For Immediate Release
Contact:
Matthew Cookson, 603-862-0904 Matt.cookson@usnh.edu
Presidential Search Committee Announces that Dr. Mark Huddleston is a Finalist for University of New Hampshire Presidency
Dr. Huddleston will participate in April 10-11 public campus forums
April 5, 2007 – LEE, NH – The search committee charged with recommending candidates for the presidency at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) has announced that Dr. Mark Huddleston will be the next finalist to participate in public meetings on campus. Dr. Huddleston, who currently serves as president of Ohio Wesleyan University, will meet with students, faculty, staff, and members of the community in Durham and Manchester on April 10 and 11.
Dr. Mark Huddleston was born and raised in Syracuse, New York, and received his bachelor’s degree in political science from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He received both a master’s degree and Ph.D. in political science from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Dr. Huddleston returned to SUNY-Buffalo as an assistant professor of political science in 1977. He then joined the faculty of the University of Delaware in 1980, where he remained for the next 24 years. Dr. Huddleston chaired the Department of Political Science and International Relations and served as associate provost for international programs. He was named dean of the College of Arts and Sciences in 2001 and served in that capacity until he was named president of Ohio Wesleyan University in 2004. An author of numerous books and articles, Dr. Huddleston has been active as a consultant for both the U.S. government and international organizations. He also served as an advisor in Bosnia on rebuilding financial and administrative infrastructures after the Dayton accords.
The curriculum vitae for Dr. Huddleston is available online. In addition, copies of the CV will be available for review at the Dimond Library reference desk in Durham and at the UNH-Manchester library.
As New Hampshire’s public university system, USNH presidential searches have included a public phase once a finalist has been selected. This allows for an opportunity for faculty, staff, students, and members of the community to meet and interact with all finalists. Dr. Huddleston will be the third finalist to visit UNH during this search.
Dr. Huddleston will spend two days visiting with the UNH Durham and UNH Manchester communities. He will be participating in large and small group meetings, as well as one-on-one meetings. Several of these meetings are open forums and provide opportunities for the university’s many constituencies to hear from and interact with him.
"The search committee has focused on the top candidates, done our due diligence, and the committee believes that Dr. Huddleston is the best candidate to move forward at this time," said Edward Dupont, vice chair of the USNH Board of Trustees and chair of the search committee. n"The public campus visit is the next step in the process and will provide us with valuable input from campus community members who participate in these forums."
The schedule for the open forums is as follows:
Tuesday, April 10
12:40 to 2:00 pm – Open Forum for Faculty, Room 115, Richards Auditorium, Murkland Hall
4:00 to 5:30 pm – Open Meeting for UNH Manchester Community, UNH Manchester Auditorium
Wednesday, April 11
10:30 a.m. to 12 Noon – Open Forum for UNH Campus Community and Staff, Room 1925, Elliott Alumni Center
1:30 to 3:00 pm – Open Forum for Students, Room 330/332, Memorial Union Building
4:30 to 6:30 pm – Open Reception for the Campus Community, Great Bay Room, New England Center
Members of the campus community are strongly encouraged to participate in these open forums and provide feedback through comment cards that will be available on site. For those individuals who are unable to attend, one open forum with this candidate will be videotaped and made available for viewing, either on DVD/VHS tape or online.
UNH Interim President J. Bonnie Newman has been serving in this capacity since the departure of former President Ann Weaver Hart in June 2006. The 13-member search committee was appointed by the USNH Board of Trustees shortly after President Hart left office.