’Round the Granite State

PEOPLE THE WORLD OVER KNOW New Hampshire for its beautiful mountains, lakes and forests, charming small towns and vibrant cities and a robust economy, which consistently place it at the top of national rankings for quality of life. So, it’s not too surprising that 12.8 million visitors came to New Hampshire in 2021 — more than nine times our state’s population — and spent more than $5.5 billion.

But on a two-day tour of the state with other UNH leaders last fall, what stood out most for me is how resourceful, innovative and hard-working Granite Staters are — not only at solving the biggest challenges in their regions, but also at creating new opportunities that are improving local lives and economies.

In early November, we set out on a 300-mile road trip, with nine stops in eight communities, from the Seacoast and Lakes Region to the North Country and central New Hampshire. Along the way, we met more than 100 Granite Staters from all walks of life and an almost dizzying array of businesses, state and federal agencies and community organizations.

Our trip reflected UNH’s focus on “Embrace New Hampshire” — one of four strategic priorities that drive our major initiatives across the university. While our founding mission has always been rooted in the state of New Hampshire, this commits us to redoubling our efforts to make everyone in New Hampshire incredibly proud of their flagship public university. Funding for the trip came from former USNH trustee John Small ’76, who says his passion is to have residents here “better understand just what a gem we have in UNH.”

Our first stop found us taking a boat onto Great Bay, where we met oyster farmers and UNH marine researchers working to clean up the estuary and grow fresh oysters for restaurants and markets. Over the next 36 hours, we hiked around Echo Lake State Park, took walking tours of downtown revitalization projects in Rochester and Franklin, saw how Conway’s Kennett High School is training students for careers in travel and tourism, heard how Littleton Regional Healthcare is improving access for rural residents, learned how Rogue Space Systems is building a satellite technology start-up in Laconia and, finally, met Chuck and Diane Souther at their thriving Apple Hill Orchard in Concord.

The common thread to the success of these diverse stops? Partnerships with UNH.

When I moved to New Hampshire, I was told that public-private and state-federal partnerships are at the heart of New Hampshire’s success; to see it in person across so many different regions and sectors is both remarkable and inspiring.

Although I travel frequently across the state, this was the first time university leaders (including Provost Wayne Jones, Senior Vice Provost Marian McCord and Vice Provost of Outreach and Engagement and UNH Extension Director Ken La Valley) were able to travel together to hear how our partnerships are working across the state, meet with local leaders and brainstorm ways we can work together to address their unique challenges.

“UNH is your university,” I shared with 60 community leaders at a Shelburne forum. “We’re dedicated to working for everyone in New Hampshire, so we really want to hear your ideas about how we can work together to make our state even better and stronger.”

The response was astounding. Within 30 minutes, we collected dozens of ideas and proposals in areas where UNH could offer research, expertise and resources to address local issues: In the North Country, broadband access is still lacking in some areas. There and in other communities with outdoor recreation opportunities that attract tourists we heard about the need to balance increased tourism with the protection of natural resources. In every community, employers reported a shortage of skilled workers, adding that the high cost of housing is a barrier to recruiting employees, even for good-paying jobs.

It was inspiring to hear from so many local, state, federal and nonprofit leaders who appreciate, and count on, UNH to create partnerships and provide resources to solve these challenges.

Our team is already talking about ways we can do more, from providing data to help local officials make public policy decisions to research expertise that will help high schools design courses to prepare students for promising careers in local industries.

As the state’s flagship public university, we take tremendous pride in serving the Granite State.

And while our Embrace New Hampshire goal is to work hard to make everyone in New Hampshire incredibly proud of their flagship public university, we travelers came away incredibly proud of, and grateful for, the hardworking people of New Hampshire.