Impact 2011-2012

im­­­pact Advancing

Southern New Hampshire University

Joe Panaro ’72

Reflections on the Road Taken from NHC to SNHU

Volume 3 | 2011-2012

Letter from...

Scholarship Recipient

President: Dr. Paul J. LeBlanc Editor: Jennifer Hallee Contributors: H attie Bernstein Don Brezinski Kristi Durette Elizabeth Rush ’10 Kim Moore Graphic Design: Karen Mayeu

Giving Back, Moving Forward My name is Brianna. I am an independent college student who lives alone, works two jobs and loves the challenge of college.

Without the support and generosity of people like you, my dream of a college education may not have been possible.

Photography: Jeremy Earl Mayhew Printing: Printers Square

Ever since I was a young child, I was always pushed to do well at

Proofreader: Susan Morgan

school because I knew my academic achievements would depend

Cover: Joe Panaro, ’72, Reflections on the road taken from NHC to SNHU

on scholarships. Neither of my parents earned college degrees and I

Impact magazine is published yearly by the

ter a short time, I realized how difficult it would be for me to advance

Office of Institutional Advancement

have seen the way they both have struggled while I was growing up.

I graduated early from high school and started working full time. Afwithout a college degree. I knew I wanted more.

Don Brezinski, Vice President 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

It was a staff member at SNHU who helped me see how affordable college could be for me. I am now starting my final year in the 3Year Honors Program in Business and I am involved in Phi Beta Lambda and as a Student Ambassador. How I have seen myself grow as a student, person and friend in the past few

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

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

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years truly astounds me.

None of this would have been possible without the scholarships I was awarded to help me afford my education. By giving back, you have helped me move forward and show the world all that I can do!

Sincerely,

2012, 3Year Honors Program – Business Management

inside

im­­­pact Advancing

Southern New Hampshire University

2 Campus Update Supporting Our Growth. . . . 11 University Kimon Zachos, Trustee. . . . 12 Business Women’s Business Center. . . 14 Engaging Alumni Pictorial Journey . . . . . . . . 15 Future Ashley Bachelder ’09. . . . . 16 President’s Circle Membership. . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Annual Report Letter from the President. . . 18 Money Matters . . . . . . . . . . 19 How It All Adds Up. . . . . . . 20

Joe Panaro ’72 Reflections on the Road Taken from NHC to SNHU

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Tom Tessier ’74 Offering a Gift and a Challenge

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Impact on Business Tory C. Marandos Entrepreneurship Challenge

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Impact on Students Gautam Sharma ’97

Feature Story

Joe Panaro

Reflections on the Road Taken

from NHC to SNHU By: Don Brezinski

Joe Panaro, class of ’72, represents the full circle of the NHC/SNHU experience. He came to what was then New Hampshire College by way of a small town in Connecticut. Like just about everyone else at NHC at that time, he focused his studies on business. He also distinguished himself with a successful baseball career, resulting in recent induction into the SNHU Athletic Hall of Fame. From there Joe went on to a remarkable career in corporate America. He now is a very well regarded instructor in SNHU’s Online Program.

Joe recently sat down with Impact to discuss his NHC/SNHU experience, his career, and what he feels are the ingredients for academic, professional, and personal success.

How did you find New Hampshire College? What made you apply?

Joe Panaro: A high school friend had been recruited to play basketball at NHC. That was my first exposure to New Hampshire College. It was at that time that Coach Bill Beane recruited me to play baseball at the college. I was very interested in playing college ball and also knew I wanted to study business. New Hampshire College offered me those two worlds, so I applied.

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What were your initial impressions of NHC? The facilities of the downtown campus were not great. It quickly became about the vision I had for myself there. After my first semester, I began to make some wonderful friends. I also found the faculty to be very caring and to bring a great deal of real world experience into the classroom.

For example, Allen and Dottie Rogers were great about taking practical concepts and real world business practices and inserting them into the learning experience. Their expertise, in particular, was in sales and retail, which was perfect for what I ended up doing in my career.

This approach to teaching is now something I enjoy offering as a member of the Online faculty.

Feature Story

You mentioned you came to college wanting to study business.

Why? What were your early career interests?

My family members had their own business with several Dairy Queen franchises. I started working there at the age of 14.

From that experience I knew that I wanted to pursue a career in sales and marketing.

I also wanted to focus on the Fortune 500 for my career. I felt that within the Fortune 500 were many of the very best management development programs. Many were in New York City, which is where I wanted to be. By the age of 20, I had figured out my career path and knew that I needed to acquire a breadth of business experience.

What was your first job and what was the transition from college to career like?

RCA was recruiting on campus my senior year and Hertz was one of their divisions. I was assigned to work for Hertz in their New York office in the corporate accounts area. I was there for four years, and was fortunate to have a supportive senior management mentor who encouraged me to get my MBA at night. He also taught me the value of establishing a professional network.

The transition to the corporate world was eye-opening.

Hertz was a very political place at that time, and business place politics can be very quirky. Only one out of 50 interviewed received an offer, so the environment was very competitive. You needed to get a sense quickly of how to distinguish yourself and still hold onto your principles.

In what ways did you distinguish yourself in college and early in your career?

I held a number of leadership roles in college and was very involved in campus life. I was captain of the baseball team, vice president of my fraternity, and also had a good GPA. New Hampshire College, with its small classes and engaging professors, was very much a relationship environment, which proved to be an important overall experience in the transition to the corporate world.

Why did you leave Hertz?

I wanted to get experience in consumer marketing, which I couldn’t get at Hertz. Joseph E. Seagram and Sons had a management training program that was perfect for what I wanted to do, so I applied for it after I completed my MBA. It was a fast track rotational program that offered a bridge between sales and marketing. It also involved a great deal of travel, so I would end up moving our young family five times in six years.

