By Holly Young, Cooperative Extension
Legislators, county commissioners and other public officials from around New Hampshire gathered at the Radisson Hotel recently for an historic ceremony celebrating the renewal of the partnership between New Hampshire’s 10 county governments and the University System of New Hampshire and UNH Cooperative Extension.
USNH Chancellor Stephen Reno, along with UNH Interim President J. Bonnie Newman and UNH Cooperative Extension dean and director John Pike noted the importance of the partnership between the 10 N.H. county governments and UNH Cooperative Extension.
A special guest, university system trustee Merle Schotanus, provided the background on how the New Hampshire legislature re-established these Memorandum of Understandings with each county when he was a state representative to the general court in 1994.
Every six years, each county signs a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) recognizing local County Extension Advisory Councils as the sponsor of Extension work. The first MOUs were signed in 1957, almost 50 years ago.
From 1957 to 1994, they remained unchanged, until a legislative study committee recommended a new statute mandating MOUs every six years. The MOU is not a binding contract but rather a statement delineating the partnership that exists between the state, counties, and USNH/UNH Cooperative Extension.
Those attending the event also learned more about how the UNH and UNH Cooperative Extension work together to address one of the most pressing topics of concern in the region, the growth and rapidly changing landscape N. H. communities face today. This came during the second annual Hillsborough County Conversation that preceded the historic signing.
It began with a history of the Manchester mills by Dr. Robert Macieski, UNH-Manchester faculty, followed by a segment presented by Amy Seif, communications director, Carsey Institute, and Fay Rubin, NH GRANIT, that reviewed the transition from resources-based industry to service/technology industry. The final segment focused on the future of Hillsborough County, presented by UNH Cooperative Extension Community Profiles Coordinator Michele Gagne.