UNH Today

The following students graduated from the University of New Hampshire in December 2022. Students who received the honor of summa cum laude graduated with a GPA of 3.85-4.0; students who received the honor of magna cum laude graduated with a GPA of 3.65-3.84; and students who received the honor of cum laude graduated with a GPA of 3.50-3.64. Students are only graduated after the Registrar’s Office has certified that all degree requirements have been successfully completed.

DURHAM, N.H.—The funeral of Pope Benedict XVI will be a unique and unprecedented ceremony—reshaping traditional papal burials. Benedict resigned in 2013, surprisingly announcing that he would continue to live within the Vatican and be the first to take the title of Pope Emeritus. Michele Dillion, a professor of sociology at the University of New Hampshire and an expert in Catholicism, can talk about the historical significance of Benedict’s resignation, how it changes the funeral ceremony and the troubled legacy he leaves behind.

DURHAM, N.H.—A $2 million gift over five years from former University of New Hampshire ski team captain Tom Putnam will add to the endowment he established 15 years ago to support the team and launch fundraising for a ski facility.

Putnam will contribute $1 million to the endowment, which funds scholarships, coaches' salaries, training camps and equipment for the team, and $1 million to a new facility that will have locker rooms and lounges for the men’s and women’s alpine and Nordic ski teams at the Field House as well as a waxing room and storage for equipment.

DURHAM, N.H.—The Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics at the University of New Hampshire invites businesses and nonprofits to propose projects and work with student teams. These “real world” experiential learning opportunities help prepare students to excel in their careers, engage in their communities and meet the challenges of the global business world.

DURHAM, N.H.—Ten finalist student teams presented their ideas for addressing sustainability challenges at the local, regional and global level to a panel of judges, prominent social venture founders, leaders and investors from New Hampshire and beyond at the Social Venture Innovation Challenge.

DURHAM, N.H.—Researchers from the University of New Hamsphire’s Crimes against Children Research Center were instrumental in a new report published by the World Health Organization (WHO) that presents ways to address the growing worldwide concern of keeping children safe online.

DURHAM, N.H.—The physical and emotional harm caused by commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking of children and youth has been well documented but there is little research looking at preventative measures to help protect those at risk. Researchers at the University of New Hampshire have received a five-year grant totaling $1.8 million from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to study the effectiveness of a child trafficking prevention program and its implementation through Minnesota’s Safe Harbor Initiative.

DURHAM, N.H.—Ten teams were selected from a field of 105 college students from across the state to advance to the final round of the 10th annual New Hampshire Social Venture Innovation Challenge (SVIC). The finalists will compete Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022, beginning at 9 a.m. Learn about these teams and their ideas in these videos. The winners will be announced immediately following the 2022 Social Innovator of the Year Award and keynote address.

DURHAM, N.H.—The franchising sector, like most other business sectors, is attempting to recover from the double-digit losses sustained in the second quarter of 2022. This quarter, the University of New Hampshire’s RIFC 50 Index™, reflecting the performance of the U.S. franchising sector, lost “only” 2.6%, while the S&P 500 Index, reflecting the general U.S. financial markets, lost 5.3%. Twenty-one of the 50 components of the RIFC 50 Index made positive gains this quarter, a big improvement from last quarter when only one component made gains.

DURHAM, N.H.—Prince William and Kate Middleton are both expected to make the trip across the pond for the second annual Earthshot Prize ceremony which will be held in Boston. Nicoletta Gullace, associate professor of history at the University of New Hampshire, and an expert on the royal family, is available to talk about the significance of the trip and what this means for the monarchy as well as for the city of Boston.

Gullace can be reached at nicoletta.gullace@unh.edu.