Did things start to settle down for you after that?

No, not really. As Assistant Regional Manager in the Western Region, I was contacted by an executive recruiter on behalf of Coca-Cola out of Atlanta. The opportunity was to become a brand manager in the national accounts group. The company was in the early stages of trying to get away from the good old boy network, and I joined the task force involved with the introduction of New Coke. I helped build the retail plan, which was an enormous (and secret) logistical undertaking.

I was heading up the marketing group in the New York area, and led the marketing plan for the distribution of New Coke.

New Coke was one of the most interesting and media hyped business stories of the last 50 years. Were there any walk-away lessons for you?

In the first year of New Coke, we had an overall growth of four points of market share. Keep in mind that one point in growth is considered a strong success in that industry. The whole experience provided the organization with some notable and much needed momentum.

Perhaps, most significant is the fact that market research isn’t pure. New Coke involved a tremendous amount of research, but it didn’t tell the whole story. The consumer field test votes were clearly in favor of the new flavor. However, it didn’t take fully into account the power of brand loyalty.

There was also a general approach I had to things.

In baseball I was an infielder, and as such would be more likely to charge the ball than to sit back and wait for it to come to me. It was that engaging approach to things which served me well in the working world.

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Feature Story

That’s quite a fast track early on. What’s the rest of the story?

I was invited by RJ Nabisco to head up the marketing division of a new regional office in Washington, DC. Eventually I ended up shifting back to sales and took over the New York division and had about 250 sales people under me. I was also there during the leverage buyout by KKR, on which, the book, Barbarians at the Gate, was based. It was an interesting time.

This experience led to my next opportunity, which was to work for Pepsi.

During all this time you served on the Board of Trustees at what was soon to become SNHU. Yes. Then-Board Chairman Rick Courtemanche ’73 invited me to join the board. I was on it for five years. Two of those years were dedicated to changing New Hampshire College to university status. We had a vision for what we wanted our school to become. I headed up the team to select the new name, and after a good deal of research we came up with Southern New Hampshire University.

You worked as an executive for both Coke and Pepsi. That’s rare.

So let’s see… you were in leadership roles at Coke for New Coke, RJ Nabisco during the famous leveraged buyout, and instrumental in New Hampshire College’s transition to Southern New Hampshire University. Remarkable timing.

While at RJ Nabisco we did a lot of work with IRI, a marketing research firm. Through that interaction I was invited to head up a research consulting team for Pepsi. I was onsite at Pepsi’s headquarters for two years working on sales, distribution, analysis, etc. Key to all of this was the expertise I had gained from prior experience around distribution channels.

By your mid-40s you held management and executive level positions at Seagrams, Coke, RJ Nabisco and IRI Consulting Group for Pepsi. How do you top off a resume like that?

You could say that (laugh).

And now you teach at SNHU Online.

What is that experience like?

“I have also learned a great deal from the students. I am very big on student feedback and have come to understand what it is they want to learn and how they want to learn it.”

By moving on to the world of financial services with MasterCard Worldwide, which was highly rewarding and a great experience.

It was my broadest business experience. I was hired to help build a new sales organization mentality within the culture, which involved changing the corporate account team structure, core competencies and skill sets of the staff and new hiring. I was then assigned by the CEO to join a task team to find $100 million in cost savings over three years, and we hit that goal. I was then put in charge of a project to increase sales to smaller banks. We built marketing programs that were sold through the Internet. The revenue at the start of this project was $9 million per year. We grew this to $50 million in seven years. My last global assignment at MasterCard was to head a global team that designed and implemented a Customer Relationship Management program. This program supported the sales organization in the management of MasterCard’s global customers in areas of sales planning, core competency modeling, marketing planning, investment analysis and market share growth.

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I find a great deal of excitement, stimulation and passion in both the teaching and the subject matter (Marketing and Strategic Management). I hold a lot of passion for SNHU, and I enjoy contributing to the Online program. Coming full circle with my own experience as a student here, I am committed to providing a learning experience that is defined by the real world application of theory.

I have also learned a great deal from the students. I am very big on student feedback and have come to understand what it is they want to learn and how they want to learn it. The online support team is terrific to work with and the Online program would not be as successful as it is without their efforts and dedication.

They are a wonderful group of dedicated professionals.

What advice do you have for your students?

Have a plan for yourself with reasonable expectations. Know what skills you can offer at a given time, and a sense of what skills and experiences you will need to pick up to reach your goals. Do this early on. It’s very difficult to decide that at 35 you want a different path for yourself. One needs to have an understanding early on about what playing field you want to be on and where. ◆

Feature Story

Joe Panaro:

Keys to Success Relationship Building.

In business school,

students are taught the skills of management. Management is defined as the ability to effectively operate through various functions classified as: planning, organizing, staffing, leading/directing, and controlling/tacking.

However, there are other areas of knowledge and skill that go beyond just these “Holy Grail” areas. As one advances within an organization, the ability to focus the strength of networking in building solid relationships with cross functional internal partners becomes tantamount to a successful foundation. It is important to remember that informal relationships, in many cases, are more valuable than the formal relationships.

Cultural Knowledge.

Within the scope of

management, the area of cultural understanding within an organization speaks to the need to understand the cultural sensitivities at HQs and the country, region, and multi-regions where the organization is manufacturing or selling its products and services. This is accompanied by being aware of the nuances of a culture and the ability to view that culture objectively, evaluate it fairly and appreciate it fully as an important part of the organization’s performance.

Organizational Leadership.

Students today

need to address motivation as a basic function of cultural management.

The reason for this is quite simple in definition, but can be overwhelming in execution. A higher percentage of sales and revenue contribution for many organizations will be based on their ability to motivate cross culturally.

Without global motivation and an understanding of specific cultural values, local employees cannot work effectively. If motivation doesn’t take place in an organization, then employees may not contribute to the other functions which usually lead to advancement within an organization.

