Concord, NH - The Board of Trustees of the NH Community Technical Colleges on 7/27 voted to uncouple campuses that had been administratively merged a decade ago. The move will result in each college within the Community Technical College System being led by its own President, rather than sharing a President between multiple campuses as they currently do.
"What was done a decade ago to save money has probably cost money in the long run," said Board Chair Paul Holloway of the 1995 merging of campuses. "The Community Technical Colleges have changed dramatically over the last decade. The student headcount is increasing and college operations are becoming more complex. It has become impracticable to expect focused management and an appropriate level of community involvement from a President who travels between campuses 100 miles apart. We expect uncoupling to result in better management; constructive partnerships with local industries, employers, and high schools; greater ability to bring in private sector resources; and greater attention to the needs within each region of the state," said Holloway. "We see this as an extremely positive step and an exciting development for the System."
NHCTCS Commissioner Bill Simonton said the change follows legislation passed this session giving the NHCTCS Trustees the authority to determine the organizational structure of the College System. "The Legislature and the Governor were very supportive of this change," said Simonton. "Our colleges have experienced fifty-five per cent enrollment growth in the last six years. We have more students who intend to start college with us and then transfer to a four-year school, more career-changers who need to train for a new field, more businesses sending employees to our colleges to update their skills, more place-bound individuals who need to access college locally. It is clear to anyone familiar with our System that as these colleges continue to grow as they have been doing, we need this change to help us fulfill our mission more efficiently and effectively."
The uncoupling process will begin with the assignment of current college Presidents to one campus and the appointment of Interim Presidents to the other while a search is conducted to replace the interim leaders. Currently, the merged campuses are Berlin and Laconia; Nashua and Claremont; and Manchester and Stratham/Pease. NHTI in Concord was never merged and will remain with its current President.
The Board announced the following Presidential appointments:
NHCTC-Manchester Dr. Richard Gustafson (Interim) NHCTC-Stratham/Pease Thomas Wisbey CCSNH-Berlin Katharine Eneguess NHCTC-Laconia Don Morrissey (Interim) NHCTC Claremont Dr. Susan Henderson (Interim) NHCTC-Nashua Lucille Jordan NHTI (Concord) Lynn Kilchenstein
"We are very pleased to have seasoned, talented leaders joining us as Interim Presidents. Dick Gustafson, President Emeritus of Southern NH University, Don Morrissey and Sue Henderson, both key people at their respective NHCTC institutions, will guide their colleges through an important transition year," said Simonton.
The Board plans a series of meetings with regional media to talk about local impact of the change and outline steps for the uncoupling process.
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