Impact: Advancing Southern New Hampshire University

im­­­pact Advancing

Feature Story

Southern New Hampshire University

Evolution of a Legacy Robert Freese ’89 SNHU Trustee

All in the Family

SNHU Alumni Further Family Legacies.

Volume One

Fall 2009 Fall 2009

Impact

Letter from the chair President: Dr. Paul J. LeBlanc

Welcome to the inaugural issue of Impact!

Editor: Stephanie Bergeron

As chair of the President’s Circle, I am pleased we are rolling out

Contributors: Stephanie Bergeron Gail Dexter Michelle Dunn Gregg Mazzola Michelle Strout

a publication focused on how alumni and friends of Southern New

Graphic Design: Karen Mayeu

we are leading and influencing industries and communities.

Photography: Jeremy Earl Mayhew Ryan Webber Printing: Printers Square Cover: Robert Freese of Globe Manufacturing

Impact magazine is published yearly by the

Hampshire University are partnering with the university to advance its mission and goals. SNHU’s impact is being felt globally and the stories in this issue illustrate a few of the significant ways in which

Leadership and involvement in the philanthropic goals of the university are essential to the continued strengthening and growth of SNHU. Gifts from individuals sustain and ultimately help to transform a university’s ability to actualize its strategic plan and create opportunities for student learning that would otherwise be missed or compromised as a result of insufficient resources. You

Office of Institutional Advancement,

must not underestimate the role that your annual giving plays in

Don Brezinski, Vice President.

the university’s ability to continue providing innovative, quality

Changes of address may be sent to alumni@snhu.edu or to the Office of Institutional Advancement, Southern New Hampshire University, 2500 North River Road, Manchester, NH 03106.

educational programs. The university continues to draw recognition

Visit us online at snhu.edu for more university news and information about upcoming events.

Today we continue to broaden our network of support as we build

Alumni, tell us your story Alumni@snhu.edu.

You can now follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

for the quality, diversity and accessibility of its offerings, matched with a real value for their costs.

We are grateful for the many generous donors who came before us and made an impact in our own educational experiences at SNHU. a legacy we can all be proud of for generations to come.

Sincerely,

David Bellman ’92

inside

im­­­pact Advancing

Southern New Hampshire University

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Building Community Students focus entrepreneurial spirit on the community.

Campus Update Supporting Our Growth. 10 Alumni News Engaging Alumni. . . . . 12 Student Profile Charting a Course. . . . . 15 President’s Circle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 University News In Memoriam. . . . . . . . 17

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Evolution of a Legacy Robert Freese ’89

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All in the Family Family businesses thrive with SNHU alumni at the top.

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Craig and Mary Stepping Up

impact on STUDENTS

Building Community Students focus entrepreneurial spirit on the community.

By Gregg Mazzola

Associate Professor Keith Moon’s vision of building a center for entrepreneurship was 30 years in the making. Moon spent the better part of three decades teaching entrepreneurship and leadership courses and knew a good idea when he saw one.

Working closely with his School of Business colleagues and SNHU President Paul LeBlanc, Moon launched the university’s Center for Entrepreneurial and Social Innovation in June 2007. His mission to create a center that would develop business plans, consult with for-profit businesses and create entrepreneurial courses and programs came to life.

“ Our students are encouraged to utilize their business training to make a positive difference in their communities,” said Keith Moon.

The opportunity for students and the business community to connect at a grassroots level reflects the university’s rich entrepreneurial spirit. “Our students are able to gain invaluable hands-on experience through CESI by serving as consultants to entrepreneurs in both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors,” Moon said.

Moon develops programs and is the university’s representative for the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a strategic partnership that provides the center with video presentations and seminars on entrepreneurship.

As part of the CESI experience, Moon started an SNHU chapter of Students in Free Enterprise, for which he is the Sam Walton Fellow.