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impact on STUDENTS

Offering a Gift and a Challenge Tom Tessier ’74

By: Hattie Bernstein

“ Two things changed my life for the better,” said Tom Tessier ’74. “My Vietnam experience and my college experience.”

Tom Tessier, currently a successful financial advisor in Nashua, N.H., grew up in an inner city Nashua neighborhood, the son of a disabled World War II veteran and one of seven children. He graduated from Nashua High School, joined the Air Force Security Forces (formerly Air Force Security Police) in January of 1966 and served five combat tours in Vietnam.

“They told me I was eligible to go to computer school or personnel, but because of the situation in Vietnam, the Air Force needed air police for security of worldwide bases. In May of 1966, I went to the Strategic Air Command in Tucson, AZ,” Tessier said. Guarding U-2s, F4Cs, Titan II missiles, and the nuclear weapons storage area in the mountains and desert on 12 hour shifts with all-day training on days off (same as today’s troops) was grueling, but dull.

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impact on STUDENTS

(Above) Tessier and his Vietnamese Army Ranger counterpart Hoa.

“I wanted out, so I volunteered for Vietnam. Not surprisingly, my request was granted immediately,” he recalled.

Tom recalled he and his buddies were eager for adventure but didn’t expect to see combat. “It was the lure of it. At 18 and 19, you think you’re going to live forever. Combat was the furthest thing from our minds,” he said.

The Tet Offensive, which began on January 31, 1968, changed everything. “My diary, which I kept daily for all of 1968 and 1969, documents more than 80 rocket and/or mortar attacks, along with three major ground assaults against the Tan Son Nhut Airbase. Tessier’s unit, the 377th SPS, is the most decorated ground unit in US Air Force history.

Sitting in his Nashua office, separated by more than four decades from the horrors of war, Tessier recalls the other event that shaped his character.

“I was sitting in a bunker in Vietnam reading a letter I’d received from a boyhood friend Raymond Paul,” he said. “There was an application to New Hampshire College, and he wrote, ‘When you get out of the service, you should go to this school, where all your buddies just graduated from.’”

Tessier felt challenged, but intimidated. “I never thought I’d be accepted,” he said. He filled out the application and sent it in anyway.

In the fall of 1970, he joined a group of young veterans who were starting classes at New Hampshire College.

“They let us in, but they didn’t make it easy,” he said. “The professors expected you to rewrite papers as many times as necessary until you got them perfect. They said, ‘Do the work and you get the grade.’’

“However, we didn’t have to do it alone. I can’t tell you how much they helped us,” he says of his NHC professors. “It was incredible how they went out of their way. They could see the maturity in us, and they knew we needed their time.

They were also sensitive to our need for adjustment related to coming fresh from our military experience.”

The professors that especially stand out in Tom’s memory are: George Teloian, Mary Brown, Fred Briggs, George Commenator, Chris Toy, Norton “Tuffy” Phelps, Dottie Rogers, Bob Fleeson, Charlie Mitchell, George Larkin and many others.

However, we didn’t have to do it alone. I can’t tell you how much they (our NHC professors) helped us.

At 23, Tom and the other veterans were five years older than their freshman classmates. Many of their 2011-2012

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impact on STUDENTS friends had already graduated from college and were starting jobs and families. “We were on a mission. Whatever it took, we were going to do it,” he said.

In 1974, Tessier earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting and was hired as a patient account manager by St. Joseph Hospital in Nashua. Three years later, he moved on to work for a Massachusetts hospital, and the following year, he took a position in life insurance sales.

One opportunity led to another: In 1984, he joined Bob Weisman, a Nashua insurance and investment advisor, and the two formed Weisman and Tessier Associates. In the late 1990s, two more names, Lori K. Lambert and Kevin J. Halloran, were added to the letterhead.

Today, Tessier says, he looks back on his experiences in Vietnam and at New Hampshire College with gratitude. One of the legacies of his military service was the way it has inspired him to get involved in the community. He was chairman of the United Way of Greater Nashua for two years, campaign chairman for three years, and served on the board for a decade. He was also president of the Nashua Rotary Club and chaired its Community Service committee for numerous years.

In the late 1980s, Tessier and his friend Rick Courtemanche ’73, established the Vietnam Veterans Scholarship Fund, now the Veterans Scholarship Fund, at Southern New Hampshire University. This scholarship has helped many students, veterans and their dependents, providing thousands of scholarship dollars.

A challenge

gift

Tom intends his gift to the Veterans Scholarship Fund to be a challenge gift to the SNHU community. If you wish to join Tom and support current students who are veterans, the dependents of veterans, or actively serving in the military, please contact Don Brezinski, Vice President of Institutional Advancement, 603.644.3109 or by email at d.brezinski@snhu.edu.

Donations and investments, moreover, have kept the fund growing. It is now the third largest endowed fund at SNHU. “One thousand or two thousand or three thousand dollars back then would have helped,” Tessier said, “Scholarships take off some of the financial pressure.”

Time and success haven’t diminished his appreciation for SNHU. Nor have they lessened his generosity. Indeed, both seem to have grown stronger over the years.

Recently, after Tessier and his wife and best friend, Diane, made a $500,000 donation to the school specifically for the Veterans Scholarship Fund, he recalled a promise he had made to himself more than 40 years earlier.

“In the middle of a really nasty rocket attack, I remember saying, ‘If I get through this, someday, I’m going to do something good,’ ” he said. “This may be it.” ◆ 8

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Tom Tessier

impact on BUSINESS

Tory C. Marandos

Entrepreneurship

Challenge By: Kim Moore

Sometimes good can come from tragedy. This past March, Southern New Hampshire University’s Center for Entrepreneurship & Social Innovation received a very special gift. The Marandos family of Nashua, Cosmos and Lynda and daughter Tara, donated $100,000 to create a business plan competition for New Hampshire entrepreneurs in memory of their son and brother, Tory. The gift created the “Tory C. Marandos Foundation” and is an endowed fund that will provide a cash award for an annual winner of the “Tory C. Marandos Foundation – Entrepreneurship Challenge.”

