Dear Reader, Welcome to the Fall 2008 issue of The Extra Mile. It is an exciting time on campus in a number of ways. There is the inherent excitement of a new academic year of course, but ours has been amplified by record enrollments. While we are bursting at the seams, our Residence Life staff converted lounges into rooms and fit everyone in and there have been few complaints. Returning students were happily surprised by the extensive renovations and improvements across campus, everything from dormitory bathrooms and kitchens to roofs, windows and landscaping. The biggest and most dramatic changes are across the street, where construction of our new academic building and dining hall are under way. The buildings are designed with “green” principles in mind, consistent with our ongoing commitment to sustainability. That commitment was recognized nationally when Southern New Hampshire University was named one of only two New England winners in the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2007-2008 College & University Green Power Challenge. SNHU, New Hampshire’s first carbon-neutral campus, was recognized for offsetting 100 percent of its energy use by investing in renewable sources such as hydro power and wind. It actually was a summer of awards. SNHU was named one of the “2008 Great Colleges to Work For” by The Chronicle of Higher Education. We were in the top five nationally in the Small Colleges category for professional/career development, life insurance, compensation and benefits, tuition reimbursement, vacation and paid time off, and disability insurance and health insurance. Closer to home, our student-run restaurant was selected by the editors of New Hampshire Magazine as “Best in NH 2008” for the Bargain Gourmet category.
Paul J. LeBlanc President
Digiatl rendering of the new dining hall to open Fall ’09. But the best award had to do with the magic of teaching and learning. Long-time faculty member Steve Painchaud was named the international recipient of the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs’ Teaching Excellence Award for 2008. This rare honor surprises no one who knows Steve. In many ways the Painchauds are SNHU’s first family. Steve’s wife, Maria, also teaches within the School of Business, and daughter Elena was an outstanding graduate of our three-year honors program and is now working on her Global M.B.A. with us. Son Mark is a first-year student and member of our high-flying soccer team (ranked fifth in the nation at the time of this writing). We are lucky to have them. They remind us that no matter how excited we are about new buildings and renovated rooms, it’s what happens inside those rooms that matters most. For us, that means great teaching of the kind Steve provides, a lot of personal attention to students, expanded program offerings and creating opportunities. The work we are doing to be better yet is so much less visible than our construction projects but is no less important or complex. Our new Strategic Plan (look for the details in the upcoming spring issue of the magazine) calls for a new General Education Program, improved services to students and expanded programs. I look forward to sharing it with you. In the meantime, enjoy this issue of the magazine. Oh yes, if you’ll forgive one last bit of boasting about awards, The Extra Mile this summer won an American Graphic Design Award from Graphic Design USA Magazine. Congratulations to our designers, Jason Mayeu and Adam Fitzgerald. You’ll see ample evidence of their talent in the pages that follow.