KSC has seen some notable changes this semester. From the Hungry Owl moving locations to the rebranding of the Office of Student Diversity, Belonging, and Equity, the campus continues to evolve and change with each year.
Melinda Treadwell, the president of KSC, shared some insight into how she and her team are handling the changes being made at the college this semester and the reasoning behind them, touching upon the recent cuts to funding as well.
“For FY26, the budget cut is about half of what it will be for FY27 for Keene State,” Treadwell said. “It’s clearly something we were disappointed to see come through the legislature. Something that we’ve gotten really good at, though, is adapting to the realities of COVID[-19] or other sorts of financial surprises. This last fiscal year, we were right there, on balance, and it’s frustrating to feel the state funding erode a little bit.”
Treadwell added there are plans to get back on track.
“We submitted a budget that will get us back on margin and so there’s just a lot of continued work. And we’re glad that enrollment continues to look like it’s coming in where we budgeted, because that is not something we really have to contend with. It’s really just looking at this year and next year and the ways we as a campus can respond and what’s a way the system can respond.”
Treadwell also addressed the DEI rebrand on campus and Community and Belonging’s future.
“For diversity, equity and inclusion, if we look at our last strategic plan, there’s a higher strategic pillar on inclusion and well-being. When certain executive orders started moving through, we’ve had a lot of campus conversations about the fact that we believe that a critical element of our mission is to be a campus of welcoming, a campus of inclusion and a place where all faculty, staff, and students feel supported and welcome,” Treadwell said.
“I think you’ll see we’ve got NSSE survey results that are coming in, we just got the draft, and our student satisfaction rates are very high,” Treadwell went on. “And I think that’s a statement of how much everyone on this campus is focused on making sure students can have an experience where their dreams can be fulfilled.”
Treadwell added that she and her team have had conversations regarding any future legislation that might come up, and that she is “very confident we are fully compliant” with the new legislation.
In regard to Granite Valley Preparatory leasing the Joslin House, Treadwell expressed wanting to make Keene a “hub of educational opportunity.”
“It [the collaboration] started, now, over eight years ago, when I first came in as president,” Treadwell said. “At Keene, with the history that I had here, I feel like Keene needed better ecosystems of education, and I’ve been very public about the fact that educational access and opportunities should be a collaborative partnership amongst multiple parties. We have longstanding relationships with our public K-12 schools.”
“We’re making very evident the quality of education that is available here and the seamlessness with which students can come out of high school and come to Keene State.”
Treadwell added that she wants Granite Valley Prep to have the same opportunities and resources as public schools, and that it “made good sense” to go through with the partnership, since Joslin wasn’t in use for the college.
“What I’m hearing these past three days are all positive things,” Treadwell said. “I’m hoping that will continue.”
Treadwell ended by discussing some of the upcoming events and the ways in which the KSC community tries to help incoming students adapt to life at the college.
“I think that having our students get involved and a part of something makes a huge difference, because then they form a community, bigger than themselves,” Treadwell went on. “And those first few weeks are the hardest to acclimate, so I love the involvement fair. I appreciate all the things we’re doing with orientation, and the students who get hooked into some programs here are the ones who will stay.”
Chloe Erno can be contacted at
cerno@kscequinox.com
