Micheal McConnell, associate professor of art and art history, died Oct. 27.  Three of his abstract sculptures will be on view at the Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics when it is completed in 2013.

McConnell, who has served four stints as department chair, has been at UNH for 36 years.

The following obituary was published in Foster’s Daily Democrat:

Michael Patrick McConnell passed away Oct. 27, 2012 after a long, hard fought battle with cancer. The love of his life, wife, children and grandchildren embraced him as he passed peacefully and without pain.

Michael was born in Troy, O.H. on Dec. 4, 1948. He graduated from Troy High School in 1967, and received both a Bachelors and Masters Degree in Fine Arts from Ohio University. Well known as both a talented sculptor and dedicated educator, he was a respected member of the Department of Art and Art History faculty since 1975, and served as chair of that department for three terms. His...

University officials have agreed to reopen Memorial Field for its varsity teams and their opponents after additional testing showed no measurable levels of lead and blood tests for members of the field hockey team showed they do not have elevated lead levels. The field remains closed to everyone else, and the athletes must follow all safety guidelines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in order to use the field.

“The decision to reopen the field was made after additional tests on the field, surrounding soil, and drained water did not find measurable levels of lead,” said Director of Athletics Marty Scarano. “In addition, the field hockey coach and a majority of the players were tested and no elevated levels were detected. We believe the field can safely be used by our varsity athletes with close supervision.”

The field was closed Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012, after university officials learned that the artificial turf surface installed in 2002 had...

To:         Members of the University Community                                                               

From:    Dick Cannon, Vice President for Finance & Administration

Re:       Curtailed Operations – Normal Work Week and Weekends

As we approach the winter season, I want to remind each of you of the University’s policies and procedures for declaring curtailed operations.  Although we hope for a mild winter, we must be prepared for extreme weather situations.  Please note, this year we are continuing...

I.  Roll – The following senators were absent:  Connelly, Pescosolido, Shore, Simos, Veal, and Woods.  Guests were Mark Huddleston, John Aber, Mark Rubinstein, Petr Brym, Faye Richardson and Sonic Woytonik.

II.  Remarks by and questions to the president – President Huddleston said that this Thursday at the state of the university address he will discuss some current initiatives.  He said that the advocacy campaign, to ask legislators to restore university funding which was recently slashed, seems to be going fairly well.  Also, the leadership phase of the capital campaign is in full swing; and Deborah Dutton has been hired as the new vice president for advancement.  The effort to change the relationship of UNH to the chancellor’s office has borne fruit over the last year; and UNH now has more...

A new grant from the Henry P. Kendall Foundation of Boston will help New England build its capacity to feed itself. The Kendall Foundation board announced today it has awarded Food Solutions New England (FSNE), an initiative of the Sustainability Institute at UNH, $185,000 to further its regional food system work. The funding will support a year-long design process that will strengthen collaboration and collective impact of the FSNE network across New England. The aim of the network...

University officials have learned that the artificial turf surface installed at Memorial Field in 2002 has degraded to a point where measurable lead levels have been detected in dust samples taken on the surface of the field. As a result the field has been closed, effective immediately. Any remaining varsity team practices and games will be rescheduled and relocated, and the field will be replaced as soon as possible. 

“The safety and well-being of our students, staff and faculty, as well as our many visitors, is of the utmost importance,” said Director of Athletics Marty Scarano. “We felt any risk of exposure to lead was too much and that closing the field was the right thing to do.” 

Currently there are no standards for lead levels for outdoor artificial turf fields. The closest relevant health standard is a limit for lead dust on...

The Center for Family Business at UNH will launch its next leadership development program Tuesday, Oct. 30. The leadership development program assists the next generation to assume greater leadership roles in their family businesses. Attendees develop confidence, plan for the future, learn to apply new management skills to company projects and build a peer network of support. The program is taught by faculty of the Whittemore School of Business and Economics.

 The program includes sessions on:

 Understanding effective leadership.

• Building self-awareness and a personal vision.
• Motivating employees.
• Building a synergistic team.
• Managing confrontation and conflict.
• Becoming a resonant leader in the organization. 

The eight-session program meets once a month for full-day work sessions. A certificate in family business leadership will be awarded to those who successfully complete the program. For...