State of the University – September 7, 2006 
J. Bonnie Newman
Interim President
University of New Hampshire
State of the University
September 7, 2006
Granite State Room
Durham, NH
Good afternoon and welcome, and a special thanks to UNH photographic services for the beautiful images that capture the spirit of UNH so well, and to the New Hampshire Notables and Gents for their fine voices. I’m Bonnie Newman, the interim president. I am honored to address you today and to herald with you the opening of the academic year at this great institution, the University of New Hampshire.
I am pleased to report to you that the state of our University is strong and it is engaged.
Ever since I was approached by Chancellor Reno and the University System Board of Trustees to serve in this interim capacity, I’ve considered it a tremendous honor and privilege. I want to express my gratitude to them for entrusting me with this responsibility. I can assure you that although the University may be between permanent presidents, it is not on hold.
It cannot and should not stand still. Our momentum is fueled by a commitment to academic integrity and the highest standard of excellence, maintained throughout the university by our faculty, staff and students. Through their strong leadership and dedication, Provost Bruce Mallory and the academic deans ensure that these commitments are met. Our direction is most definitely forward.
Thirty-seven years ago, I began what appears to be a lifelong affiliation with this impressive institution. I have served as assistant dean and dean of students and interim dean of the Whittemore School.
Then, as now, the university endures because of its people and their achievements. So it is fitting to begin today’s address by recognizing the 2006 winners of the Faculty Excellence Awards for teaching, research, public service and the Presidential Awards of Excellence.
This year’s faculty awardees are:
Thomas G. Pistole, microbiology, Distinguished Professor
James E. Tucker, sociology, Outstanding Associate Professor
Michael J. Middleton, education, Outstanding Assistant Professor
A.R. (Venky)
Venkatachalam, descision sciences, Excellence in Research
Charles G Schwab, animal and nutritional sciences, Excellence
in Public Service
Jerilee A. Zezula, applied animal science, Excellence in Public Service
Donald W. Hadwin, mathematics, Jean Brierley Award for Excellence in Teaching
Lawrence C. Reardon, political science, Excellence in International Engagement
Heather A. Turner, sociology, Graduate Faculty Mentor Award
The following faculty members received Awards of Excellence in college teaching:
Richard P. Johnson, chemistry, College of Engineering and Physical Sciences
Steven C. Wright, kinesiology, School of Health and Human Services
John M. Chaston, Spanish, College of Liberal Arts
Elizabeth A. Finkel, education, College of Liberal Arts
James N. Krasner, English, College of Liberal Arts
James T. Taylor, zoology, College of Life Sciences and Agriculture
John E. Sparrow, psychology, UNH Manchester
Bruce T. Elmslie, economics, Whittemore
School of Business and Economics
Thomas A. March, agricultural mechanization, Thompson School of Applied
Sciences.
I am also pleased to recognize our staff members who have earned the Presidential Award of Excellence:
Andrew G. Colby, University Advising and Career Center
Patrick Messer, Research Computing
Joyce E. Perkins, College of Engineering and Physical Sciences Business
Service Center
Michael R. Sciabarrasi, Agricultural Business Management, Cooperative Extension
Vickie L. Smith, Women’s Studies Program.
Thank you. I believe UNH is uniquely and equally committed to the quality of its academic and research programs, as well as to the overall student experience. Your achievements pay tribute to the University’s collective efforts and help the University to build on its rich tradition of academic integrity set by our longtime faculty and staff.
Let there be no doubt: here at the University of New Hampshire, we cherish and protect the principle of academic freedom, and we have done so for a very long time. Indeed, in 1958, the University of New Hampshire and its board of trustees were awarded the AAUP’s very first Alexander Meiklejohn Academic Freedom Award for “resolutely maintaining the freedom of the university community to hear all points of a controversial issue, even in the face of public opposition.”
Then as now, we encourage the open inquiry of ideas and respect the freedoms, rights and responsibilities of all members of our learning community. We encourage civil and respectful discourse in our classrooms, our courtyards, our dining halls and our residence halls.
Though at times we may disagree, and we will; and though at times we may be offended—and believe me, I have been during my long tenure in higher education—we stand firm in our commitment to the principles and inherent responsibilities of academic freedom, and freedom of speech, and to the pursuit of truth.
As I grow older, I am particularly mindful of how critically important the education of today’s students is to our future. I recently welcomed our newest first-year students—there are more than 3,000 of them. This brings our enrollment—both undergraduate and graduate—to 13,800.
Before we know it, these students who seem so familiar now in our classrooms, laboratories and on the playing fields, will be the leaders of our later years. We live in an ever-complicated global community. We need to do all that is possible to ensure that these young women and men are equipped to lead and protect future generations.
With this in mind, I was delighted to learn when I arrived this summer that the University is in the process of developing its revised general education curriculum as part of the implementation of the Discovery Program.
Many faculty have been engaged in this process, led by the Discovery Program Advisory Committee, with representatives from each of the schools and colleges. I am pleased to know that the university remains committed to the future of this important initiative.
