Christopher Navin photo.
Last August 21st, I announced that I will step down as president at the end of June, allowing the University System of New Hampshire Board of Trustees time to conduct a national search for my successor. Within minutes of the mid-morning announcement, a cooper’s hawk perched on my car, attracting a crowd, including photographers. Then the hawk flew to the extension outside my third-floor window, where it stood quietly through the afternoon, again drawing attention. However people interpreted that hawk, whether as coincidence or metaphor, its presence marked the moment in a surprisingly moving way.
Leadership is not a solo, but an ensemble performance in which people work together. I am proud of what the people of the Plymouth State community have achieved over the past nearly nine years.
Innovative world-class faculty members have developed strong academic programs that are focused on our mission and responsive to needs of students, employers, and the state in fields from environmental science and professional sales leadership to nursing, heritage studies, tourism, and more.
Technology has changed the way faculty members teach, expanding opportunities for creativity. Undergraduate and graduate programs are available online, increasing access for students.
PSU enjoys a thriving Doctor of Education program, with 75 impressive candidates now preparing to serve New Hampshire and New England. A much-needed Doctor of Physical Therapy program soon will be launched.
Plymouth State’s regional impact has extended through outstanding work by the Centers for the Environment, for Rural Partnerships, and for Active Living and Healthy Communities. These centers promote healthy places, healthy economies, and healthy people through increased faculty and student research. Award-winning programs in the arts and humanities enhance PSU’s cultural outreach.
And PSU students in majors across the campus increasingly participate in hands-on, minds-on experiential learning, doing real-world projects that increase the depth of their education, setting them apart when they seek professional positions, and at the same time serving our important partners—businesses, government, schools, and nonprofits.
PSU’s Enterprise Center at Plymouth, a small-business incubator and accelerator in partnership with the Grafton County Economic Development Council, creates opportunities for students and new jobs for the area. The Museum of the White Mountains, promoting the region’s history and culture, attracts thousands of visitors and offers PSU additional resources for critical thinking and academic engagement.
Plymouth State’s international presence has extended, with dozens of partnerships, an office in China, and a campus Center for Global Engagement to help all students strengthen their global understanding. I was pleased to be recognized by New Hampshire Magazine as one of its seven Women of the World because of PSU’s heightened international profile.
Similarly, PSU has been recognized as one of the nation’s most environmentally responsible institutions of higher education, an achievement due, again, to many people’s contributions.
PSU’s living and learning environment has evolved in ways consistent with sustainability and with twenty-first-century living and learning needs. Mary Lyon Residence Hall has been remodeled for sustainability and historic preservation, and it, Langdon Woods Residential Complex, and the Savage Welcome Center and Hanaway Rink have won awards for sustainable design. The campus acquired Highland Hall and developed PSU-Concord to meet the needs of the growing graduate learning community. Samuel Read Hall Building is being remodeled for additional STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) programs and the Hartman Union Building for expanded technology and dining.
This year will be an exciting one, with ALLWell North, a wonderful building for PSU’s future, under construction, and a new strategic plan, Focus 2020, now being implemented. Both initiatives will enhance student success. I want to complete the Imagine A Way fund-raising campaign that, to date, has raised $18,300,000 to support students and the campus, with a goal of $20,000,000 by the year’s end. I hope that you will join me in achieving that goal.
Janet E. Ames photo.
At Plymouth State, people concentrate on student success. Like the hawk with which I opened this introduction, PSU will continue this year and beyond to emphasize what matters, look to the horizon, and soar.
Sara Jayne Steen, President