(Above left to right) Keith Moon, director of the Center for Entrepreneurship & Social Innovation, Lynda Marandos, Tara Marandos, Cosmos Marandos, and Don Brezinski, vice president for Institutional Advancement. (Below) Cosmos and Lynda with son, Tory

The first Tory C. Marandos Foundation competition was held this past spring. The inaugural winner of the competition, announced in June, was blue2green LLC of Ashland, N.H., a dam reclamation and electricity generation company.

Founders Mark Brassard and Andrew Lane received $5,000 to assist with the start and support of their business.

“I was very impressed with all the amazing ideas that businesses presented, yet it was very important to us that the winner would celebrate and embrace the entrepreneurial spirit in honor of my brother,” said selection committee member, Tara Marandos. “I was thrilled to help select a company that had both the vision and the ability to develop and grow the business. To see the spark that Tory had, and then to know once that spark was lit, there was no turning back from seeing it through to success.

That’s what we all saw in blue2green.”

All active businesses and potential start-up businesses in New Hampshire, with less than three years in business and less than $1 million in annual gross revenue, were eligible to participate. “The Marandos family called the University this past winter with the hope of shepherding their idea of a business plan competition in their son’s name and we were proud to honor their request,” said Keith Moon, director of the Center for Entrepreneurship & Social Innovation.

“Thanks to their generous contribution, we can encourage entrepreneurship in the state of New Hampshire, and help those with a vision for their business to flourish.” blue2green, the other four finalists, and the five semi-finalists in the

competition, also received membership in the SNHU Center for Entrepreneurship & Social Innovation entitling them to business support services.

Tory Marandos was General Manager of the Foxy Lady Gentlemen’s Clubs in New Bedford, Mass. and Providence, R.I. when he died tragically on Dec. 12, 2006, at the age of 30.

According to his family, friends and co-workers, he managed the organization with dedication and pride. He was a caring young man who went above and beyond for his friends, family and anyone who came into his life.

“It was a thrilling and uplifting experience to be able to donate this money to SNHU’s Center for Entrepreneurship as a legacy to our late son, Tory, who embraced the spirit of entrepreneurship in his own lifetime,” said Cosmos Marandos, Tory’s father. “It was very important to our family that we find a home for this endowment that matched our belief and Tory’s belief that everybody deserves the opportunity to pursue their dreams. We found the perfect fit with SNHU’s Center for Entrepreneurship & Social Innovation, and we know that in years to come we will have played a part in helping small businesses throughout New Hampshire grow and prosper.” ◆ Donations can be made to “The Tory C. Marandos Foundation – Entrepreneurship Challenge” by contacting Don Brezinski, Vice President, Institutional Advancement, 603.644.3109 or d.brezinski@snhu.edu.

Competition information can be found at snhu.edu/7399.asp.

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impact on STUDENTS

Bachelor of Applied Science in Hospitality Administration

Scholarship Gautam Sharma, BASHA ’97

When Gautam Sharma, BASHA ’97, was approached by SNHU last year to offer scholarship support for students enrolled in BASHA, he did not hesitate to give a generous response. This year, through Sharma’s generous gift through the company he founded, five students were awarded the Global Vision Hotels’ annual BASHA scholarship.

“When I was a student it was difficult for some of us in the BASHA program to pay the fees. Simply put, I wanted to help some of the current students out.

Also, I very much want to help attract talent into the BASHA program at SNHU, and hope to be successful in having some of them come and work for my company. The hospitality industry needs talented people to continue to enter it, and I want to be a positive influence for the industry and also for the BASHA program at SNHU.” Consistent with his high energy entrepreneurial spirit, Sharma has made his presence felt at SNHU in some very significant ways. Not only did he launch the aforementioned scholarship, but he also joined SNHU’s Board of Trustees and was the commencement speaker at BASHA’s graduation ceremony. ◆

Pictured with Gautam is his business associate Steve and the student scholarships recipients: Jonathan Whelan, Parth Dholakia, Vithyakaran (Vithy) Velauthampillai, Tanille Ennis and Ishema Duncan.

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impact on CAMPUS

Supporting Our Growth

Theresa Desfosses ’72 When one walks into the new Academic Center on campus, it is hard not to be struck by the building’s impressive architectural design as well as the seriousness of its academic purpose.

If there is a space in that building that arguably best represents its combination of an engaging and warm environment with its important academic mission, that space would be the first floor Learning Commons. It is fitting that this space has been named for alumna and long-term member of the SNHU Board of Trustees, Theresa Desfosses ’72.

Desfosses is president of State Manufactured Homes of Scarborough, Maine. She is a successful business owner, an acknowledged community leader, and a close and generous supporter of SNHU. “Southern New Hampshire University gave me my initial background in business. It continues to offer an outstanding education to working people and strives to make a solid education attainable,” she said. “I have supported SNHU over the years because of its mission and because I want to have an impact on its future.” ◆

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impact on the UNIVERSITY

Providing

Dedication, Commitment & Trustee Kimon Zachos Has Helped Guide SNHU through Nearly Five Decades By: Kim Moore Gregarious. Committed to his family, his profession, his community. Tireless. These are just a few of the words used to describe Kimon Zachos by his friends and family. Add to that list the recipient of numerous awards, and a dedicated community leader and you have a man who has provided guidance as a trustee for SNHU since 1966. Through the years, Zachos has provided outstanding long-term vision and governance to the University. He recalls in detail the early days of Southern New Hampshire University, formerly New Hampshire College.