Lin Li, 3Year Honors Program student

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impact on STUDENTS SIFE is an internationally recognized business organization that brings together faculty, students and an advisory board to assess requests from the business community for assistance with creating business plans, assessing new revenue models and developing fundraising initiatives.

“There’s absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to make a buck,” Moon explained.

“But what the center and SIFE experiences do is give our students an opportunity to get real-world, hands-on experience working with entrepreneurs.

This encourages their creative and innovative skills and hopefully sets in motion ideas for their own future ventures. But most importantly, their work is a chance to give back on the community side.”

Kimberly Bavaro, executive director of The Upper Room, a nonprofit family resource center in Derry, N.H., has seen SIFE’s impact.

commit to 13 projects, log nearly 2,000 project hours and have a conservative $2.8 million impact on the New Hampshire economy, Moon said.

Lin Li, a 20-year-old 3Year Honors Program student from China’s Yunnan Province, served as SNHU-SIFE president. “One thing I most like about SIFE is how your work is appreciated by the business community,” Li said. “The satisfaction students get and the appreciation we receive in return is amazing. Making money is important to me, but getting real-world experience is more important right now.”

Students embrace the challenge of giving back to their communities by utilizing new-found skills that will last a lifetime.

“This year we saw a 63-percent increase in families needing help,” Bavaro said. “We wanted to develop additional revenue streams and begin looking at for-profit models. This is not our area of expertise, so we reached out to the center and Keith.

“The students have already generated five business plans and have assisted in other ways, such as fundraising, collecting auction items and serving as our marketing arm. Their effort and energy have allowed us to sustain some of our programs.”

Pulling together an SNHU-SIFE team was an integral component of the center’s mission. Thirty students and 14 advisory board members, including faculty members, business leaders and administrators, began meeting in the fall of 2008. The first year saw SIFE

Craig Ahlquist and Keith Moon Moon said students’ ideals have dramatically changed over the past two decades and the practice of social entrepreneurship has taken root. The “greed is good” mentality personified by Michael Douglas in “Wall Street” has given way to a more holistic business approach. “I want my students to learn to think and to analyze,” Moon said. “They need to get beneath the surface of an issue and pull it apart. In addition, they must learn to step up in leadership positions.

I don’t want them to wait for someone else to get a job done when they can do it themselves.”

Moon fondly recalled a fall strategy session at The Upper Room with Bavaro and his students that personified why the center was created. A man walked into the building inadequately dressed for a very brisk October afternoon. He had recently lost his job and home and was asking for help.

“At that moment my students understood why they were helping,” he recalled. “You could a get sense of the impact this man would have on them, and it did.

We talk about it ‘til this day.” n Fall 2009

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Feature Story

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Feature Story

Evolution of a

Legacy Robert Freese ’89

By Gail Dexter

Choosing the Family Business Robert A. Freese ’89 answered with a resounding “no!” when asked whether he always knew he wanted to go into the family business. Freese is the fourth-generation owner of Globe Manufacturing, a Pittsfield, N.H.-based manufacturer of protective firefighting gear. Now his passion for the business is evident, but it wasn’t always that way.

“A family business consumes you when you are young.

Every free moment is spent mowing the lawn and cleaning the floors,” Freese said.

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History in Transition Established by Freese’s great-grandfather in 1887, Globe Manufacturing began making firefighting clothing in Lynn, Mass., before he moved the business above his small horseharness-making business in Pittsfield in 1901. Witnessing the monumental changes in society and industry, the company’s founder recognized that there were new opportunities in the manufacturing of industrial-strength work clothing.

He acquired a patent for a waterproof coat construction method that is still in use today and started selling the world’s first “firefighters’ suit.”

Globe Manufacturing is now the world’s largest manufacturer of structural fire suits, selling in 78 international markets and holding more than one third of North America’s market share.

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Stitching Room at Carroll Plant Circa 1927

Evolution of a Legacy Though the business was in his blood, Freese did not envision Globe Manufacturing being part of his future.

