UNH Alumni Reunion Annual Award Luncheon
Remarks - Ann Weaver Hart
Saturday, June 14, 2003
Noon-1:30 PM,
Granite State Room, MUB
Good afternoon! It is my pleasure to attend my first Alumni Reunion Weekend since becoming your President. This Awards Luncheon is an important part of the weekend and a wonderful time to both recognize reunion classes and individual alums for their contributions to the Alumni Association and to UNH.
Today is an opportunity to give you a report on the state of the University of New Hampshire. In general, the University remains strong and the quality of education offered to students continues to be exceptional. Nevertheless, our current economic situation—nationally, regionally, and locally—poses special challenges for us. We are the economic engine for the State of New Hampshire and through our engagement efforts we touch virtually every community in the state. However, we need to continue to demonstrate to the State and the Legislature that the University is critical to the future of New Hampshire.
While the past year has presented challenges, there have been significant achievements as well. I’d like to share with you just a few examples.
A. Enrollment- The University’s enrollments remain strong. Last year’s total enrollment was 10,867 undergraduates, including 2709 freshmen. Our graduate population remained at approximately 2000 students. This year’s total enrollment should hover very close to the same figure for undergraduate and graduate students—roughly 10,900 undergraduate students and 2000 graduate students but the freshman class will be slightly smaller at about 2630.
B. Research—Research accomplishments continue to be impressive. Last year our research grew to an all-time high of $85,809,000. This year, given the sluggish economy and the focus on other priorities at the federal level, we expect our research to end up strong, but it is difficult to speculate at this point because of the slowness with which some of our major sponsors, such as NOAA, are making awards.
C. Faculty—Faculty achievements continue to demonstrate we truly have a world class faculty at UNH. This year two faculty members, one at UNH and one at UNH-Manchester, have received Fulbright awards. We’ve hired the Samuel Paul chair in Psychology, Dr. David Pillemer and the Peter T. Paul Chair in Space Science, Dr. Arnitava Battacharjee. The team Dr. Battacharjee will bring with him will make UNH the top department in the world in research on the sun-earth relationship. UNH mathematician Karen Graham was named director of the University’s Joan & James Leitzel Center for Mathematics, Science and Engineering Education.
In addition, Sally Ward, professor of sociology for more than 20 years has been awarded the annual Lindbergh award for her achievements as an outstanding scholar and teacher in the College of Liberal Arts.
The University of New Hampshire is ranked as the number one University in the nation for geo-science research, according to a report from a national institute in Philadelphia that ranks high-impact U.S. universities. UNH professor John Aber was ranked 11th among top scientists in the Ecology/Environmental Science field. Dr. Aber, a professor in the Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans and Space, and the Department of Natural Resources, is noted as one of the top twenty most sited scientists in ecology and environmental sciences over the last decade.
The Crimes Against Children Research Center, known around the nation and the world, celebrated its fifth anniversary this year. The Center has received national and international recognition for bringing attention to child victimization through its studies of missing children, dangers on the internet, and the impact of the justice system on child victims. It is led by UNH sociologist David Finkelhor. Professor Finkelhor also unveiled a major new study at the first ever White House Conference on Missing, Exploited, and Runaway Children last October. His is the first study ever to provide a unified national average of the number of missing children in the United States.
University of New Hampshire Associate Professor of Animal and Nutritional Sciences, Collette Janson-Sand was recently named Outstanding Dietetic Educator in recognition of her exceptional teaching, mentoring and leadership activities. The regional award recognizes Janson-Sand from a pool of nominations from the New England States, New Jersey and New York.
Fred Kaen (KANE), Professor of Finance at the Whittemore School of Business and Economics, explores the contemporary questions, financial history and solutions to the current dilemma in his new book, A Blueprint for Corporate Governance: Strategy, Accountability and the Preservation of Shareholder Value. This book is published by the American Management Association.
D. Administration—Administratively, a great deal is happening here at UNH.
- 1. The UNH Academic Plan was finalized and now is being put into action through strategic plans for the colleges, schools and departments across campus and at UNH-Manchester. The Faculty Senate and Academic leadership are working together to follow carefully the details of implementation action plans.
- 2. The Master Plan for the campus process, guided by the academic plan, is progressing well and is expected to be completed in October, 2003. Conceptually, this new plan will capture the geography of New Hampshire in three zones of the campus—the mountains and lakes natural environment in the ravine, the seacoast, and the agricultural tradition of our state.
- 3. Our New England Association of Schools and Colleges reaccredidation process is well underway. Team members were here April 30-May 2, 2003 and will return in October for their final visit. We look forward to reaccredidation for another 10 years.
- 4. Work on Murkland Hall, Congreve Hall, and the Holloway Commons will be completed this summer. Mills Hall, our newest residence hall, opened last November with 360 new beds. The groundbreaking for the rebuild and renovation of Kingsbury Hall is planned for this fall.
- 5. The Vice President for University Communications position has been filled and Jennifer Murray, UNH Alumna, will begin July 8, 2003. The Provost and Executive Vice President search did not result in the hiring of an external candidate. I am currently in the process of consulting with the search committee, deans, academic affairs staff and faculty to determine the best approach to filling this position over the next two to three years. I hope to have an announcement early this summer. Also, Vice President for Research & Public Service, Don Sundberg, has decided to return to the faculty. I have asked John Aber to assume this position August 1st.