“I remember I was walking down the street in Concord, I had just received my law degree and was in the process of taking the bar exam, and Bill Green pulled up in his blue Jaguar and wanted to talk to me,” he said. That was the beginning of a long friendship, a successful law practice with Sheehan Phinney Bass + Green, and my introduction to what is now Southern New Hampshire University.

“One of my first tasks as a new associate was to help Ed Shapiro, the president of the New Hampshire School of Accounting and Commerce. At the time the school was located in a third floor walk-up above Palace Fruit on Hanover Street in Manchester,” Zachos said. Zachos was put in charge of helping the school through some challenges, including changing its name and transitioning from a for-profit to a non-profit institution.

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“I became a trustee and legal counsel for the school and was very involved in its operation. We purchased land on North River Road to relocate the school where we created an environment for commuters and residents alike. We began to offer a liberal arts education as well as the fundamentals of business, always making sure we didn’t lose sight of our primary goal for the College, which was making a business oriented education available to students from middle income families.”

Zachos credits the outstanding foundation, growth and strength of the University to the dedicated leadership of Ed Shapiro, Dick Gustafson and current president Paul LeBlanc.

A Concord native, Zachos’s parents came from Greece and lived in Bennington, N.H., where his father worked for the Monadnock Paper Mill. His father died at a young age, when Zachos himself was only six years old. His mother, who spoke little English, raised Kimon, his older sister, Victoria, and brother, Jim. Zachos graduated from Concord High School and went on to receive a bachelor of arts degree from Wesleyan University.

He won a Fulbright scholarship, and intended to go to Greece for a year, but instead was offered a full scholarship to attend law school at New York University. He volunteered for the draft, and served his country for a year and a half, spending much of his time in Germany.

impact on the UNIVERSITY

Leadership New Hampshire College Board of Trustees, May 1977 (Above left to right) Charles Palm, Ralph Farmer, Kenneth J. Rowley, Christos Papoutsy, William S. Green, President Edward M. Shapiro, Chairman Raymond Truncellito, Kimon Zachos, David Myler, Dr. Harold E. Hyde, Dr. Everett B. Sackett, Henry J. Everett, James Tibbetts, Timothy Fletcher

“It is important to me that I stay connected, that I make the time to attend meetings, and help provide guidance and direction as needed,” he said. “It’s how I like to be.

Another reason I have been able to contribute so much of my time is because of my wonderful wife of 52 years, Anne.

She has always enabled me to work hard, give hard, and love our family in return. We have three amazing and successful daughters and their husbands, along with five energetic grandsons, and we love to enjoy time together.

“I have been very lucky in life. I have worked hard, and I have been fortunate to run into some very fine people who have influenced me over the years and helped me take advantage of all the opportunities that were presented to me.

I have found satisfaction in my life, through my work at the law office, my community involvement and from my biggest source of pride, my family. I am very proud to have served

(left to right) Brad Cook, John Miles and Kimon Zachos

so many organizations, and pleased that I have been able to provide knowledge, experience, and leadership to Southern New Hampshire University,” said Zachos.

According to SNHU President Paul LeBlanc, “If there is a Platonian ideal of trusteeship, one that centers on wise counsel and a long-term view of things, then Kimon Zachos comes closer to meeting that ideal than almost anyone I know.” While we may be tempted to think of him as the ‘wise old man’ of many boards, including ours, he has always had this quality and has thus been much sought after during his decades of service to New Hampshire organizations of all kinds.” ◆

“I have done what I wanted to do here, and now, I get to observe, and maybe give an opinion every now and then – to see this institution continue to grow and provide academic excellence well into the future.”

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impact on BUSINESS

Women’s Business

Center

This past spring, it was announced that SNHU had been awarded a multi-year federal grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration to host the newest of over 100 Women’s Business Centers throughout the United States – a clear demonstration of SNHU’s commitment to have a lasting and positive impact on the small business community in New Hampshire.

“The School of Business at SNHU is honored to have been selected by the Small Business Administration to sponsor the Women’s Business Center for New Hampshire,” said William Gillett, dean. “The school is excited to be able to serve women entrepreneurs and business owners in the state through training, assistance, networking and business counseling programs and assistance.”

SNHU partners with the Small Business Administration to host N.H.’s Women’s Business Center

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MaryAnn Manoogian serves as the center’s Executive Director which is housed on the Manchester campus. Manoogian and her staff will work with clients to offer business counseling, programs to support stages of business formation and development, as well as networks of resources.

She can be reached at m.manoogian@snhu.edu and 603.629.4697.

Engaging Alumni 1. Alumni and current players at the Women’s Soccer Alumni Game during Alumni Weekend 2010

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2. Career Points Alumni panel for current student-athletes, March 2011 (from left to right): Neil Donahue ’82, Ed Ithier ’87 & ’93, Neil Adams ’11 3. Business Indicator Series for alumni senior-level executives, Portsmouth, Sept. 2010 (from left to right): John Pappas ’93, MBA, and Jim Proulx ’94, MBA

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5.

6.

4. Alumni hockey players at Alumni Hockey Day, Feb. 2011 5. 3Year Honors Program Scholarship Dinner, April 2011 (from left to right): Gabrielle Pennellatore ’10, Alex Jenkins ’10, Brittany Morgiewicz ’10, Tammy Steffen ’10, Kristin Wilson ’10, Christopher Ward ’10 and Kyle Viator ’10 6. A lumni Dinner in Rye, N.Y., July 2011 (from left to right): Don Brezinski, VPIA, Paul LeBlanc, President, Pieter Van Vredenburch ’90 and Joe Panaro ’72

impact on FUTURE

Empower Locally Engage Globally

Ashley Bachelder ’09 Takes Public Service into the 21st Century

Ashley Bachelder ’09 wants refugees to feel at home in the world. “When I was a sophomore at SNHU, I went on a summer service trip to South Africa to help school teachers learn basic computer literacy skills,” Bachelder said. “In South Africa, the differences between being born in a first world country versus being born in a developing country became really apparent. I knew then I needed to work with people who have less.”