Even so, at age 15, Freese joined Exploring, a worksitebased program developed through the Boy Scouts of America. Exploring creates opportunities for young men and women who are interested in fire-service careers.

The business was becoming a part of him after all.

must be paid proper homage; it is still a business and one must ultimately always answer, ‘what is best for the business?’ in terms that extend to all stakeholders — family, community and employees.”

Giving Back to the Community Freese feels that commitment to community is important, both professionally and personally. Globe Manufacturing is involved in a number of local organizations, such as the Kick for Cancer martial arts tournament and the Pittsfield Youth Workshop, which recently received a van from the company. The Pittsfield Police Department received a Segway; Freese expressed the importance of “a New Hampshire company helping a New Hampshire organization with a New Hampshire-made product.”

A turning point for Freese came during his junior year at SNHU, when he took part in an exchange program at Landsdowne College in London. When asked to come up with a project for a marketing class, Freese turned to what he knew­­— firefighter protective clothing. This experience gave him his first taste of international business. He completed a project compar“ I knew this (becoming a trustee) was a good fit of like-minded ing British firefighters’ professionals working in an atmosphere of active engagement clothing with Americanmade fire suits. In doing and support of a plan to take the university to the next level of so, Freese recognized the leadership among its peers. SNHU has a finely tuned focus, role Globe could play in the international market. a powerful strategic plan and vision of what its future will be.

He began to think that a I am so excited to be a part of the school’s future.” career in the family business could be a viable option.

The transition from the third to fourth generation took 10 years. In 1993, George and Courtland Freese announced their retirement from Globe Manufacturing’s day-to-day operations and stayed on as co-chairmen of the board.

George’s sons, Robert A. Freese and George E. Freese, along with their cousin-in-law became top-level management.

The family maintains the same standards and commitment to innovation and quality that their fathers and grandfathers valued. Globe Manufacturing has 350 employees at its manufacturing and distribution facility in Pittsfield.

Freese explains that it is important to keep employees happy by encouraging feedback and promoting a familyoriented atmosphere.

There are challenges that come with successfully leading the family business with the same sense of entrepreneurship and pride as Courtland F. H. Freese did four generations ago, Freese said. He has advice for those who are leading a family business: “Leading a multigenerational family business has been a wonderful experience for me. I understand that while in legal terms I own it; really I am but a shepherd of it, tending it and growing it better during my watch,” he said. “Communicate the same sense of ownership to those who work there.

Make it their company. The interactions of the family

Keeping close tabs on his customer base, Freese is a volunteer fireman in Pittsfield, where he is able to share information from his travels with his local department.

The community spirit Freese and Globe Manufacturing embody was no more evident than following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The Thursday after the attacks, someone at the Pentagon noticed that a crew out of Fairfax, Va., wasn’t struggling with the same hypothermia issues as other emergency responders there. They were wearing Globe Manufacturing suits. Freese got a call at 9 a.m. with a request for all the suits he had on hand – delivered by shift change that night at 6.

With no truck big enough, no flights leaving the area and very little time, Freese was stuck. Then a local fire department let him use its utility truck to cart the suits to the airport, and the fire marshal put him in touch with a contact at Fed Ex. He and the pilot were able to get special clearance to fly the suits to Washington, D.C., in a singleengine Cessna cargo plane.

Freese was handing out the gear in the Pentagon parking lot by 6:10 p.m. n Fall 2009

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impact on BUSINESS

All in the Family

Family businesses thrive with SNHU alumni at the top. By Stephanie Bergeron

John Cote ’69, Don Cote ’74 and John Cote Jr. ’93 have made moving a family tradition for three generations.

a job in New Jersey. One year later he returned to the family business.

The Cote family has built on a tradition started in 1945 at Louis P. Cote Inc., a company specializing in rigging, trucking, crating, machinery moving and millwrighting.

In addition to the family business, the Cotes have made Southern New Hampshire University part of their legacy.