- 6. Financially, the University has taken steps to anticipate the economic downturn and the budgetary constraints currently being faced. Three years ago UNH changed its internal management system to a decentralized budgeting system, responsibility management. Each college is accountable for covering the full expense of the college by the revenue they generate from instruction or research. This system creates incentives for units to be fiscally responsible, and eliminate dispend-it-or-lose-it budgeting mentality. The success of this system has been demonstrated by the growth in reserve balance that allows colleges/schools to invest in their future. Over the first three years the reserves have grown from $3.9 million to $14.2 million. Also as you know, last year UNH completed its $100 million capital campaign. Of the $102 million raised, 72% of the gifts satisfied campaign goals and 72% has been received in cash. Lastly, indirect cost revenue has more than doubled over the past six years to an anticipated level this year of $14.7 million.
E. Students—Our students continue to excel in the classroom and in intercollegiate competition. In athletics, team coaches received a total of nine coach of the year awards, spanning 7 sports, in the 2002-2003 academic year. Our athletes, men and women alike, received recognition over 160 times this past year. Many student athletes received multiple awards. Sports included men’s and women’s hockey, football, men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball, field hockey, men’s and women’s track and cross country, gymnastics, men’s and women’s skiing, women’s lacrosse, and women’s soccer. Awards included placement on all-conference first teams, college players of the year, rookies and/or players of the week, and players of the month.
As a result of academic success and/or co-curricular activities, students received awards for a myriad of achievements. At this year’s Waste Management Education and Research Consortium Environmental Design Contest, held in Las Cruces, New Mexico, faculty advisors Taylor Eighmy (AMY) and Kevin Gardner, along with 14 civil and environmental engineering seniors and Whittemore School Business majors, received first place in their design and marketing approach for their innovative household system for removing arsenic from drinking water. WERC is an international competition.
Joel Daniels, a computer science major with a 3.96 cumulative grade point average, received the Hood Achievement Prize and has won numerous awards for his academic achievement including the highly prestigious Governor’s Success Scholarship, the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences Alumni Scholarship, and the UNH Lavigne Scholarship of Technology.
Stacie Sullivan received the University Women’s Award. Stacie is enrolled in the honors program and has received awards including the Roger Ritvo Award in the Department of Health Management and Policy. She also received the Christopher Weinheimer Award from the New Hampshire/Vermont Chapter of the Healthcare Financial Management Association.
Ann Marie Olsen is a non-traditional student at UNH who has worked at the honors level while raising three children as a single parent and while participating in a number of campus and community activities. Ann Marie was the recipient of this year’s Governor Wesley Powell Scholarship.
Gregory Blaisdell is an incredibly bright, inquisitive, sincere, mature and friendly young man, with a good sense of humor. Greg was the recipient of this year’s Dean Williamson Award, an award given to a senior who has been outstanding and well rounded in extracurricular activities.
Erick Towle (TOLL), received this year’s Alumni Meritorious Service Award Association Prize. This prize is to recognize that junior student who excels in academics and in extra-curricular activities on the campus.
a. Aftermath of April 12th—While it is clear to all of us that the vast majority of UNH students are good citizens who contribute in many positive ways to the life of the University, I must give you an update on the actions we are taking to follow up on the riot in Durham on the evening of April 12th. We are pursuing specific actions in four areas that we believe will have a positive impact on the future. These include: student disciplinary proceedings, the Student Summit, a joint statement of civic responsibility with Durham, and modifications to the UNH Code of Conduct. Thirty student cases have been resolved through the student judiciary system. Sanctions imposed by the judicial programs process have ranged from probation, to restitution and, in some cases, suspension from the University.
A committee of students and staff members is working together to plan a summit at UNH on September 19-21. Representatives have been invited from universities who have experienced similar disturbances, either following athletic events or associated with other university activities. This summit will look to interventions that have been successful in changing the culture at universities.
UNH staff and representatives of the Town of Durham have worked together to revise an almost 20-year-old joint statement on moral responsibility. This statement, once affirmed by the Town and the University, will be widely discussed and incorporated into University and Town publications.
Student Affairs staff have been working to review the current student Code of Conduct for revisions that are necessary to put in place tighter provisions for student judiciary actions to be taken against students for disturbances off-campus in the surrounding community. Much remains to be done, and we have just started to scratch the surface of the problem. However, the problem is very real and serious in our culture, and we will continue to work to assure that no one is under any illusion that we will tolerate, let alone, condone, this kind of behavior.
In closing, we also offered special recognition for outstanding achievement this past year. Ken Burns was the recipient of your highest award, the Pettee Medal. Mike Hickey ‘73 and Forrest McKerley ‘57 were awarded the Granite State Award at this year’s Commencement. This year the Foundation’s Volunteer of the Year Award was given to Jere (JERRY) Lundholm ‘53 in recognition of his ongoing service to his Alma Mater.
You can see that a lot is happening at your university. We’re on the move! Given our rich tradition of success over the past years, I look forward to the coming years and to building the legacy you have left behind I thank you for your ongoing support. Best wishes.