Since graduating, Bachelder’s enthusiasm for public service has only grown. As an AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteer in Service to America) employee in Louisville, Ky., she offered resettlement services to those who had just arrived in the United States. Her center provided services to refugees from 67 countries.

“Every day I would listen to many different languages – Vietnamese, Sudanese, Cambodian, Thai,” said Bachelder.

“Every time I went to work I got to travel the world. I learned something really important in Kentucky — despite all our differences, we are also remarkably similar.”

Bachelder’s biggest challenge thus far hasn’t been the language barrier or cultural differences separating herself and her clients. Instead, she finds her greatest test has been helping those outside of her field to reconsider a refugee’s potential.

“Most people think of refugees as being sort of helpless, and they feel sorry for them or have pity. But that’s not what people need when they are resettled in the United States,” she said. “Immigrants and refugees, need empowerment. They need some assistance so they can begin to help themselves.”

Now Bachelder is enrolled at the Clinton School, a ground breaking institution in Little Rock, Ark., that confers master’s degrees in public service.

Ashley Bachelder ’09 (right) with Pisey Khim, Center Manager at the Women’s Resource Center.

Ashley’s bio: www.wrccambodia.org/Site/Meet_the_Women.html 16

Impact

2011-2012

By: Elizabeth Rush ‘10

As part of her course work, she recently traveled to Siem Reap, Cambodia, where she helped the Women’s Resource Center design and implement a five-year fundraising plan.

Siem Reap is the gateway to Angkor Wat, an ancient temple complex that draws hundreds of thousands of tourists to Cambodia each year.

“I helped the Women’s Resource Center think of creative ways to tap that tourist demographic as a potential source for raising funds. In this way I enabled those women to expand their own programs over time,” Bachelder said. “Because I worked with many displaced people from Southeast Asia when I was in Kentucky, working in Cambodia was like coming full circle. It was really exciting to see my clients on their own terms, not the terms dictated by their refugee status.” ◆ Read about Bachelder’s summer in Cambodia on her blog “Chronicles of Cambodia” at http://abachelder.wordpress.com.

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.

Privileges of Membership • R ecognition: 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.

• I nvitations: 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.

President’s Circle

L eadership 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

Why I Give ...

“The education that I received from Southern New Hampshire University opened career opportunities that I would not have had otherwise. Educational institutions like SNHU rely on alumni support.

I continue to give to the college because I understand how important education is.”

Kathy ’98 and Guy Yeager Securities Trader, Davis Selected Advisors Oro Valley, AZ “I have been blessed with a successful career to which I owe those time-tested attributes taught to me by my parents: honest hard work, faith in God, a supportive family, sincere humility, and a good education. SNHU and its dedicated faculty gave me the opportunity to have that quality education, for which I will always be grateful. My four years were filled with great classes and many opportunities for terrific leadership and work experiences (with a little fun mixed in for good measure). For that reason, I feel a responsibility to give back, so that others can enjoy that same opportunity. As a very wise SNHU professor exhorted me, ‘We provide the opportunity; what you decide to do with it is up to you.’”

Gary D. St. Hilaire ‘86 President, Capital Blue Cross Mechanicsburg, PA

Note: Graduates of the last decade are invited to join the President’s Circle with a donation of $500.

2011-2012

Impact

17

Letter from the President

Part of

Something Special This issue of Impact arrives in your mailbox on the heels of another dramatic weather event, the untimely October snowfall that cut power to campus for a couple of days and wreaked havoc on our trees. It is also a stormy time in higher education with cuts in financial support of all kinds, the struggle of families to pay tuitions amidst an ongoing recession, and many institutions simply trying to keep the doors open.

SNHU is an exception to that story (and here, I knock on all available wood). We are coming off our strongest year ever in terms of financial performance. We have record enrollments. The campus has been transformed and we are in the design phase for a new learning commons/library building and hope to begin construction within the next twelve months. We also have garnered a great deal of national attention, featured on the front page of The Chronicle of Higher Education, recognized by the Gates and Lumina Foundations for innovative programming, and nominated for Fast Company’s “List of the 50 Most Innovative Companies”.

The fuel for this success has largely come from the enormous growth in our College of Online and Continuing Education (COCE), now the largest non-profit provider of online education in New England.

Healthy surpluses in that growing area have provided the resources to have no tuition increase last year (we are the most affordable private institution in NH), provide more financial aid to needy students, and invest in new innovative programs.

Sometimes I hear a worry that online threatens to somehow eclipse the main campus programs, but the truth is quite the opposite. At a time when employees at many colleges are seeing flat salaries and loss of benefits, our faculty and staff have a five year contract with healthy raises and award-winning benefits.

We have invested mightily in campus improvements such as the newly renovated Quill, our campus restaurant and teaching facility for Culinary, a newly renovated Center for Financial Studies, more space for the School of Education, and what should become our showcase building, a much needed learning commons/library. Over the next two years we will hire ten more full-time faculty members to make sure our students are graduating with strong core skills when they enter the still very tough job market. None of this would be possible without the success of COCE. In turn, COCE could not be successful without the strong foundation of the main campus curriculum, faculty, and strong administrative support. It has proved a very successful synergy.

With all that success, the challenges we face remain formidable. I have never seen so many student appeals for more aid, often prompted by the loss of a parent job or a family business barely staying afloat.

Given the economy, we feel very constrained about any tuition increases (our main source of revenue), but know expenses will continue to increase. All of that is a way of saying we need your ongoing support.