As the third-generation Cote, John Jr. is the project manager and is looking to expand business into Canada and Greece.

Seeking new ideas, such as the zipline he installed at Dollywood in Tennessee, is part of his long-range plan.

Evolution and Opportunity John Cote ’69 and Don Cote ’74, Louis’ sons, attended in the university’s early days on Hanover Street. Destined for careers in the family business, the brothers made their educational choices – business and finance – based on the roles they’d serve in the company. John is now president and Don is vice president. The brothers explained that as children they would hang around the shop with their dad, so becoming part of the family business was a natural evolution.

John Jr. ’93, much like his father and uncle, had been exposed to the family business at a young age. After graduating from SNHU, he spread his wings and took

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“Recognizing a need and consistently growing to fill the need has been our approach,” he said.

Making It Work With a total of seven members of the Cote family involved in the business, there are challenges, but the dynamic always remains positive, John Sr. said.

“Communication is the key to success,” he said.

The Cotes established a chain of authority early on to help avoid any confusion with roles.

“You must be willing to do anything you would ask anyone else to do,” explained Don.

on BUSINESS

“It’s been great to be able to work with the family, but also with two individuals that share the same passion for the service we provide. The reward is sharing the successes with the family,” said John Jr.

What’s Next?

John Sr. is comfortable with his son taking over, stating that the “natural succession” is built in. He will be backing off soon but will never really retire. “He’ll retire once he can figure out how to link his laptop or Blackberry with an office security camera system,” John Jr. said. n

Mary Leddy ’98 is the vice chairman and COO and a secondgeneration member of Leddy Group, a quality-oriented staffing and human resources consulting agency.

How did you end up in the family business?

Ed Bond ’87 is the fourth-generation CEO and president of Bond Brothers Construction in Everett, Mass. Despite growing up around the family business, Bond aspired to go to law school after his undergraduate studies, and did not intend to enter the construction business.

How did you end up getting your start in the construction business?

I started in construction getting a lot of mud on my boots as a laborer, running a jackhammer, laying electrical lines, etc. Seeing the challenges of the jobs in the field and coming to understand the day-to-day complexities of the business were invaluable. I moved up through the career ladder, learning how to make job estimates and procurements and manage construction projects.

Coming out of college I wanted to go to law school.

My father, however, suggested I enter the construction business and positioned me to start a construction company. The agreement we had was that it was mine to run without interference. That company, separate from Bond Brothers, is still running today. n

I grew up around and in the family business, helping out at first on the client side, filling in for staff when they were shorthanded and then working in the office.

I experienced the work of our company at all levels, with an exposure to many different types of clients. I swore at this point I did not want to work for the family business.

However, coming out of college I did end up working in the family business, and found I really enjoyed the “business side of the business.”

What motivated you to pursue an M.B.A. at Southern New Hampshire University?

My father really encouraged me to pursue my M.B.A. At this point, I had been managing staff and different elements of the business. The turning point came when our then-vice-president of finance unexpectedly passed away. My father needed me to step in and I knew I had a great deal I needed to figure out. The SNHU M.B.A. helped me not only in management but in finance, which was important to my role in the company.

What are you most proud of professionally?

The Leddy Group has developed an unbelievable team within its organization. We have experienced a lot of growth and have held onto our core values with respect to the kind of quality service we provide our clients and the work life we provide our own employees. n

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impact on CAMPUS

Supporting Our Growth

Mickey’s Gift Andrew “Mickey” Greene’s association with Southern New Hampshire University spans more than three decades. As a ’72 graduate and the chairman of SNHU’s board of trustees, Greene has watched the campus mature and grow into a premier regional institution.

The Maine native is one of the institution’s biggest supporters. So it came as no surprise to those who know him best that Greene and his wife, Kathi, stepped forward recently with a $100,000 gift toward the lecture auditorium in the new academic building, scheduled to open in early fall.