Through the Discovery Program, we have added to the number of Inquiry courses. Often taught by senior faculty, they help set the foundation for a successful academic experience. And we have completed the initial evaluation of general education courses using the criteria for the new Discovery categories.
More than 200 courses have now been reviewed by faculty panels and will go next to the Faculty Senate for action this fall.
I understand that last year’s University Dialogue on Globalization was a great success. The second annual University Dialogue, which will focus on energy, launches next week at the Academic Convocation on Tuesday. I hope you will attend this and subsequent events during this yearlong conversation. It extends across the disciplines and links faculty, students and the greater community with information and ideas in exciting and productive ways.
I mentioned how honored I am to serve the university. Lately, as I have re-acquainted myself, I’ve grown more proud to be here as well. When I realize what is here, and who is here, and what is being achieved, I appreciate how special this place is. It is easy to understand why there are so many people who are proud to be affiliated with the University of New Hampshire. But let me tell you why I believe this is a great university.
What we do here connects us to the world. Long renowned as educators, UNH faculty members are also nationally and internationally known for the primacy of their research.
Our strength in awards from sponsored grants and contracts, growth in intellectual property rights, development of new companies, and partnerships with federal agencies attest to this fact.
Total external awards last year increased 18 percent from the previous year’s record. Intellectual property income was up by 25 percent, and partnerships with New Hampshire companies also increased substantially.
What we do here also connects us to our state. When we are both at our best, UNH and New Hampshire form a synergy that contributes to the benefit of the entire state. UNH is a major resource for New Hampshire and its workforce.
Students who are educated here, in any of more than 100 major courses of study, become the economists, engineers, manufacturers, philosophers, scientists, artists, doctors and nurses—the thinkers and doers—who will drive New Hampshire’s economic and cultural vitality.
Likewise with education, UNH has a long tradition of preparing professionals of the highest caliber. In turn, these individuals provide teaching excellence at the primary and secondary levels. In doing so, they lay the foundation of the educational futures of New Hampshire’s most important resource—its children.
This results in a stronger educational model that extends from the earliest years through graduate and post-graduate study.
A major UNH outreach program that has a tremendous impact on our state is Cooperative Extension. Cooperative Extension’s many quality programs touch every corner of New Hampshire with research-based education and information that benefit our youth, families, and communities. In our proud land grant tradition, UNH truly is—as it should be—an engaged university.
But, just as UNH has an impact on New Hampshire’s communities, UNH must play a part in its own community.
Here on campus and with our neighbors in Durham, it is our expectation that every UNH community member will assume personal responsibility for his or her behavior toward others. We must be an inclusive community, welcoming people from different backgrounds from across the country and around the globe. UNH has much to gain from the diversity of peoples, perspectives, and experiences that characterize 21st Century life.
We must not forget, however, where we live. Durham is our home. Young, old, student, faculty, or staff, we are neighbors and must care for one another.
Unfortunately, 21st Century life is also characterized by uncertainty. Working with our first responders, our police and fire fighters, we must be prepared to act responsibly in an emergency. The University Emergency Group has implemented a plan that will help us to respond to and communicate vital information, should an emergency occur.
The plan outlines essential procedures—from food services, to transportation needs, to communication management and medical care—that will direct the response of the individuals and departments who would be called upon to assist in responding to an emergency.
The UNH community must also strive to be resourceful. Toward this end, the university is committed to developing solutions which include better answers to fuel consumption and other energy related challenges.
This will be most evident as we take this effort to the streets with our clean fleet vehicles, which run on biodiesel and a variety of alternative fuels. Look for the ECOCAT signs on our buses and service vehicles and the Green Way display on University Day next week. The growing number of environment-friendly initiatives will impress you.
And it is possible that plans to provide alternative energy—purified gas from the Turnkey landfill to our cogeneration plant—could soon be under way. My hope is that we will have a proposal to the Board of Trustees for approval this fall that will present one of the most innovative alternative energy projects in American higher education.
As I have been describing, our mission embraces opportunity, excellence, and access, particularly for the people of New Hampshire. However, as you all are aware, the university faces significant financial challenges.
While we are creative in meeting these challenges, they do not disappear and must be addressed if we are to continue to excel as a vibrant public research university.
Affordability is a growing obstacle. New Hampshire students at the University are paying 7 percent more in tuition this year. Annual tuition, room and board, and fees have risen to $17,985 for New Hampshire residents, and $30,435 for those who reside elsewhere. These are difficult numbers for most New Hampshire families, indeed for most American families.
We must address the cost structure of a university education in ways that will at the same time provide affordability and excellence. Here at the state’s flagship university, affordability and excellence must not be mutually exclusive ideals. They can—and should—go hand-in-hand.
The new legislative session—a biennial budget year—begins in January. Toward that end, as we prepare our budget request for the next two years, we are mindful of our fiscal reality. Funding from the state of New Hampshire is greatly appreciated but continues to be modest, and is an ever-decreasing part of our revenue stream.
Last year, state appropriations constituted 14.2 percent of our overall
budget of $433 million. In June, the Board of Trustees approved a UNH budget
that includes a 17.1 percent increase in financial aid that helps students
meet the cost of the high quality education we provide. But financial aid
is not the only expense we face.
