The Penmen Press
Passing Of The Torch , Lisa Marsh Ryerson To Become SNHU President
By Chris Tutt
After 20 years at the helm, SNHU announced that Paul LeBlanc will be stepping down as University President effective June 30, 2024. The Board of Trustees unanimously voted for University Provost, Lisa Marsh Ryerson, to take over on July 1, 2024.
Since joining the SNHU community, Ryerson has embraced the community feel and is excited to continue her work in this new role. “[There is such] joy and excitement to be able to continue to work with a wonderful community to lead and guide our mission,” said Ryerson. “That powerful sense of the awesome responsibility of serving as the college president for Southern New Hampshire University.”
Ryerson has presidential experience in higher education, serving as President at Wells College, where she attended for her undergraduate degree, for 18 years. She also served as the President of the AARP foundation for another eight years. In 2022, she became University Provost where she has worked alongside President LeBlanc.
“[I was] just thrilled with the opportunity to serve as provost because that’s about guiding student and learning experience, and bringing us together as one university,” said Ryerson.
Taking over this position serves as a challenge considering LeBlanc has been in the role for so long, and has led the campus through so much change, notably the incorporation of the robust online program. Despite the challenge, LeBlanc’s mentorship has made Ryerson ready to lead.
“President LeBlanc and I have been very planful and intentional about the transition,” said Ry-
erson. “...we announced the transition in early December and have spent this entire time being thoughtful about being sure that he mentored me and shared information for decision making that has occurred at SNHU. He has been an incredible colleague guiding me, but also recognizing that I will be my own leader and allowing me to begin that journey as well.”
Excitement is what Ryerson feels about this opportunity, and she is ready to push SNHU’s mission.
“What I’m most excited about is our mission,” said Ryerson. “I get up every day because I work on behalf of our learners, colleagues, students, and our learners around the globe. Our mission inspires me every day. When you think about a mission that says we will transform lives at scale with the needs of each learner being understood and met, that, for me, is so inspirational. I’m excited that I get to do that; I will lead with the community. I have the opportunity and incredible pleasure and privilege and honor of serving as the president, but we are truly a connected community at SNHU, and that is what excites me.”
SNHU is the single largest nonprofit university in the United States. With rapid growth over the last 20 years, Ryerson has a familiar five year outlook.
“My ideal vision for the university in five years is
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(Image Courtesy: Lauren Keane (SNHU External Affairs))
that we continue to grow, and add value, for our learners both here on campus and the many places where learners are learning across the nation and around the world,” said Ryerson.
“In five years, we will see our campus thriving and flourishing as she is today, but continuing to do so being an important central hub for SNHU and our learning community, and many more learners of all ages, identities, and intersection of identities.”
With a focus on the campus, Ryerson sees the campus evolving based on what the students need, with changes happening that would support SNHU’s mission.
“We have a beautiful campus,” said Ryerson. “I would say that any physical changes that we need
will emerge from our learners who are learning on campus. I can’t call those in advance except to say that I do anticipate investments in our campus to support the learning and living environment that is important for our students, and for the staff and faculty.”
Ryerson’s mission is clear, and she is ready to take on this role with the SNHU community’s best interest in mind.
“If I do nothing else, but do this, driving equitable outcomes is my biggest goal,” said Ryerson. “I mean that in a, both a very broad way, and a specific way. I mean that for our learners everywhere. Being sure that we are driving equitable outcomes ties back to our mission where we
work actively every day to be sure that we know each learner... and that we work to develop pathways for degree attainment that meet the needs of every learner and we have gaps in equitable attainment of degrees across SNHU. That is a key focus for me. Over the next five years... we can do it, we must do it. It’s important for our learners. It’s important for society.”
Letter From The Editor
2024... The End Of An Era
By Chris Tutt
As we prepare to walk across the stage adorned in our cap and gowns, these last few weeks stand as a time for reflection. From Late Night Breakfasts to Major Concerts, the SNHU community has come together in many ways to enjoy each other’s company.
We bonded in classes over group projects, and the occasional stress that came along with them. We witnessed NE10 championships across all sports and even National Championship berths.
The student body made efforts towards becoming active citizens through the Chandler Center, learned how to be more inclusive of others in the Women’s Center, and celebrated diversity in the Office of Diversity Programs.
For myself, it has been the honor of a lifetime to serve as the Co-Editor-In-Chief of The Penmen Press for the last two years. The memories, bonds, and work that has been done is a testament to the work that the student body has put in to allow us to showcase the happenings of the University.
As I hand off the reigns to my successors, I remain humbled by the support of the campus community and all of those within this organization.