“My ties with the college and university go back a long way,” Greene said. “While coming out of the Navy, I pursued my then-New Hampshire College degree at the Portsmouth location. This was a life-impacting experience that helped open up many opportunities for me.

“This place gave me an opportunity that I desperately needed,” Greene said. “I never forgot that.”

“From my years as a student through my service to SNHU as a trustee, it’s been a pleasure watching the university grow in so many different ways. The buildings are a symbol of that growth, and Kathi and I could not be more proud to lend our support.”

Greene, a successful businessman who has worked as a top executive for Blue Cross Blue Shield and TD Banknorth, attended classes at the Portsmouth Center when he was a student. He’s always stressed the importance of helping others.

Now he is in a position to work for the good of the university that helped him. n

impacton CAMPUS

Building Boom The university entered its second 75 years in 2008 with a $20-million building project on the east side of the Manchester campus that includes a new dining hall and academic center. Construction on the state-of-the-art buildings began during that summer of 2008 and is scheduled to be completed in 2009.

The 33,500-square-foot academic building will house the School of Community Economic Development and includes six classrooms, 23 offices, a state-of-the-art case study room and multimedia features.

There also will be a cafĂŠ and common areas and study rooms for students.

The 47,700-square-foot dining hall next door will be able to seat more than 600 people and accommodate large and small functions. It will replace the dining hall in the Student Center.

The project continues the university’s commitment to sustainability.

Among the environmentally friendly

features are low-flow plumbing throughout the buildings, automatic fixtures in bathrooms, energyefficient windows and heating and cooling systems, and automatic light features.

A 150-space parking lot for resident students was completed in the fall of 2008.

Financing for the construction comes in part from $2 million in federal funding, which U.S. Senator Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) helped procure, university capital funds and bonds. n

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impact on ALUMNI

Engaging Alumni

By Michelle Strout

The impact of alumni achievements can be felt throughout Southern New Hampshire University.

12

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Shelley Nason

impact on ALUMNI It is the work, wealth and wisdom of graduates who provide the university with the ways and means to grow and prosper. As a result, with every accomplishment celebrated by our institution, value is added to a SNHU diploma.

Through relevant programs, venues to network and additional educational opportunities to refine your knowledge, we hope to assist you on your journey of accomplishments. Below is just a sampling of recent programs and events designed for alumni who share a commonality.

From left to right: Steve, Elena and Maria Painchaud

Steve Berube

Senior Business Executives

Through our Business Indicator Series, senior executives have the opportunity to interact with fellow alumni while learning about business trends from expert faculty.

Ashley Liadis

3Year Honors Program Reunion

The 3Year Honors Program in Business, the only one of its kind in the country, is designed for students who have the academic background and desire to succeed in an intense educational environment. Students complete a traditional bachelor’s degree in three years, with no summer, evening or weekend courses.

Last spring, a reunion was held for all those who participated in the program during its first decade.

AlumNET Night

Recent graduates had the opportunity to participate in the first AlumNET Night. This program is designed to provide networking opportunities for our alumni, giving them a chance to meet one another and discuss issues relevant to their professional experiences. n

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impact on the FUTURE

Craig and Mary: Stepping

Alumni couple leads Southern New Hampshire University’s annual fundraising efforts.

In July, alumni Craig ’80 and Mary ’79 Ahlquist became the university’s first official SNHU Fund chairs. Working closely with the Institutional Advancement office at SNHU, they will advise and advocate for the SNHU Fund — unrestricted dollars vital to the livelihood of the university.

The Ahlquists view their two-year volunteer term as a real “hands-on” chance to give back to the university.

“SNHU gave us the tools to build successful careers and enjoy a fulfilling lifestyle. By supporting the SNHU Fund, we are helping the university to continue this important role, while enhancing the SNHU experience for future alumni,” said Craig and Mary.

Donors for many years, the couple is eager to extend the challenge of involvement to every SNHU alumna and alumnus.

