Hunter Oberst
News Editor
New Hampshire colleges are collaborating in an effort to better education, state workforce and economic development in the state.
Schools from the University System of New Hampshire (USNH) and Community College System of New Hampshire (CCSNH) began discussions on this topic about a year-and-a-half ago. Keene State College President Melinda Treadwell said a synergies team was formed to tackle this new initiative. That team was made up of herself, Granite State College President Mark Rubinstein, Nashua Community College President Lucille Jordan and River Valley Community College President Alfred Williams. These presidents were joined by the chancellors of each system, a board member from each system, an IT team, legal counsel and academic advising.
“We want less competition in schools and more collaboration to support these workforces,” said President Rubinstein of Granite State.
“It’s to try to look at the ways we can make our systems work together and make it seamless for students,” Treadwell said. “It doesn’t matter where you start or where you end or how you reenter. How do we make it easy wherever students want to be?”
Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Keene State Ockle Johnson said these discussions predate any consideration of merging the USNH and CCSNH.
President Treadwell said the team began by looking at areas where they can collaborate to allow more academic opportunities for students, and better, the state. The team found that the state needs more workers in allied health disciplines as well as a greater focus on mental health and wellbeing including a greater focus on substance misuse. Additionally, the team has a business and industry focus to establish additional credentialing for the state workforce around precision manufacturing.
“It’s those three areas of work because they’re the biggest needs in our state right now for career trajectory and I think they’re things we can contribute to,” Treadwell said.
This new initiative isn’t just aimed at helping current college students, but is also aimed at establishing better academic pathways for future students and even former graduates.
“What we’re trying to create is for students in highschool, how do you accelerate into an associate or bachelor’s degree in any of those disciplines,” Treadwell asked. “And if you’re an employee and you want to go into a different industry, we’re building different pathways for people to move into a different career track.
Faculty and professors from colleges and universities from around the state have also met to share their ideas, goals and experiences in their respective curriculums. President Rubinstein said this is part of the Mellon Foundation-funded Humanities Collaborative.
“It’s so that there is a better foundation and no matter where you start, you are able to progress.”
The new initiative also aims to make the transition for students from one school to another more seamless through transfer of comparable academic credentials. Rubenstein said schools in the state have begun looking closer at comparable courses from different schools to see if they elicit similar learning progression. He added this is so that students won’t have to retake courses that they already have the learning experience from which will save time and money.
“The issue is not just with the transfer of credits but with the learning behind it,” Rubinstein said. “Are these classes actually comparable and properly aligned? Does it provide the right foundation for students to progress and not have to retake classes?”
Rubinstein added education should be made accessible to all regardless of their background. “Not everyone can start in the same place but learning shouldn’t be segregated,” Rubinstein said.
Johnson said he thinks this collaboration between schools can benefit everyone.
“The focus for all is what’s best for students in the state and future students,” Johnson said. “Each institution can focus on what it does best which is something highly desirable. Different students will take different pathways and it’s important for us to provide different opportunities for students to achieve their goals.”
President Treadwell said the team met recently to discuss what they can accomplish now. She added that she hopes these plans will develop further this summer.
Hunter Oberst can be contacted at:
news@kscequinox.com
