President Announces End to Hiring Freeze
By Jody Record, Campus Journal Editor
September 17, 2008
President Mark Huddleston announced the lifting of the hiring freeze yesterday during his official installation as UNH’s 19th president. The change is effective immediately.
“Units in surplus and meeting reserve targets will be able to return fully to existing RCM protocols,” Huddleston said.
Calling the end of the hiring freeze good news, Huddleston went on to say, “But I’d be less than true to my nature as a guarded optimist—someone who is certain that the future is bright, but is equally certain that it is incumbent on us to make it so through sober reflection and careful preparation—if I didn’t say that we are going to have to monitor financial developments closely, continue our frugal husbanding of resources and redouble our efforts to chip away at structural budget challenges.”
Inauguration 2.0, part of a daylong ceremony heralding in the academic year, was broadcast live via the Web in an effort to honor the university’s commitment to sustainability. As a result of encouraging people to attend virtually, the inauguration’s carbon footprint was “pretty close to nothing,” Huddleston said.
What’s more, because the inauguration was held on a day set aside for the traditional Academic Convocation and the communitywide picnic, the cost of the event also was essentially nothing. Both efforts were in keeping with the president’s desire that the installation be ‘green and frugal.’
“I hope the Chronicle of Higher Education is paying attention,” Huddleston said. “Last June they ran a front-page story headlined ‘At Inaugural Galas, Nothing Succeeds Like Excess.’ I’d like them to do one about UNH titled ‘For At Least One Inauguration, Nothing Succeeds Like Nothing.’”
During his speech, the president also announced a $5 million scholarship program for high achieving New Hampshire students, given by the Dana A. Hamel family. Hamel and his late wife Kathryn Poore Hamel have been long-time friends and benefactors of the university.
Provost and Executive Vice President Bruce Mallory at the Academic Convocation
Perry Smith Photos / UNH Photo Services
Earlier in the day, the Academic Convocation took place in the Granite State Room. Provost and Executive Vice President Bruce Mallory and the 2008 -2009 Discovery Authors from across the university discussed the issue of poverty and opportunity in today’s world.
Perry Smith Photos / UNH Photo Services
To read the full text of Huddleston’s speech go to http://www.unh.edu/president/markhuddleston/speeches/sou2008.htm.
To view all the photos from the Academic Convocation go to http://photo.unh.edu/Clients/academicconvocation2008/index_2.html
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