To learn more about giving back, go to snhu.edu/alumni. n 14

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Up

impact on the FUTURE

Charting a Course

By Stephanie Bergeron

A love of golf has given accounting and finance student Eric Chabot the chance to chart a new course for his community and his future.

The junior golf program at Androscoggin Valley Country Club in Gorham, N.H., has been part of Chabot’s life since he was a child. Now the program’s director, he sees the positive impact that golf has on kids, which has inspired him to look for ways to improve the program.

After completely restructuring how the program is managed, he noticed that the junior golfers were using outdated, unsuitable equipment.

Realizing that there must be opportunities available to better the program, he reached out to the campus community for help.

His accounting and finance professor, Dr. Diane Lander, encouraged him to seek grant funding. This led him to Dr. Doug Blais, sport management professor, and SNHU’s Office of Institutional Advancement. With the assistance of Institutional Advancement staff members Stephanie Bergeron and Cathy La Forge, Chabot, a freshman at the time, submitted a grant proposal to the United States Golf Association. He received funding to help him purchase the much-needed new equipment and to cover participant fees for the summer of 2008. Chabot is now working toward establishing the golf program as a nonprofit organization.

“This funding helped me take the program to the next level.

I would have never been able to do it without the support and encouragement from SNHU faculty and staff,” he said. “I have learned the value of networking and using the resources around me to reach my goals.”

“This funding helped me take the program to the next level.

I would have never been able to do it without the support and encouragement from SNHU faculty and staff.”

With the continued success of his golf program and his experience with the USGA grant, Chabot now wants to explore a career in golf administration. He also wishes to develop as a leader and to inspire kids to follow his example to take initiative and try new things.

Now a junior, Chabot looks forward to learning more about leadership through his responsibilities on campus as a resident assistant, a university ambassador and a student worker in the Career Development Center. n

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impact on the UNIVERSITY

President’s

Circle

Mission To honor and recognize those alumni, parents and friends who have demonstrated exceptional interest and tangible support for Southern New Hampshire University and a desire to become more closely associated with its mission.

Why I give...

“I give back because I want others to have the same opportunity for success that my SNHU education has given me.”

Privileges of Membership • Recognition: President’s Circle members are individually acknowledged as leading supporters of the university in the Honor Roll of Donors and in mailings during the year.

• Invitations: President’s Circle members receive exclusive invitations to special receptions throughout the year.

• Involvement: President’s Circle members receive a special newsletter that includes fundraising accomplishments and articles designed to foster a better understanding of today’s Southern New Hampshire University experience.

We invite you to grow with the President’s Circle Your annual gift of $1,000 or more brings you into a community of like-minded donors.

Mauriel Schadee ’80 CPA, Partner – Nathan Wechsler & Company Concord, N.H. “I give to the university because I believe in the value of higher education and in the vision of SNHU. The success I have achieved in business stems largely from the solid educational foundation I received while attending SNHU. It is now time for me to give back so that others may realize their success.”

President’s Circle Leadership Levels Quill Society - $50,000 and above Richard Gustafson Associates - $10,000 to $49,999 John Miles Patrons - $5,000 to $9,999 William Green Partners - $2,500 to $4,999 Shapiro Society - $1,000 to $2,499 Note: Graduates of the last decade are invited to join the President’s Circle at the reduced rate of $500.

Wade Philbrick ’85 Commercial Process & Capabilities Manager Coca-Cola North America Los Angeles

President Paul J. LeBlanc 16

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on the UNIVERSITY

In Memoriam Morton E. Goulder

Adelaide “Addie” Walker 1914-2009 SNHU lost one of its dearest longtime friends with the passing of Addie Walker last January.

Walker’s desire to “work and make money” began early, when she found employment in the textile mills as a teenager. Through hard work and business savvy, Walker moved into management and worked for 53 years as a weaving supervisor at the Berkshire Hathaway Mill in New Bedford, Mass.

