Committee Named for Granite State College Presidential Search

October 29, 2009 –LEE, NH – University System of New Hampshire (USNH) Board of Trustees Chairman Edward Dupont announced the members of the search committee that will be working over the next several months to help select the successor to Granite State College President Karol LaCroix. He commended Dr. LaCroix for her strong leadership of Granite State College during a challenging time that included a name change, redefined mission, greater focus on online learning, and a restructuring of its physical presence across New Hampshire. Dr. LaCroix has served in this capacity since August 2004 and will be retiring as of June 30, 2010.

Chairman Dupont has appointed the following ten individuals to the committee:

George Epstein, Search Committee Chair, currently the Vice Chair of the USNH Board of Trustees and Chair of the Echo Group
Wayne Churchill, Student
Ty Gagne, Alumnus
Marie Gross, Former USNH Trustee and Member of the General Public
Peter Lamb, USNH Trustee and Senior Philanthropic Advisor for the NH Charitable Foundation
Mary Beth Lufkin, Director of Marketing
Elaine Millen, Associate Dean of the North Country Region
Mike Moroukian, Dean of Educational Technology and Computing
Lisa Shawney, Dean of Finance and Administration
Jim Trotzer, Resource Faculty Member in Behavioral Science

“I want to thank these individuals for agreeing to serve on this search committee. The presidential selection process is one of the most important responsibilities of the Board of Trustees and I am confident that these ten individuals will be highly involved and engaged in the process of recommending a qualified and capable successor to Dr. LaCroix,” Chairman Dupont said.

“Dr. LaCroix will leave a stronger, larger and more effective and efficient Granite State College in 2010. We as trustees were very pleased to hear her report at our recent Board meeting that enrollment for the summer was 18 percent higher than the previous year and 15 percent higher for this fall as compared to 2008. This is just one testament to the fine work she has done here since 2004 and something that her successor can build on,” he added.

The makeup of the committee conforms to the Trustees’ practice of having representation from the principal groups that comprise a college or university community. The process will be defined in greater detail over the coming months and the Committee will be charged with making final recommendations to the Board in the spring so a successor can be in place during the summer of 2010. The committee will hold its first meeting on Monday, November 2. Information and updates on the search process can be found on the Granite State College website at www.granite.edu.

About Granite State College:
Granite State College is one of the four institutions of the University System of New Hampshire with a primary mission of being the system's statewide college for adults and leader in delivering online education. For more than 30 years, people balancing responsibilities such as work and family have discovered the Granite State College advantage - affordable, innovative, convenient access to higher education.
Accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Granite State College offers associate and bachelor degrees, post-baccalaureate programs for teacher education, transfer opportunities, and 100% online degree programs. With nine academic centers located throughout the state, student-centered advising, credit for prior learning, and convenient day, evening, and weekend class schedules - Granite State College is within your reach. www.granite.edu

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