees on undergraduate teaching and programs. He is especially remembered
for Project NExT (New Experiences in Teaching), a year-long professional
development program for new or recent Ph.D.s in the mathematical sciences.
The Joan and James Leitzel Center for Mathematics, Science, and Engineering
Education is the third interdisciplinary center to be created during the
course of the Next Horizon campaign. The Hamel Center for the Management
of Technology and Innovation and the Carsey Institute for Effective Families
and Communities were established in 2000 and 2002, respectively.
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