She came to know SNHU in the mid1990s while an active member of the university’s Educational Continuum program for seniors. Her fondness for SNHU grew deeper over the years and she developed a close personal relationship with many of the university’s faculty and staff. True to her nature as a generous woman who contributed to several organizations in the Manchester area, she became one of SNHU’s most prominent donors. Walker Auditorium in Robert Frost Hall was named for her late husband, Lt. Col. Frederick N. Walker, and the Walker Ballroom in the Hospitality Center was named to recognize her generous support. Her dedication to SNHU and its students remains evident by her thoughtful inclusion of the university in her will.

“Addie had such a love of life, which she so easily shared with others,” said Ellen Kalicki, associate dean of the School of Education. n

1921-2008

Longtime SNHU friend Morton E. “Mort” Goulder passed away in January 2008.

Goulder was a founder, director and vice president of Sanders, which grew to be a billion-dollar business in defense electronics. He served as deputy assistant secretary of defense for Intelligence and Warning from 1973 to 1977. After that, he founded the first small business investment corporation in NH and served nearly 20 years as a director of the Bank of New Hampshire.

In the late 1990s, Goulder became involved with SNHU’s School of Community Economic Development, serving for a time on its Board of Overseers. Believing strongly in the school’s mission of helping the disenfranchised learn to lift themselves, he became its most prominent benefactor by establishing SNHU’s first milliondollar charitable gift annuity. That gift, along with a bequest from his will, has established the Morton E. Goulder Fund, which supports scholarships for students pursuing graduate degrees in community economic development.

“Mort was a passionate and generous man who dedicated a great deal of time, energy and personal resources towards the betterment of his community. His advice on how one should live one’s life was ‘do good and have some fun along the way.’ Mort’s legacy is that he did a lot of good for a lot of people, and he was great fun, indeed,” said Don Brezinski, Vice President, Institutional Advancement. n

William S. Green

1917-2007

William “Bill” Green, a prominent lawyer at Sheehan Phinney Bass + Green, one of New Hampshire’s largest law firms, and a well-known civic figure in Manchester for over half a century, succumbed to complications from Parkinson’s disease in October 2007.

Green was one of the most eminent figures in SNHU’s history.

When the founder of the university (then the New Hampshire College of Accounting and Commerce), Harry A. B. Shapiro, died in 1952, his widow approached Green about whether to keep the school open. He offered to help and became the school’s board chairman and attorney.

In the 1980s, tough economic times prompted what by then had become New Hampshire College to turn to Green for leadership once more. He became chancellor for two years until the college hired a new president, Dr. Richard Gustafson. Green continued his service to the school as trustee emeritus on the university’s board.

In addition to all of his hard work and service on behalf of SNHU in helping make it what it is today, Green was a generous donor. His legacy at SNHU is permanently and formally recognized in the form of an endowed fund known as the William S. Green Scholarship Fund.

“Bill Green was a unique leader, and there is no better evidence of that than his extraordinary relationship with and pride in Southern New Hampshire University, which he was instrumental in saving, developing and leading,” said university trustee Brad Cook. n Fall 2009

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NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID MANCHESTER, NH PERMIT NO. 6025

2500 North River Road Manchester, NH 03106-1045 Address Service Requested

“

I was a kid from the inner city of Nashua, NH, serving in Vietnam. While sitting in a bunker I was moved to take action to make my life better after reading a letter from a friend at what was then New Hampshire College and now SNHU. I was admitted when I returned to the US, and and the great people there made a difficult situation much easier.

I am forever loyal to SNHU and have made provisions for it in my will.

”

– Tom Tessier, ‘74, former member Board of Trustees, Southern New Hampshire University Co-founder, Vietnam Veterans Scholarship Fund

Become involved in Planned Giving!

For more information contact the Office of Institutional Advancement at 603.645.9681 or by e-mail at alumni@snhu.edu.

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