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All together now: Supporting New Hampshire’s public higher education

By JOHN LYNCH - Guest Columnist | Feb 20, 2021

Public higher education in New Hampshire and nationwide is facing great challenges. Student enrollment is declining, and current demographic trends suggest the problem will only worsen in the years ahead. Costs are rising, and institutions of all sizes and disciplines are working to control them by implementing operational changes to improve efficiencies. The pandemic has dramatically heightened the problem, increasing financial pressures as institutions stand up to support state and community health needs while continuing to safely educate students on campus and online.

That’s why I was very pleased to learn that Governor Sununu’s budget proposal will unite our state’s public colleges and universities under one organization called the New Hampshire College and University System. For years, our 11 public institutions have operated as two systems, the Community College System of New Hampshire (CCSNH) and the University System of New Hampshire (USNH). CCSNH supports seven community colleges throughout our state, while USNH comprises the University of New Hampshire, Plymouth State University, Keene State College and Granite State College.

Together, CCSNH and USNH serve nearly 60,000 students but, in many ways, they are 11 institutions operating independently and often competing for these students. It is time to shake up this outdated model and build a stronger, more streamlined approach. The future of New Hampshire’s workforce development and overall economy depend on it.

Though the announcement’s timing surprised some, this discussion has been ongoing for 20 years. More recently, a joint USNH-CCSNH committee has been exploring ways to improve coordination between the two systems.

Currently USNH and CCSNH are each operating without official chancellors. Financial pressures continue to mount for all institutions as pandemic uncertainty reigns. UNH President James Dean recently announced COVID-19 has cost UNH approximately $40 million. Every college or university is grappling with finances and we must come together to maximize savings wherever we can. This is the right thing to do and the pandemic has accelerated the need. And now is the time.

While I am a UNH alumnus and a former chairman of the board of USNH, as Governor, I was a strong supporter of the Community Colleges, always striving to fully fund their operating and capital needs and acutely aware of how they have changed the lives of so many New Hampshire citizens. I have always been struck by the importance of the diversity of missions and capabilities across our 11 institutions, and I am convinced that merging our two systems will better enable us to preserve those elements and serve all regions of our state.

Most important, uniting USNH and CCSNH will greatly benefit those directly served, the students. Public higher education’s mission is to assure the availability of appropriate and affordable higher education to all New Hampshire people. One system will bolster that, reducing costs to relieve financial pressures faced by students, parents and the colleges and universities. I know from my time as Governor that reducing costs and improving quality are not inconsistent with each other if done well.

One fully integrated system will make it easier for students to create their own pathways toward a high-quality education, from technical certificates to advanced graduate degrees to programs for lifelong learning and professional growth. Allowing students to take courses toward their degree from any of our 11 public institutions gives them flexibility on where and when they study and prepare for their careers. It puts the decision-making process of where to enroll and how to select a degree program squarely in the hands of students. I have always believed we should do this. And with the immediate switch to online learning last spring, technology has expanded the ways in which classic content and learning is delivered, beyond physical classrooms.

Developing seamless pathways between CCSNH and USNH programs has already begun. For example, all USNH institutions are successfully partnering with CCSNH on co-locating classrooms or collaborating on degree pathways in nursing and other fields. Merging each system will allow for more of this kind of sensible collaboration.

A single New Hampshire College and University System responds to our rapidly changing world by simplifying our public higher education offerings and giving students the flexibility to pursue their dreams in their own way.

Colleges and Universities are businesses, too, and successful organizations constantly ask themselves, “What do our customers want and need?” The answers evolve over time, and our system of higher education is evolving to meet its customer’s needs today and into the future.

John Lynch was the 80th governor of New Hampshire, serving from 2005-2013.

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