University System of New Hampshire Announces New Initiatives to Enhance Connections with the Business Community

Business survey results call for more centralized access and interaction

May 18, 2006 –LEE, NH – The University System of New Hampshire (USNH) is implementing several new initiatives that will make it easier for businesses to learn more about the System and its institutions, and connect and partner with the institutions. The four USNH colleges and universities have named individuals to serve as business liaisons on behalf of their organization, and efforts are underway to establish specific points of entry into all four institutions through a centralized call center and web site.

“Higher education institutions are structured in a way that is not often easy to navigate, due to their many points of entry and the numerous constituencies they serve. While we have many terrific relationships with businesses across the System, we want to simplify the process and let the entire business community know that we want our institutions to be their partners of choice,” said USNH Chancellor Stephen Reno.

“These enhancements, as well as others, are being carried out to help ensure that our institutions and our system as a whole can be easily accessed so we can foster partnerships that will benefit our economy, create more internships and partnerships, and share our expertise with the citizens of the state,” he added.

These changes are part of ongoing efforts to enhance relations and improve connections with organizations across New Hampshire and are also in response to feedback received through a recent survey of the business community. USNH, in partnership with students at the Whittemore School of Business and Economics at the University of New Hampshire, developed the survey in consultation with business leaders across the state. During the fall, they surveyed businesses to gain greater input on the relationship between the business community and USNH. A total of 143 business leaders, of which more than half were CEOs, responded.

The major survey findings were as follows:

Over half of the business respondents have a connection to USNH and its institutions, either as a student, alumni, parent, lecturer, donor, or through other means.
Of those that have had a connection with USNH, more than half stated that USNH did a good or excellent job providing educational skills to meet the needs of business, but a significant number of respondents believe USNH institutions can do more to meet the needs of business.
Nearly a third of the respondents have had an intern from one of the institutions and half would like more information on how to create an internship.
Those who had experiences with USNH graduates were very pleased with them, however almost a third of respondents had not employed or worked with a USNH graduates.
While almost half of the respondents state that they did not experience obstacles connecting with USNH institutions, those who did cited point of access and limited follow up after contact.
Half of the respondents believe that USNH could do a better job providing information about the institutions and their roles in their communities.
Cost is the number one barrier for employers in providing education and training. The majority of respondents stated they offered some level of tuition reimbursement.
Respondents also stated that they would like to learn more about the institutions in terms of technology innovations and internship programs through the web and through associations, including the chambers of commerce, the Business and Industry Association, and the High Technology Council.

To simplify the process of connecting with an institution, the presidents of the USNH institutions recently named business liaisons, and Matt Cookson, associate vice chancellor of external relations, will fill this role for the system office. The liaisons will take on this new responsibility immediately and are as follows:

Barney Keenan, Granite State College Dean of External Programs & University Centers, 603-447-3970, Bernard.keenan@granite.edu
Christine King, Academic & Career Advising-Career Specialist, 603-358-2067, cking2@keene.edu, and Mary Pleasanton, Job Developer, Academic & Career Advising, 603-358-2462, mpleasanton@keene.edu
Stephen Barba, Plymouth State University Executive Director of University Relations, 603-535-3268, sbarba@plymouth.edu
John Aber, University of New Hampshire Vice President for Research and Public Service (with additional representatives named for each of the colleges that comprise UNH), 603-862-1948, john.aber@unh.edu

In addition, the newly launched Project Access Call Center run through Granite State College will expand its role to serve as a centralized referral service. It can be accessed through a toll free phone number and as a web site that will include links to areas and topics that will be of the greatest level of interest for businesses, and the ability to e-mail questions to call center staff. These functions will have a level of accountability and feedback built into them and communications will be tracked and provided to the liaisons. The business access component is expected to launch in September. “The survey of New Hampshire businesses clearly shows that many business owners don’t know how to access the resources available within the University System of New Hampshire. The rapid response to the survey results by the university system, with the creation of one-stop business contacts at each campus, is a major step forward in generating more collaboration between business and higher education. Now, New Hampshire business owners need to use those contacts,” said Fred Kocher, president of the New Hampshire High Technology Council. USNH institutions have been developing relationships with businesses for decades and there are many successful partnerships in place. One example is the UNH Industrial Research Center, where for 15 years small businesses have been gaining extensive benefit from the professors, students, and university facilities as part of their technical grants. This year, job fairs at all institutions have seen a greater level of participation by companies, and more than 2,000 students at the institutions annually participate in some form of internship through for-credit and non-credit learning experiences. Other additional planned efforts at USNH include a print and online guide for businesses on developing and running internships, a centralized, web-based resource for learning about internship opportunities across all USNH institutions, and a continuing dialogue and greater outreach and communications efforts with membership associations and organizations in the state. A formal presentation of the survey results can be found online.About the University System of New Hampshire:

The mission of the University System of New Hampshire (USNH) is to serve the higher educational needs of the people of New Hampshire. Through its sister institutions (University of New Hampshire, Plymouth State University, Keene State College, and Granite State College), USNH presently serves almost 30,000 students.

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