Dear Colleagues,
As the fall terms close at Granite State College and the University of New Hampshire, we want to provide an update on the ongoing, future-focused work on the merger of our two institutions.
As highlighted in our last?update, a dozen working groups were formed to analyze and plan for the integration of academic and non-academic functions. Guided by the overarching?goals of the merger?and their individual charters, each working group is engaged in detailed planning that will eventually form an implementation plan for execution in 2022.
We want to take this opportunity to share an early accomplishment from the working group focused on governance, IPEDS, structure and accreditation. The recommendations of this group, which have been endorsed by the Merger Leadership Team chaired by Provost Wayne Jones, are an important factor in the work of the other merger working groups. The full document from the governance working group can be found?here.
Highlights of the recommendations include:
- Merge GSC and UNH Manchester (UNHM) into a single college of professional studies (UNH-CPS) consisting of two divisions:
- Granite State College Division (GSC Division)?– This division will house the existing online undergraduate academic programs (including the GSC School of Education), post- baccalaureate and certain current continuing and professional education programs at GSC. It will also include support functions that are tightly linked to the delivery of adult undergraduate programs and associated student support services.
- Manchester Division?– This division will house the existing undergraduate, certificate, and graduate programs of UNHM plus the online graduate certificate and degree programs of GSC. It will initially house the support functions that currently exist within UNHM.?
- UNH-CPS will be the working name of the new college but will be subject to further discussion among university leadership and recommendations from the Branding and Marketing Working Group.
- UNH Manchester will remain the campus name and continue to host UNH Durham graduate programs.
- UNH Online will support the online program needs of all UNH colleges. It will operate as a cost center within the university and not house academic programs or faculty.?
- A Continuing and Professional Education (C&PE) governance and organizational structure will house non-credit continuing and professional education programs, contract programs provided by third parties, and market and coordinate programs housed by other UNH colleges or schools.
- All UNH colleges (including UNH-CPS) will operate within a single NECHE accreditation regime.
- UNH-CPS will have a unique IPEDS code separate from UNH Durham and will include all undergraduate and graduate programs within the college.
- UNH-CPS will be responsible for governance of programs within the college and be accountable to the UNH provost for undergraduate programs and to the UNH Graduate Council for graduate programs.
- Admissions standards, graduation requirements, general education standards and tuition rates for the GSC Division are market-based and will remain unchanged.
We look forward to providing additional updates to the community in the new year. ?In particular, we plan to hold an open forum in January where university leadership will provide updates and an opportunity for issues and questions to be raised and discussed.
James W. Dean, Jr.
President
Wayne Jones
Provost
Mike Decelle
Dean of UNH Manchester and GSC
Scott Stanley
Dean of Online Learning
