Keene State College’s Interim President Donald Birx, who also serves Plymouth State’s campus, made an appearance at the student assembly meeting on Nov. 18 to answer questions regarding the leadership change.
One question sent to Birx in advance asked how he planned on dividing the workload between both campuses and how he planned to make them feel supported.
Birx’s response was, “I have no idea. I’m just trying to do what I can when I get down here. I was here on Friday, Monday and Tuesday, and then for the Trustee meeting. I’ll try to come as much as I can. I told Melinda [Treadwell] when she talked me into this that I can’t be in two places at once, because it’s just impossible.”
Birx said that despite this, he doesn’t want students to feel that he’s not within reach, and there is “more to come” as he continues in this new role.
Birx was at the faculty meeting on Nov. 14, as well as a meeting with the Manufacturing Association the morning of Nov. 18. Birx said he met with groups of faculty and staff and that there have been many discussions about continuing Treadwell’s vision for KSC.
“This is a great liberal arts college. What we want to build from that are skill sets based around the liberal arts. The first five or ten years after getting a liberal arts degree- they’re tough. So I figured, let’s find a skill set that goes with what you’re studying,” Birx said. He continued, “I’m also going to work more on the applied programs that we have, to build those up. I want to try to link some ways to make it so those in this liberal arts community can build around their majors.”
Representative Nathan Hope brought several questions with him to the meeting to ask on behalf of students who sent them in.
One student wanted to know how KSC would remain distinct when so many essential curriculum programs were suffering from the recent faculty losses. In response, Birx said, “What every institution has to do right now is figure out what areas they emphasize. What is Keene State known for, in terms of liberal arts? The goal would be to try and make sure we maintain strength in those areas. The reality is, you can’t do everything. The situation you’re [KSC] in, is that you don’t have the funding for things.”
Birx said that Plymouth’s way of combating this was to bring the liberal arts together in such a way that they’re still able to have strong programs with less faculty. He said it may be tough, but it’s an objective that is worth shooting for. He also said that the school will have to be known for some areas alongside giving some up.
“That is the reality of it. You can’t be everything to everybody in this day and age. But what makes Keene [State] distinctive? It doesn’t have to mean you do away with everything, it means that you have to put your resources and energy into the areas that can make it distinctive,” Birx said.
Another question from a student asked how Birx planned on working to ensure KSC stays “the public liberal arts college” of New Hampshire.
In response, Birx said, “I think two things. One is, I think that’s a great distinction, and I think Keene should keep that. But, I don’t think that’s the only thing the school should be known for. I really don’t.” He continued, “What are we saying, how are we training students to come out so they’ve got the ability to immediately attract companies, universities or non profits? It’s more than being ‘the’ public liberal arts college. I think that distinction is an indistinction, I don’t think it’s enough.”
Birx ended his visit by encouraging the student assembly to invite him back at any time. He shared that he often sits in on student meetings at Plymouth, and will do the same at KSC if requested.
In addition to Birx’s appearance, Keri Lewis, Coordinator for Student Organizations and Leadership, also spoke. Lewis intended on appearing at two previous meetings but was unable to do so due to other commitments.
Lewis said that her role primarily focuses on supporting fraternities and sororities at Keene and the various clubs and organizations that the assembly recognizes. “It’s an important partnership for us to work together, so I’m excited to be here with you all,” she said.
Lewis showcased some analytic data from OwlNet, the online student portal that acts as a resource for those looking to be or currently involved on campus. Lewis said that she thinks it’s underutilized and wants to work with the assembly to support students through it.
OwlNet is often used to track attendance at events, such as Monadnock Therapy Pets, by taking a student’s name and I.D. number at the check in point. It then breaks down the specifics of the students checking in at events, such as student athletes or whether someone is a commuter or resident on campus. This gives the Office of Student Involvement the opportunity to analyze their own capabilities and figure out ways to get certain categories of students engaged based on the numbers that come up representing them.
Lewis said that a challenge OwlNet faces is inaccurate roster data. She explained that many organizations contain information from students who have graduated or dropped from the organization, which makes it difficult to determine how many people are really involved on campus.
Another challenge is students not getting scanned in for events. This can lead to issues with the Budget Committee, as they won’t be provided with data that can assist in determining the financials and budgets for clubs, events and organizations.
“I ask for your support to continue the conversation on how we can use this tool to better serve our students. To better ask those questions about who’s engaging, who isn’t engaging, who’s not on one of these membership rosters. We do need your help and student organization leaders help to keep things up to date,” Lewis said.
Representative Joshua O’Neill asked if there was a way to see how many Greek Life members were involved with events through OwlNet. Lewis said that the Office of Student Involvement would have to ask IT for that type of information, as they’re the ones who pull the data and move it to OwlNet, but she thought it would be valuable to show it in a more accessible way.
Lewis also said it was possible for any organization to keep track of who’s attending their events via check-in process by registering the events themselves through OwlNet.
“If you want to keep track of who’s buying things, or attending, to like, enter to win a prize or something, you can just type in their student I.D. number. Faculty and staff are in the system as well, so you can also check them in,” she said.
Representatives from the Keene State Cyber Security Club brought their constitution ready for approval to the meeting as well. They said they want to start the club for those interested in cyber security, to give them a space to discuss current events, threats in the field, learn hands-on skills in a secure lab setting and support one another as a community.
Chris, one of the students proposing the club’s approval, said that cyber security touches every field in today’s world, and that he believes this club will help KSC students gain experience, confidence and career skills. While the club will have an academic advisor, it is intended to be self-taught and group guided, with the club members growing, teaching and learning from each other.
The constitution was approved, and the Cyber Security Club will now be listed as an official organization at Keene State College.
KSC Alum and City Councilor Jacob Favolise ‘25 gave Jen Ferrell some news to share with the assembly regarding repairs to the Ashuelot Recreational Rail Trail.
According to Favolise, the city of Keene was awarded $80,000, with a $20,000 local match from a state grant program, to repair the trail’s Trestle Bridge. This comes as a result of repeated complaints from constituents about the deteriorating conditions and a “long-championed project” from Favolise.
On Nov. 18, there were 17 individual staff reductions sent out and 8 left vacant, with a total of 25 positions removed. While some faculty and staff were anticipating the decision, ultimately, it was not something shared in advance. Ferrell said this is just another portion of the financial reality KSC finds themselves in while trying to figure out the right path forward.
This was done to push Keene back into their target range for balancing the school’s budget. This decision came after this year’s state budget cuts, and will prepare the school for the loss of additional funding going into the following year.
“The hope is that the staff reductions are not broadly impactful to students,” Ferrell said. She continued, “It will be a transitional time, with everybody kind of moving forward with the new state of things.”
Ferrell said that while she can’t share the complete scope of staff affected, she’s open to responding to any questions or concerns if students have them.
Samantha Menard can be contacted at
Hope is the managing executive editor of The Equinox and was not involved in the process of writing or editing this Equinox article.