Several costs throughout the University System have been increasing at
rates well above inflation. Since Fiscal Year 02, energy costs have increased
by an average of 18.9 percent annually, primarily driven by world markets
for oil and gas.
Fringe benefits provided to employees have increased by 7.8 percent due
to the cost of medical insurance over the same period, while employees
have taken on a greater share of this expense. Repair and renovation costs
have increased by 8.5 percent.
Another challenge we face as an institution is keeping our faculty and
staff compensation at competitive levels. The administration and UNH chapter
of the AAUP have been engaged in contract negotiations since the early
spring. While a final agreement has not been reached, I hope very
much that we can do so in the coming weeks.
The contract that was negotiated so successfully three years ago expired
on June 30. I believe it is in the best interest of the University
community that we again conclude the bargaining process and settle the
next contract without the difficulties associated with impasse that we
experienced prior to the 2003 negotiations.
Our bargaining team, again led by Provost Mallory, is committed to a contract
that supports our excellent faculty consistent with the practices of our
national peer institutions. We have made great strides relative to
salary equity with those peers. We must not lose the ground we have gained.
We must assure that our contract provides effective means to recruit and
retain the best possible faculty. And, we will continue to work hard at
the negotiating table to achieve that end.
The university faces the challenge of slowed growth in funding for research
activity. We have seen 100% growth in the level of sponsored grants and
contracts over the past seven years. But, with shifts in government priorities,
we anticipate a slowdown in grant funding for the next several years. This
will have an impact on indirect costs: the amount of reimbursement
funds we receive to offset expenses.
Despite these challenges, I want to acknowledge the substantial progress that is being made throughout the university and particularly in the College of Life Sciences and Agriculture. Under Dean Trumble’s leadership and with the collaboration of faculty and staff, the college has moved toward financial stability.
Even more significant, an intensive strategic planning process is currently under way and will ensure the successful implementation of the new departmental organization proposed by President Hart. Department chairs and faculty are working hard to articulate a compelling vision and set of strategic goals to assure the College’s success.
Throughout the university, faculty and staff work hard to ensure that every dollar is managed wisely, and yet we still must rely on additional support from alumni, friends, and corporate partners. The growth of the university’s endowment is essential to the university’s economic well-being. UNH has an endowment of $212 million, which has grown significantly since the incorporation of the UNH Foundation in 1989. Our endowment funds have supported the university through student scholarships, endowed chairs for faculty, program enhancements and capital improvements. Our gratitude to our benefactors is heartfelt.
We are appreciative of their support and their confidence in the work of our faculty and the potential of our students, and, we are looking forward to working with them as we strive to build an even more significant endowment in order to ensure a sustainable economic future for this great university.
Clearly, a UNH education is expensive, but it is also priceless. The cost of excellence is great, but the return on investment is greater. These are real challenges, but the potential outcome is worth the challenge. The responsibility is heavy, but it is lighter when it is shared. The successes of this university, our faculty, students, staff, and friends, should be shared as well.
We can share, each of us, in the compassion of the scores of UNH students who gathered from all quarters of campus to express their concern for others in the “Give a Dollar, Save a Life” Hurricane Katrina Relief Effort.
We can share in the close ties within our community that led students in the Thompson School’s Community Service and Leadership Program to show their love and donate the proceeds from their fundraiser in memory of Crescentia True, a cancer patient and former UNH staff member.
We can share in the community spirit of our sororities and fraternities who will co-sponsor a pancake breakfast this weekend with the Durham Fire Department supporting the Durham Public Library.
We can share in the pride of our student athletes while we admire their grace under pressure.
We can share the fun of junior Aislinn Johnson’s journey. She took the "Canola Strolla,” a large van powered with recycled cooking oil on a 7,000-mile cross-country trek, making stops along the way to promote the use of alternative fuels.
We can share in the celebration of three students who arrived in the United States from Sudan never having touched a computer, and graduated this past spring with degrees in economics and international business.
We can share in the excitement of discovery exhibited in the scholarship of UNH graduate student Aaren Freeman. His work on the evolutionary response in blue mussels was just published in the journal Science.
And, we can share in the joy of accomplishment of mechanical engineering student Jeremy Seiferth. Working with Northeast Passage, he built a mechanism that allows photographer Tom Owens to overcome the limitations imposed by cerebral palsy. Equipped with a digital camera, Tom has been given the gift of creative expression that had long been missing in his life.
As with the faculty I mentioned earlier, these are just a few examples of how a UNH education yields tremendous dividends—for our students, our state, and our world. Yes, it is expensive, yes it is a challenge, and yes, it is essential.
Recently, I described myself as the luckiest person in New Hampshire. Being your Interim President, I believe this to be true. I am thrilled to be here and to work with you towards an even brighter future for this great university. Thank you for all that you do on its behalf.
I wish you all a productive and successful academic year. I hope that you will feel free to contact me with your ideas, comments, and suggestions. I look forward to working with you and to the privilege of leading this great university.
Thank you.
Now, I’d like to invite the Notables and the Gents to come back up on stage and lead us in the Alma Mater.