Dear Members of the UNH Community,
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I am writing to share with you action taken by the University System of New Hampshire board of trustees earlier today. ?
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As you may know, the USNH chancellor role has been vacant since Todd Leach departed in June 2021.?Since then, the board and administrative leadership have carefully considered how to assure the preservation of each campus’s mission and the economic stability and growth of our collective system.
Today, the board voted to combine the existing but vacant chancellor’s position with my role as the president of UNH on an interim basis. Effective immediately, I will serve as both president of the university and interim chancellor of the system through June 30, 2024, during which time the board will evaluate the efficacy of the combined new position and the ongoing needs of the university system.
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Over the past few years, UNH has taken a growing leadership role in various ways across the university system and this expanded role is a continuation of that. I have been chairing the administrative board for the past 20 months and Provost Jones has been chairing the system council of provosts. In addition, UNH, on behalf of the system, has taken on a leadership role for IT, business services and safety and security. Given the scope and size of UNH relative to the rest of the system, UNH can provide leadership and scale to initiatives and services that benefit us and the rest of the system.
I look forward to continuing the work we have been doing in this expanded role and thank all of you for the work you’ve done and will continue to do.
James W. Dean Jr.
President