With too many thanks to give, a few highlights are in order:
Thank you to Elise Fasano, my right-hand woman in this organization. We’ve been through it all, and there is no one I’d rather work beside in this role. I can’t wait to see what you continue to do next year with this amazing organization.
Thank you to Lillie Nelson, my successor. We’ve been in this organization longer than anyone in this club, and it is only fair that you finish out your journey in this position that you have so rightly earned.
Thank you to Jon Boroshok, my mentor. You have undoubtedly been one of the best mentors I’ve had at this school. Your commitment to making students better, even through A LOT of tough love, has always been evident to me.
A final thank you to the Office of Student In-
The Penmen Press Staff
Co-Editor-InChief:
Chris Tutt
Co-Editor-InChief
Elise Fasano
Senior Managing Editor:
Lillie Nelson
Treasurer:
volvement. Your whole team has been the reason we have been able to do anything, and your willingness to help allowed us to unlock our true potential and visualize our dreams.
It has been a pleasure “Writing SNHU’s Story,” and I look forward to watching what The Penmen Press, and the SNHU Community, will do.
Josh Albert
Staff Representative:
Amber DiPietro Members:
Julia Almonte
Allie Beaumont
Avery Bertrand
Emily Blais
Reem Elrayah
Natalia Federico
Peter Kane
Chris Kelly
Kaitlyn Nichols
Ryan Vezina
President LeBlanc Stepping Down; Lisa Marsh Ryerson Taking Over
By Chris Tutt
In a release sent out this morning, SNHU President, Paul LeBlanc, announced that he will be stepping down from his roles as university president and CEO.
The SNHU Board of Trustees unanimously appointed Lisa Marsh Ryerson, the current university provost, to succeed LeBlanc effective July 1, 2024.
LeBlanc has been in charge for 20 years. He has overseen the growth of the university from just 2,600 students into one of the country’s fastest growing colleges with over 225,000 students worldwide.
Link to the release can be accessed here: https://www.snhu.edu/about-us/ newsroom/press-releases/president-paul-leblanc.
A statement from President LeBlanc can be accessed here: https://snhu-externalaffairs.app.box.com/s/2hpgaighdftukff45mf3zvfn5mr2735i.
A statement from the SNHU Board of Trustees can be accessed here: https://snhu.edu/about-us/newsroom/press-releases/board-chair-announcement.
Paul LeBlanc’s
SNHU President, Paul LeBlanc, along with a team of three employees, visited Africa from October 24 to November 1. During his visit, LeBlanc visited refugee learners and spoke at two commencement ceremonies in Kenya and Rwanda through SNHU’s Global Education Movement (GEM).
The GEM initiative aims to educate and empower
Trip To Africa
By Lillie Nelson
their learners. GEM is the first large-scale online learning initiative for refugees, partnering with in-country organizations to deliver high-quality, low-cost education tailored to meet the needs of displaced learners. The organization has been running since 2017 and has locations in Rwanda, Kenya, South Africa, Malawi, and Lebanon.
“Periodically, I have paid visits in order to preside over commencement ceremonies, but also to support the team and understand what’s going on,” LeBlanc said. “One of the things I learned very early on when I started here 20 years ago is, when doing an international program, you can’t keep them at arms length. You really have to check in on a periodic basis and make sure students are being well cared for and things are being well run.”
LeBlanc wanted to go back and visit earlier; however, due to the pandemic’s travel restrictions, he hasn’t had the chance. His goal for his trip was to spend time with GEM Program partners and
work with them.
“[The goal was] to make sure we maintain a really strong relationship with our partners, spend time with them, thank them, and make them understand how much we value them,” said LeBlanc. “[We] also hear what we can do better. We have a team of our own people there in Rwanda. In South Africa, it’s called GEM Hub and they do a lot of administrative back office and assessment work.”
In Kenya, the Kakuma Refugee Camp is the largest refugee camp in the continent and it’s a place where students can get access to computers. LeBlanc was inspired by learners in the Kenyan Refugee camp and their dedication to getting an education.
“They are all inspirational in their own way,” said LeBlanc. “I loved meeting their parents because these are mostly [first-generation students]; it [brought] an amazing amount of pride. What I
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President LeBlanc and Lisa Marsh
(Image courtesy: Office of External Affairs and Communications)
was struck with was a number of them who were born in the camp, lived their whole life in the camp, and had never been outside of it. This was their first trip, to graduate from university. They never have stepped in the outside world, they know what it looks like, they have phones and television, they see the news, they see the world, but seeing it and experiencing it are two different things.”
The classes change student’s lives. Students get jobs and have the freedom to move out of the camp once they graduate.