It makes a real difference. By giving back, you are a part of something special as SNHU builds on its strengths and forges a new and exciting future.

18

Impact

2011-2012

impact on the UNIVERSITY

Money Matters ­­Statements of Financial Position | Fiscal years ending on June 30, 2011, 2010, 2009 and 2008.

Assets Cash and cash equivalents Short-term investments, at fair value Student accounts and other receivable, net Other assets, net Contributions receivable, net Student loans receivable, net Deposits with trustees Long-term investments, at fair value Property and equipment, net

2011 $245,422 $27,179,521 $5,376,078 $3,142,032 $41,932 $3,704,174 $5,787,795 $47,703,147 $75,933,860

2010 $609,835 $26,051,892 $3,695,636 $2,778,854 $176,841 $3,785,064 $9,175,538 $28,506,852 $71,041,639

2009 $1,531,658 $23,508,072 $3,345,938 $3,048,017 $210,552 $3,834,613 $17,189,042 $18,449,087 $66,320,959

$169,113,961

$145,822,151

$137,437,938

$112,156,018

Liabilities and Net Assets Liabilities Accounts payable and accrued expenses $12,092,960 Student deposits and advance payments $21,804,918 Interest Rate Swap $1,238,463 Notes and bonds payable $65,569,192 Refundable advances – U.S. Government grants $3,086,771

$12,501,767 $12,758,852 $1,142,867 $66,611,597 $3,141,449

$9,841,940 $10,947,800 $81,447 $68,339,002 $3,205,177

$8,747,833 $8,764,699 $0 $57,306,407 $3,279,371

$101,792,304

$96,156,532

$92,415,366

$50,862,683 $5,334,879 $11,124,095

$35,671,283 $4,114,362 $9,879,974

$34,354,435 $2,145,694 $8,522,443

$25,779,935 $1,621,418 $6,656,355

Total assets

2008 $2,267,699 $16,889,064 $3,271,077 $2,833,753 $226,496 $3,869,927 $13,593,894 $16,549,248 $52,654,860

Net Assets Unrestricted Temporarily restricted Permanently restricted

Total liabilities

Total net assets

$67,321,657

$49,665,619

$45,022,572

$34,057,708

Total liabilities and net assets

$169,113,961

$145,822,151

$137,437,938

$112,156,018

Financial Position (in millions)

$180

169.1

$160

145.8 137.4

$140 $120

$78,098,310 ­

112.2

101.7

96.1

$100 $80

92.4 78.1

67.3

$60

49.7

45.0

$40

34.1

$20 $0

2011

2010

2009

2008

2011-2012

Impact

19

impact on the UNIVERSITY

How It All Adds Up ­­Statements of Unrestricted Revenues and Expenses | Fiscal years ending on June 30, 2011, 2010, 2009 and 2008.

Operating Revenues Tuition and fees Residence and dining Less student aid

2011

2010

2009

2008

$117,863,504 $11,661,763 ($26,092,188)

$98,674,871 $10,264,500 ($20,832,213)

$89,890,935 $10,684,078 ($18,211,471)

$81,103,743 $13,489,545 ($16,329,857)

$103,433,079 $1,438,734 $795,961 $1,374,295 $1,626,696 $438,637 $0 $1,656,660

$88,107,158 $1,359,314 $833,413 $1,748,218 $581,892 $379,298 $0 $1,474,850

$82,363,542 $1,440,428 $653,788 $4,201,190 $392,728 $575,740 ($1,044,053) $2,849,973

$78,263,431 $1,992,584 $1,205,614 $2,001,444 $727,049 $554,580 ($239,831) $2,029,415

Total operating revenues

$110,764,062

$94,484,143

$91,433,336

$86,534,286

Net assets released from restrictions

Endowment Spending

Total operating revenues and net assets

released from restrictions Expenses Instruction Academic support Student services General institutional Auxiliary enterprises

$0 $587,052

$0 $587,052

($11,541) $587,052

$0 $581,025

$111,351,114

$95,071,195

$92,008,847

$87,115,311

$37,826,338 $6,923,440 $16,143,035 $27,074,155 $10,361,814

$36,441,155 $6,907,939 $14,556,771 $21,697,352 $10,358,445

$35,697,651 $6,754,045 $12,951,819 $17,748,855 $11,758,338

$32,482,585 $6,891,932 $11,636,345 $16,106,778 $14,708,456

$98,328,782 $13,022,332

$89,961,662 $5,109,533

$84,910,708 $7,098,139

$81,826,096 $5,289,215

$1,234,421 $4,545,378 ($95,596) $0 ($135,719) $0 $0 $0 ($49,266) $0 ($865,512)

$1,273,778 $687,116 ($1,061,420) $0 ($231,472) $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 ($1,134,488)

$1,846,299 $33,858 ($81,447) ($1,563,601) ($50,702) $4,594,579 $0 $0 ($923,802) $11,541 $0

$1,952,983 $13,414 $0 ($1,153,450) $0 $0 ($1,000,000) ($363,555) $0 $0 $0

$4,633,706

($466,486)

$3,866,725

($550,608)

$17,656,038

$4,643,047

$10,964,864

$4,738,607

Tuition and fees, net Other auxiliary enterprises Contributions Grants and contracts Long-term investment income Other interest income Gain (loss) on sale of investments Other income and released assets

Total operating expenses

Increase in unrestricted net assets from operations Nonoperating Contributions for long-term investment Investment Income Net unrealized loss on interest rate swaps Unrealized gains (losses) on investments (Loss) gain on sale of assets Gain on redemption of bonds Settlement expenses Write off of accounts receivable – other Extinguishment of debt Net assets released from restrictions Board Designated Expense

Increase (decrease) in unrestricted net assets

from nonoperating revenue (expense)

