Editor’s Desk

From the Editor’s Desk

efore I found my calling as a writer and editor, I spent nearly five years working at a global investment bank in New York City. While prestigious, the position was a terrible fit for me — I struggled daily to care about my work, and even when I stepped off the banking “fast track” (to the horror of my peers) to work instead in communications, few and far between were the stories I told about the bank’s activities and achievements that truly resonated with me.

Almost three decades later, I had occasion to dust off my knowledge of complex global financial institutions to write about Anne Finucane ’74, vice chairman of Bank of America and chairman of the board of Bank of America Europe. Anne is one of the most powerful women in business, and I was more than a little intimidated. But when I interviewed her over the summer, I came away struck by the depth of the bank’s commitment to using its size and its position to do good in the world — as well as Anne’s own dedication to the same causes, and her surprising sense of humor. It may well be that the banking world has changed significantly since I left it; it may also be that I worked for the wrong institution. I hope you enjoy reading about her and come away as convinced as I am that there isn’t a more deserving recipient of the university’s Social Innovator of the Year Award, an honor she will receive Dec. 1.

Jeremy Gasowski

This issue of UNH Magazine is the second that we have produced in digital-only format. We realize that the change was a dramatic one for many of our readers and appreciate immensely the energy and effort you have put into familiarizing yourself with this new medium. Please don’t forget that among the benefits the digital platform offers is the ability to register directly for events that are highlighted here — including Anne Finucane’s Social Innovator of the Year ceremony and keynote address — and to support worthy university causes such as the Student Emergency Assistance Fund, which continues to provide vital aid to students whose campus jobs and other means of income have been adversely affected by the ongoing pandemic.

And of course, I hope you’ll set aside time for this issue’s stories. I particularly encourage you to read Keith Testa’s in-depth examination of the experience of Black students, faculty and staff — a timely reflection of a critical pain point in the larger world. While there are elements of the narrative that are deeply sobering, there is also real optimism, and a number of tangible ideas for moving forward.

Kristin Waterfield Duisberg
Editor-in-chief, UNH Magazine

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