President Mark W. Huddleston testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means earlier today at a hearing on tax reform and charitable contributions where he stressed to lawmakers the importance of charitable giving to higher education.

 February is American Heart Month, making this an apt time to remind people about automated external defibrillators (AEDs), how to use them, and where they are located on campus. During a recent incident at the Hamel Rec Center, staff members used an AED and CPR to revive a student who collapsed while running on the treadmill.

Great ideas are worth waiting for. In 2011, it took a few months to assess UNH’s printing and copying habits before a new cost-saving program was implemented. Now, the numbers are in for the first full year of using PrintSmart and they’re huge; more than $475,000 in savings-huge. 

PrintSmart was developed as an effort to consolidate all copy, scan and fax needs into one multi-functional device (MFD) managed by one company. Conway Office Products was the partner UNH chose, and they proposed Xerox devices as the MFD.   

Provost John Aber has announced his intention to return to the UNH faculty on June 30. 

Aber, who is University Professor in the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, has served as provost and vice president for Academic Affairs since 2009.  

A Huffington Post blogger has included Joanna Young, UNH’s chief information officer (CIO), on its list of 20 rising stars on Twitter. 

A redesign of the UNH library website makes requesting or renewing items, searching data bases, and getting help from librarians easier than ever. 

For quicker access, the search fields for books and other media, and articles and databases have been moved from the middle of the page to the top. Below that are new icons for databases, research guides, and renewing materials online.

Michael Ferrara, professor and associate dean for research at the University of Georgia’s College of Education, has been named dean of the College of Health and Human Services (CHHS), Provost John Aber announced. Ferrara, whose teaching and research is in athletic training, will join the college in the spring semester of 2013.  

University officials are reporting budget projections that are slightly better than planned, thanks to positive undergraduate enrollments and continued focus on controlling operating expenses.

Students on campus for the January term will have a dining option that hasn’t previously existed during the winter semester with the opening of Holloway Commons. The Main Street dining hall will be open seven days a week during J-Term. 

Breakfast and lunch will be offered from 8 a.m.-1:30 p.m. and dinner will be served from 5-7 p.m. Special block meal plans will be available. Union Court will be open 8 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Monday through Friday during the same time period.