“I always love those reminders of the transformational impact of what we do,” said LeBlanc.
“I don’t know if there’s any population more fully transformed than our refugee learners. Rwanda is pretty generous in terms of their ability for refugees to have jobs and also freedom of movement. In Rwanda, 90 percent of our graduates have jobs at the day of graduation. That changes everything.
They move out of the camp, they move their family with them.”
LeBlanc sees the ripple effect education can cause in students’ lives.
“When we impact a student, we impact everyone,” said LeBlanc. “It’s like a stone in the pond: it has a ripple effect. ... It’s very powerful to see the impact we are having on students and how immediate that can be. I always feel like it charges my batteries and inspires me to do [more of] this work.”
LeBlanc saw these learners in hard places still persevere; he saw their creativity and the joy of graduation that these students experience. and the joy of graduation that these students experience. The students who have gone through so much have so much to offer.
“What I saw was, even in the hardest places, the resiliency, talent, creativity, and joy is really remarkable,” said LeBlanc.
Trash Bins On Campus
By Josh Albert
SNHU has undergone a change in waste management throughout the campus. The Office of Sustainability has been working on a centralized waste management system for a number of years and the SNHU community has started to notice. The new system is a product of a study the Office of Sustainability conducted to see how much waste the school produces and what it consists of.
“We spent over $250,000 annually just on waste removal. This includes paying the staff to clear the waste bins and replacement bin liners, not even to haul it all away,” said Mike Weinstein, Director of Sustainability.
This spending motivated the decision to switch to a centralized waste management system. The various trash bins previously scattered around campus were at the mercy of not only the waste from SNHU’s facilities but also the trash from various outside sources not affiliated with SNHU.
The hope of this change is to get students and faculty to acknowledge where their trash is
going, as well as to save money and time while doing it.
Weinstein and the sustainability team have received feedback from the SNHU community; however, plans to adjust to the new waste management system are still in order.
The major feedback from the SNHU community regards the disappearance of the outside trash bins. This has caused people to litter and feel unaccommodated throughout campus.
In response to this, four bin locations will be brought back and eventually upgraded to paired recycling and trash bins. The locations include outside the Student Center, Dining Hall, Academic Center, and Webster Hall. With these changes implemented, the hope is that groundskeepers and other custodial staff will be able to focus on more pressing issues throughout campus. For more information, reach out to the Office of Sustainability by email at sustainability@snhu. edu.
“It’s a testament to the human spirit. It’d be easy to only think about refugees in terms of their deficits: what they don’t have, what they are suffering through. But I think every time I visit our GEM sites, what I’m also reminded is what assets they have, what talents they have. Who wouldn’t want these employees? These are people who [have] been through more than any of us could reasonably ask to go through and here they are working hard, thriving, helping others. The generosity of their spirit is enormous. I think it’s incredibly inspiring, that was my big takeaway. To be able to give them better dreams is a powerful thing. We allow people to dream bigger dreams for themselves.”
Trash Can Green Space (Image courtesy:Penmen Press)
Lifestyle
How SNHU Could Be Connected By Passenger Rail
By Avery Bertrand
SNHUdents who have lived on the west side of campus know about the train tracks running along the Merrimack River. However, most do not know that those train tracks run far up north and south. It’s called the New Hampshire Main Line, and it runs 50 miles from Lowell, MA to Concord, NH. It connects the three largest cities in New Hampshire: Manchester, Nashua, and Concord, respectively.
If a passenger rail was implemented between all of these cities, it would enable travel by train for more than 250,000 New Hampshire residents (American Community Survey, 2022). For SNHU, this means commuters could access campus without having to drive.
The possibility of intercity rail travel might not be distant; a project is underway called the Capital Corridor, a collaboration between NHDOT and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) to extend the commuter rail service from Lowell to Manchester. It would use 9 miles of MBTA’s existing track
Rendering of Manchester Station (Image courtesy: NHDOT)
and 21 miles of NH Main Line track, currently owned by Pan Am railways. Along with train service would come four new commuter rail stations: South Nashua, NH (Pheasant Lane Mall), Downtown Nashua (Crown St, off of E Hollis St), Bedford, NH/MHT Station (South River Rd, under the Airport Access Road) and Downtown Manchester, NH (off of Elm St, next to Market Basket).
According to the National Transportation Research Group, a nonprofit research organization, fatal car accidents in NH rose 47% from 2019 to 2022. In total, 471 people died as a result of a car accident between 2019 and 2022.
Nationally, 117 people died every day due to car accidents in 2022. Compared to trains, only 12 people died as a result of accidents in 2022 (including cargo and passenger rail). This would make it 99.97% safer to travel by train instead of a car.
