The campus found itself rocked the last few days by the news of the departure of not only its Provost Emile Netzhammer, but also President Helen Giles-Gee.
During Netzhammer’s six years and Giles-Gee’s seven years here, Keene State College has developed a variety of new majors, including architecture, environmental studies, and nursing.
KSC has also created new educational programs to aid students in their quantitative, critical thinking and the application of theory toward other educational areas.
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Educationally the college has flourished during Netzhammer and Giles-Gee’s time here, earning Keene State College several national recognitions for its educational and economical value for students, including two consecutive years ranked as one of U.S. News and World’s Top Schools in the North.
Some of these achievements lead to a record enrollment of 5,738 in the fall of 2008.
It is not just Keene’s educational and economic value that has grown; KSC’s work with not only the Keene community, but also the NH academic community has also improved.
Keene has seen buildings sprouting up across the city specifically designed for housing students. Keene State College has also been working with SAU 29, River View Community College and the Greater Keene Chamber of Commerce on the Regional Center for Advanced Manufacturing, which aids in educating citizens for the regional manufacturing jobs.
The absence of Keene State College’s most important and most influential members of the administration is sure to leave a large hole in the landscape of the Keene State community.
Replacing either one of these figures will be a long and daunting process, one that could leave us without a permanent president or provost until the 2013-2014 school year.
Keene State is suffering a great loss with the departure of both of these well-liked members of the administration.
Hopefully whoever ultimately permanently replaces them will continue their streak of success for the Keene State College community.