The University
Southern New Hampshire University
The 1970s were a time of growth and change. The college moved from its downtown Manchester site to the now 300acre campus on the Merrimack River in 1971. In 1974, the college introduced a Master of Business Administration program, and, in 1978, assumed human services degree programs. In the spring of 1981, the General Court of New Hampshire authorized New Hampshire College to award the Master of Human Services degree and the Master of Science degree in business-related subjects. That same year, to accommodate the two new rapidly expanding programs, the university purchased the former Mount Saint Mary College in Hooksett, which served as the “north campus” for many years. Operations have since been reconsolidated on the main campus. In 1988, the human services programs were transferred to Springfield College in Springfield, Mass.
Mission Southern New Hampshire University educates intellectually and culturally enriched individuals to be successful in their careers and contribute to their communities. SNHU’s educational philosophy challenges students’ intellectual potential and prepares them for professional lives in an ever changing and increasingly interconnected world. It provides a supportive and close-knit learning community, delivering engaging instruction in a flexible variety of formats. Students develop the knowledge to understand a complex world, the skills to act effectively within that world, and the wisdom to make good choices. They do so within a community of teachers, staff and peers that is encouraged to add its scholarly, creative and pedagogical contributions to the larger social good.
History of the University Southern New Hampshire University was founded in 1932 by H.A.B. Shapiro as the New Hampshire School of Accounting and Secretarial Science. The school remained relatively small until 1961, when it was incorporated and renamed New Hampshire College of Accounting and Commerce. The state of New Hampshire in 1963 granted the university its charter, which gave it degree-granting authority. The first associate degrees were awarded that year, and the first bachelor’s degrees were conferred three years later. The college became a nonprofit institution under a board of trustees in September 1968, and the name was shortened to New Hampshire College in 1969. During the ‘60s the college opened off-campus centers to better serve adult learners. Programs today are offered in Manchester, Nashua, Portsmouth and Salem, N.H., and in Brunswick, Maine, as well as internationally through such schools as HELP International College of Technology (HICT) in Malaysia.
The college continued to expand academic offerings throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Community economic development was first offered in 1982 and the Culinary Arts Program was established in 1983. New liberal arts and education majors were added in the early 1990s and in the last several years. The one-of-a-kind 3Year Honors Program in Business was launched in 1997. Academic offerings again expanded in 1998 to include the Ph.D. in community economic development and the Doctor of Business Administration. The university extended its reach worldwide with the launching of its Internet-based distance learning program in 1995. A wave of campus expansion began in 1996 with the construction of a new residence hall; Webster Hall, home to the School of Business; the Hospitality Center, home to the student-run restaurant and culinary programs; and Belknap Hall, now home to the Institute for Language Education, Public Safety, the School of Education and several university offices, including the Office of Admissions. Expansion and program development led to a momentous event in the institution’s history in 2001, when New Hampshire College became Southern New Hampshire University. Several new degrees were added in the 2000s, including new M.B.A. degrees, the M.F.A. in fiction and nonfiction writing, game design and development and more. Construction continued with the building of a new academic center, Robert Frost Hall, which houses the Center for Financial Studies, a simulated stock trading room, and the museum-quality McIninch Art Gallery. New residence halls were built on the west and east sides of campus. All classrooms and halls are wireless. In 2007, SNHU became the first carbon-neutral university in New Hampshire. During the 2009-2010 school year, the university opened a new academic building, which features new classrooms, student lounge and study areas, a café, and a new dining hall. 5