While the Capital Rail Corridor project doesn’t include SNHU, it could as a result of the extension. When the project is completed, the Downtown Manchester station will be approximately 11 minutes away from SNHU (as well as accessible via Manchester Transit Authority).
John McCannon’s Research Trip To Lithuania
By Amber DiPietro
Professor John McCannon, the coordinator of the History program, took a research trip to Lithuania for research into the life and art of the Lithuanian painter and composer Mikalojus Ciurlionis (1875-1911) from October 18 to October 23. This research trip is part of a much larger and earlier research trip on Russian painter and explorer Nicholas Roerich (1874-1947).
“I traveled to Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and other places in Russia, India (where Roerich lived for the last couple decades of his life), and European cities including Paris and Prague,” said McCannon.
This smaller trip was to look at the relationship between the two Russian artists. The two knew each other before Ciurlionis’ death, as they were
both drawn to mystical and occultist forms of spirituality, and both were heavily influenced in their Symbolist painting styles by those alternative belief systems.
Nicholas Roerich’s art is influenced by Russian Symbolism, an intellectual and artistic movement predominant at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century and added spiritual ties. To this, he added his own spiritual convictions. Roerich was interested in Theosophy -- the originator of most modern New Age movements -- and other forms of “spiritual” practices. It’s said that his paintings have a hypnotic expression.
Mikalojus Ciurlionis contributed to the popularity of Symbolist painting in late Tsarist Russia, producing works such as his “Zodiac” series. Ci-
(Image courtesy: John McCannon)
urlionis thought that he had synesthesia, which is a pheromone disorder that causes people to cross their senses and essentially, feel or hear colors. Despite his short lifespan, Ciurlionis remains
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Lithuania’s most famous painter, as well as its most famous composer. McCannon visited The National Museum of Lithuania in Kaunas, the second-biggest city in Lithuania, to visit these paintings. Some of his favorites were “The Zodiac Series,” “Sonata of the Star,” “Friendship,” “Lightning,” and “Sonata of the Pyramids.” “I’m not into astrology or occult mysticism myself, but it’s interesting to see how artists will sometimes use that as inspiration and the Zodiac paintings are very haunting and symbolic,” said McCannon.
McCannon is a Russian studies specialist which involves being interested in places and cultures that used to be a part of the Soviet Union and the Russian empire, even if they are not a part of Russia anymore.
“I found it very worthwhile to be able to see the paintings in person. Especially coming from a scholarly and art history sense, it’s always much more enlightening to be able to see them in person, as opposed to seeing them online or in a book. Because it’s just the way of things that the actual physical artifact never photographs 100 percent correctly. So, seeing the work in person was quite special,” said McCannon.
The making of his book involved over 20 research trips over a number of years to complete this project last year.
John McCannon published a book about Nicholas Roerich called Nicholas Roerich: The Artist Who Would Be King. To find out more information about this book, visit https://upittpress.org/ books/9780822947417/.
The Effect Of Late Winter On Birds
By Josh Albert
Students and faculty at SNHU have experienced an out-of-the-ordinary start to the winter season. Not only have operations been dealing with power outages and extensive ice on walkways, but the community has been noticing strange patterns of temperature and weather that some scientists say are affecting bird populations.
November alone was considered as one of the warmest months in post-industrial revolution history, says Jeff Masters, writer for Yale Climate Connections. These weather patterns may be a result of a strong El Niño effect in the eastern Pacific Ocean which brings warm water south to north along the Americas. These events are a large contributor to the warming of average temperatures throughout the country and the world.
The largest impact of this event is the variability in weather and temperature patterns from the west to east coast. The increased occurrence of temperature anomalies caused by the overall changing of the climate and the El Niño-La Niña cycle brings up the question; what other species are noticing these trends?
In a comprehensive study of avian fitness, Conor C. Taff uses scholarly data from around the country to analyze the effects of temperature variation
on the provisioning ability and breeding timing. Overall, cold snaps and heat waves were studied to identify the effects on the birds’ ability to gather food and incubate their young during temperature anomalies.
Dr. David Swain, Professor of English at SNHU, has been an avid bird watcher since 2009 when his son caught interest in the hobby, so much so that he now teaches
a field ornithology course every spring to help engage other students in birding. Over the years, the birding community has been becoming more engaged in small-scale, personal research using the online database and app “eBird.” The app allows anybody to contribute data of abundance and unusual findings in the field to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Dr. Swain shared some of his observations regarding the effects of these weather anomalies, “In the last few days heavy snow up north has pushed a lot of birds like Dark-eyed Juncos down to our area, and many areas of open grass beneath trees have seen over a dozen Juncos feeding.” This delayed winter has kept some birds north for longer than has been seen in previous years because they didn’t have to leave their northernmost area due to (normal) consistently cold temperatures.
