University Happenings
Director Departs
Dear friends, I am not sure there is a more idyllic place than a New England university campus in the early fall. Outside my window I can see the women’s soccer team practicing, two members of the freshman class (our largest ever) lugging armfuls of books toward Newcastle Hall and one of our faculty members in earnest conversation with a student as they walk to class. The days remain sunny and warm, at least for a bit longer. Unlike so many campuses, ours is not reawakening to a new academic year after a lazy, quiet summer. Southern New Hampshire University is a 12-month hub of activity. Our new class of M.F.A. students was here for a highly successful residency with acclaimed authors Richard Rhodes and Sy Montgomery. International community economic development students came from around the country and the globe to spend six weeks in class here in Manchester. This issue features one of them – Alicia Fitzpatrick, who is doing inspirational work with Zuni pupils on the reservation where she teaches. In this issue of The Extra Mile, you may also read about our basketball teams’ and coaches’ tour of China. Hospitality students in our BASHA program were here studying and have now fanned out around the country for internships at some of the finest hotels. Many of those internships were made possible by SNHU alumni. The role of alumni is the subject of our cover story. This is a place that has transformed lives for 75 years. It has the biggest business school in the state. With a federal grant it, created a groundbreaking three-year honors business program that saves students 25 percent on tuition (find me even one other program that creates that kind of
“The students look normal. They talk normal. But they are superheroes.”
Mickey Green ’72 (left) is the new chairman of the university’s board of trustees. Rick Courtemanche ’73 chaired the board for 10 years and remains a member.
savings). Our CED program is considered the best in the field. Our aforementioned M.F.A. program features the very best writers in America. We do all of this and still we haven’t lost our commitment to students who might be the first in their families to go to college, who might be juggling family and work and education, who might be serving in Iraq and taking classes online. I could go on and on. I love to see alumni put SNHU stickers on their cars, mount their SNHU diplomas on their office walls, brag to their neighbors and co-workers and celebrate the school where they earned their education. A final word about two of those alumni: After 10 years of guiding our board of trustees, Chairman Rick Courtemanche ’73 is handing the baton to Mickey Greene ’72. Rick will continue as a member of the board. I have appreciated his wise counsel and personal support and I am grateful that he remains part of our leadership team even as I look forward to working with Mickey. The two exemplify extraordinary dedication and ongoing engagement. Best wishes!
By Sarah Littlefield, student Jane Torrey spent decades creating a comfortable setting for student learning. Academic adviser Burton Reynolds found her one evening elbow-deep in trash, preparing classrooms for students after a day of vendor events. “Jane is not embarrassed or afraid to roll up her sleeves and dig right in,” he said. After serving 20 years as director of the university’s Seacoast Center (formerly the Portsmouth Center), Torrey retired in August. “SNHU works hard to create a community which is nurturing, humane and focused on individuals. Few people exemplify that ethos better than Jane Torrey,” SNHU President Paul LeBlanc said. “Jane has been a passionate advocate for her students and the inspirational spirit of the Seacoast Center: one part cheerleader, one part mother to all and one part taskmaster.” As director of the center, located at the Pease International Tradeport in Portsmouth, N.H., Torrey oversaw 300
Paul J. LeBlanc President
“Many of our students never thought they would go to college,” she said. “To watch them morph from someone who is anxious, unsure of themselves, into a confident graduate is awesome because it not only changes their life – it changes the life of every generation after them.
to 500 students and 25 to 30 faculty members per term, as well as a staff of five. She also managed the center’s budget; coordinated course offerings and schedules; recruited, hired, assigned, trained and evaluated adjunct faculty members; developed community and corporate relationships; and ensured academic integrity. With five other colleges operating within a five-mile radius of the Seacoast Center, competition for students is tough. Torrey responded by emphasizing exceptional service and community involvement. “You can tell when you walk into Jane’s organization, there’s a difference – the way the people, the administrative staff, treat you,” Reynolds said. Torrey had the utmost respect and admiration for her students and enjoyed being their cheerleader.
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Graduate student Steve Cook, an information technology operations manager at Liberty Mutual who has multiple SNHU degrees, said Torrey made him feel all his work was worthwhile. “She’s very sweet and well respected,” he said. “A lot of people are going to miss her.” Torrey inspired loyalty, respect and laughter, said Lauren Andresen, former associate director at the Seacoast Center. “It was exciting and enlightening to work with her,” she said. “Much of what I learned from Jane I will use the remainder of my professional life.” As retirement neared, Torrey likened her feelings to what students experience as they approach graduation. “How do you reinvent yourself after you’ve been one thing for so long? I guess that’s my next challenge,” Torrey said. “For one thing, I’m going to have fun.”
SNHU works hard to create a community which is nurturing, humane
and focused on individuals. Few people exemplify that ethos better than Jane Torrey.
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– President Paul LeBlanc
The Extra Mile | Fall 2007 | 3