20

Increase in unrestricted net assets

Impact

2011-2012

impact on the UNIVERSITY

s se

tal au li x $1 ary e , i 4 l $ 1 , 4 i a r 3y 8e, 7 3 4 n t e r p 3 n 8 , 7 34 terp ri ri

se

92.9%

s

To

i

uxi

a tion Tu i 0 3 , 1

$15 $0 $0

2011

2010

11% 2008

2009

2011

2010

Net Tuition and Fees (in millions)

2008

2009

2010

2011 Expenses $98,328,7822011 Expenses

Student s e r $1166,%143,0 vices 35

2009

28%

28% General institutional $27,074,155 28%

General institutional $27,074,155

General institutional $27,074,155

To t a l a

2008 $30

2011

uction Instr 826,338 $37,

5

To

ees

s terprise n e y ar 4 uxili 10,361,81 A$45 $ $30

38%

111%%

df f ene sa n 9 a n du i t i o 4 3 3 , 0 7 t i o n T , 00739, Tu i 0 3 , 4 3 3 1 1

$60

28%

$795

tal au x i l $1,4 iary e 3 n 8 , 734 terp r

$75

$15

rirsiseess eennteterprp44 1 1 3,3661,18,8

82.4

uction Instr 826,338 $37,

$0

82.4

11% 2011 Expenses $98,328,782

% uction 38 Instr 826,338 $37,

$45

$15

78.3

103.4 103.4

11%

38%

$30

$60

78.3

17.4

Increase Increaseininrevenues revenuesfrom fromnet net 88.7 tuition tuitionand andfees fees 2010 2010to to2011 2011 88.7

rprises

38%

$90 $90 $75

88.7

11%

$2,170,256

s ente terpurxiislieary 61,814 n e y iliar ,A814 $10,3 Aux $10,361

Increase in revenues from net tuition and fees 2010 to 2011

e

m ee aa nn dd ee dd o w m h e r ii nn cc oo m owmen OO tt h e r

$105 $105

$45

103.4 Increase Increaseinintotal totaloperating operating revenues revenues2010 2010toto2011 2011

82.4

78.3

$60

92.9%

Increase in total operating revenues 2010 to 2011

2010-2011 Constituent Giving and Government Contributions Total:

uction Instr 826,338 $37,

Decrease Decreaseininnet netreceivable receivable contributions contributions2010 2010toto2011 2011

$90 $75

ises nterpr e y r ilia ,814 Aux $10,361

23.7 16.4 17.4 income and edow m Other $2,243,71 ent inc 2 om

$105

17.4

Increase in revenues from net tuition and fees 2010 to 2011

Increase in revenues from net tuition and fees 2010 to 2011

$98,328,782

Student s e r $16,143,0 vices 35

95

92.9%

23.7 16.4

Decrease in net receivable contributions 2010 to 2011

$1,229,813

Government Grants and Contracts

2011 Revenues $111,351,114

Student s e r $16,143,0 vices 35

ibutions C o n t r o, n9 6tsr1eisb u t i o n s $ 7 9C5 ,961

2011 Revenues $111,351,114

17.4

Increase in total operating revenues 2010 to 2011

pport ic su 0 dem 23,44 Aca $6,9

ts a Gran $1,3 nd c ts an 7 4 , o$n t1 , d c 29 r 37 4,2 ontr 5

.7% .4%

e om nc 7 3

Int er $4 est i 38 ,6

23.7 16.4

Decrease in net receivable contributions 2010 to 2011

16%

Gran

.7%

fees and 79 ,0 tion Tu i 0 3 , 4 3 3 1

ibutions Contr ,961 $795

2011 1.5% Revenues 1 .3% 1 .2% 2.0% $111,351,114 .4%

Decrease in net receivable Increase in total operating from 2010 net to 2011 contributions 2010 to Increase 2011 in revenues revenues tuition and fees 2010 to 2011

pport ic su 0 dem 23,44 Aca $6,9

ts

$940,443

e om nc 7 3

ac

Int er $4 est i 38 ,6

23.7 17.416.4

7%

ts a $1,3 nd c 74, ont 29 r 5

$1,626,696

Increase in total operating revenues 2010 to 2011

7% ort pp ic su 0 dem 23,44 Aca $6,9

ts

Int er $4 est i 38 ,6

16%

Gran

.7% .4% income m e n t 1.5% I n v e s1 t.3% 1 .2% 2.0%

income and edowme Other $ 2 , 2 43,712 nt inco me e o mi n c o m e a n d e d o w m e h e r i n c o m e a n d e d o w m O t hnecr nt $ 2 , 2 $ 2 4 ,243,712 ent inco 3,712 Ot inco 37 me me

ac

23.7 16.4

Decrease in net receivable contributions 2010 to 2011

32%

ment income Invest 26,696 $1,6

$302,315 $168,873 $203,643 $265,613

7%

1.5% 1 .3% 1 .2% 2.0%

22%

ts

Int er $4 est i 38 ,6

e om nc 7 3

ac

Alumni Corporations and Organizations Faculty, Staff, Parents and Friends Foundations

18%

ment income Invest 26,696 $1,6

2011-2012

Impact

21

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

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

“

“

“ I gladly support Southern New Hampshire University because I believe in its mission of “bringing the world to mind” that is to broaden the world view of its students to include people from other nations and cultures. Through its international programs beginning with the Institute for Language Education to its Ph.D. program in International Business, SNHU demonstrates its commitment to students of every nation, domestic and foreign. Organizations like the International Student Association and Dr. Gary Carkin’s International Drama Club enrich the education offered at SNHU and show that the university genuinely desires better understanding among people of our earth. Above all, I have witnessed SNHU faculty and staff provide the kind of extraordinary caring that builds community, changes lives for the better, and offers hope for our often otherwise conflicted world.”

— Diane Dugan ’85 President’s Circle member, Founders Society member

Become involved in Planned Giving!

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

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