Although these El Niño and La Niña cycles are normal phenomena that add additional variability to weather patterns, we still see a long-term effect on migratory species. In September 2022, the Environmental Club at SNHU planted 5 autumn brilliance serviceberry trees as a food source for birds when they come north for the summer. It is encouraged to go out and learn about birds.
Dark-eyed Junco (Image courtesy: Dr. David Swain)
Arts & Entertainment
The Explosion Of “Barbenheimer” In Social Media
By Emily Blais
Cultural phenomenons have a unique way of making an impact, especially with the prevalence of social media in today’s society. “Barbenheimer,” the fan-made fusion of Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” is a prime example of social media creating a phenomenon. The two films were released on July 21, and have been a trending topic for months for the vast concepts of each film.
“Barbie” is a meta twist about the Mattel doll, following Margot Robbie’s Barbie traveling to the human world for the first time. The movie is all pink and brightly colored, its aesthetic being the first thing that audiences pointed out when the first trailer was released. “Oppenheimer” is a dark biographical thriller that tells the story of J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) and his efforts to create the first atomic bomb. To say these two films are day and night is an understatement, but their contrast is what initially sparked the social media interest.
Nolan’s film was announced in September 2021, and a month later it was announced that it would hit theaters on July 21, 2023.
In April of the following year, Gerwig’s project was announced to be hitting the theaters at the
same time. The movies were initially planned to be counterprogramming, a strategy that is used in various fields of media to attract different audiences that a project’s (usually more popular) competitor would have. Instead of a rivalry brewing between the two contrasting films, social media decided to support both films as a “double feature.”
“Barbenheimer” was first used on social media back in April 2022 by X (formerly known as Twitter) user Matt Neglia, who was the editor-in-chief of Next Best Picture. A year later, however, the term would gain more popularity to note the differences between the films through X, from memes, and commentary, to fan-made posters and t-shirts that would be sold online through shops like Etsy. The “Barbenheimer” hashtag on TikTok has over 813 million views. These videos showed excitement for the films and their star-studded castings, while others talked about what outfits they’d wear at
the premieres or which films they’d see first.
I took a poll on Instagram on August 1 with: “Barbie” or “Oppenheimer.” I let the poll sit in my story for twenty-four hours, and the results were not too close together. With 68% and 31 votes, “Barbie” won the poll. “Oppenheimer” had 16 votes and 34%. This trend reflects the double feature’s box office numbers. “Barbie” has earned around $774 million dollars globally while “Oppenheimer” has earned $400 million.
In the realm of social media, “Barbenheimer” continues to stand tall as a cultural phenomenon. Thanks to its impact, the films continue to do well in the box office and bring people together.
Barbie and Oppenheimer
SNHU Athletics Adds 15 To Hall Of Fame
By Chris Tutt
SNHU Athletics honored 14 individuals and one team during the Hall of Fame ceremony on October 7. The event occurred at halftime of the men’s soccer game at Mark A. Ouellette Stadium.
Athletic Director, Anthony Fallacaro, acknowledges that being a Hall of Fame member doesn’t just come from success in sports, but outside of them as well.
“The SNHU Athletics Hall of Fame is a very special distinction that celebrates the impact the individual has had in athletics,” said Fallacaro. “Of the thousands of former players and staff, there are only 125 individuals and three teams that have been selected to the HOF.”
Throughout SNHU’s illustrious history, many have had the privilege of wearing “Penmen” across their chest. There are also many impacted off the playing surface, such as coaches and administrators.
“This is rarified air and those considered can be an athlete, coach, administrator, or significant contributor to Penmen Athletics,” said Fallacaro. “To be selected to the Hall of Fame means that your contributions were not just good or even great, it means they were extraordinary and the program might not have been the same without the individual. It means that you
were a standout and someone that received accolades from all different levels and entities.”
SNHU is often recognized as one of the top NCAA Division II athletic schools in the country, which adds another element of significance to these inductions.
“Over the last 10 years, we have had some incredible success athletically which is why this year’s class had so many first-time ballot honorees. The best way to describe this class is that they were titans ... and their contributions changed the course of history in many cases for the programs they were associated with,” said Fallacaro. “One of the best compliments you can apply to a Hall of Fame Inductee is that they were a program changer and each [member] of the 2023 class altered the course of their teams and pointed them towards, or carried them to, a winning atmosphere.”
Image Courtesy: SNHU Athletics