Southern New Hampshire University, also known as SNHU, is a
private universityPrivate universities are universities not operated by governments, although many receive public subsidies, especially in the form of tax breaks and public student loans and grants. Depending on their location, private universities may be subject to government regulation. Private universities are...
in
ManchesterManchester is the largest city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, the tenth largest city in New England, and the largest city in northern New England, an area comprising the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. It is in Hillsborough County along the banks of the Merrimack River, which...
and
Hooksett, New HampshireHooksett is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 13,451 at the 2010 census. The town is located between Manchester, the state's largest city, and Concord, the state capital...
. The university is accredited by the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education (CIHE) of the
New England Association of Schools and CollegesThe New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. is the U.S. regional accreditation association providing educational accreditation for all levels of education, from pre-kindergarten to the doctoral level, in the six-state New England region. It also provides accreditation for some...
, and also has numerous specialized accreditations for its schools and programs.
History
The university was founded in 1932 by Harry A.B. Shapiro and Gertrude Crockett Shapiro (his wife) as the
New Hampshire School of Accounting and Secretarial Science. In 1961, it was incorporated and renamed
New Hampshire College of Accounting and Commerce. The state of
New HampshireNew Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
granted the college its charter in 1963, which gave it degree-granting authority. The first associate's degrees were awarded that year, and the first bachelor's degrees were conferred in 1966. The college became a nonprofit institution under a board of trustees in September 1968, and its name was shortened to
New Hampshire College in 1969. The 1970s were a time of growth and change. The college moved from its downtown Manchester site to the now 300 acres (121.4 ha) campus on the Merrimack River in 1971. The college introduced its first
Master of Business AdministrationThe Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
program in 1974, and now almost four decades later offers more than a dozen specialized MBA programs in fields such as Forensic Accounting, Project Management, Information Technology Management, and Corporate Social Responsibility.
Campus expansion began in the mid 1990s with the construction of a new residence hall; Webster Hall, home to the School of Business; the Hospitality Center, home to the Quill (a student-run restaurant) and culinary programs; and Belknap Hall, now home to the Institute for Language Education, Public Safety, the School of Education and several university offices, including the Office of Admissions. In 1998 academic offerings expanded to include the
Ph.D.A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in community economic development and the
Doctor of Business AdministrationThe degree of Doctor of Business Administration, abbreviated, or and equivalent to , is a research doctorate in business administration. The D.B.A...
.
One of the most important events in the institution's almost 80-year history was when New Hampshire College became Southern New Hampshire University on July 1, 2001. A new academic facility, Robert Frost Hall, containing the McIninch Art Gallery and a new state-of-the-art Center for Financial Studies, was completed in 2002. When nearby
Notre Dame CollegeNotre Dame College was a Roman Catholic college located in Manchester, New Hampshire and affiliated with the Sisters of Holy Cross of Montreal, Canada...
closed, three of Notre Dame's graduate education programs and two undergraduate education programs transferred to SNHU.
Paul LeBlanc, the university's President, is one of the signatories of American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment, and in 2007 SNHU became the first carbon-neutral university in
New HampshireNew Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
.
Southern New Hampshire University is one of only a few American educational institutions that is accredited by the
European Council for Business Education (ECBE) in addition to ACBSP.
Academics
SNHU offers over 75 undergraduate majors including dual majors and over 30 minors, and over 60 graduate programs many with concentrations. It also maintains a leading distance-education program through SNHU online. SNHU is divided into the following schools:
- The School of Arts and Sciences
- The School of Business
- The School of Education
The 3 Year Honors Program is a custom-designed, integrated academic experience that is offered over the course of six semesters for business majors. As a result, students earn an undergraduate business degree in three years rather than four. It was started using a challenge grant from the U.S. Department of Education in 1995.
Rankings and awards
US News ranks SNHU #110 of Regional Universities (Northern).
The school received a 2007 New England Higher Education Excellence Award, the Robert J. McKenna award, named for the former Rhode Island state senator and NEBHE chair. It is presented each year to an outstanding academic program.
Southern New Hampshire University's School of Business and SNHU Online were recognized as "Best of Business Award" winners in the Best M.B.A. Program and Best Online Degree Program categories by the
New Hampshire Business Review.
Athletics
SNHU participates in NCAA Division II varsity athletics. The school is a member of the
National Collegiate Athletic AssociationThe National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
, the
Eastern College Athletic ConferenceThe Eastern College Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference comprising schools that compete in 21 sports . It has 317 member institutions in NCAA Divisions I, II, and III, ranging in location from Maine to North Carolina and west to Illinois...
, and the
Northeast Ten ConferenceThe Northeast-10 Conference is an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA’s Division II. Member institutions are located in the northeastern United States in the states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont...
. The teams' nickname is "The Penmen". The school's mascot is "Petey The Penmen"
In 1989, when it was known as New Hampshire College, the Penmen won its first and only
NCAA Men's Soccer ChampionshipThe NCAA began conducting a Men's Division I Soccer Championship tournament in 1959 with an eight-team tournament. Currently, the tournament field consists of 48 teams...
, against UNC Greensboro. In 2002 the men's soccer team returned to the NCAA Division II championship game, but lost to Sonoma State. The men's soccer program in total has had 14 NCAA Division II tournament appearances since 1986.
Longtime men's basketball coach Stan Spirou (1985–present) is considered one of the most successful NCAA Division II basketball coaches, compiling a career winning percentage of .707 (448-186), 4 New England Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year awards (1993, 1994, 1995, 1999), and was named the National Coach of the Year in 1994 by Division II Bulletin. His teams have averaged 22 wins per season and also have 14 NCAA tournament appearances, 4 NCAA regional titles, and 6 NECC tournament championships.
SNHU is a recipient of the NCAA Foundation Academic Achievement Award, in recognition of high graduation rates among student athletes. SNHU took home the award for the highest graduation rate among all Division II schools. SNHU also earned the Northeast-10 Conference Academic Achievement Award following the 2001-02 school year.
NBA Head Coach P.J. Carlesimo coached the New Hampshire College men's basketball team during the 1975-1976 season, compiling a 14-13 record and winning the Mayflower Conference championship,
Men's teams
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Cross country
- Golf
- Hockey
- Lacrosse
- Soccer
- Tennis
Women's teams
- Basketball
- Cross Country
- Lacrosse
- Soccer
- Softball
- Tennis
- Volleyball
- Cheerleading (offered as a co-ed varsity sport)
External links