A Cut Above

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

On Friday, April 12, hundreds of students, faculty, and members of the business community celebrated the opening of the Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics and the generosity of philanthropist and alumnus Peter T. Paul, whose record-setting $25 million gift made the new college possible. The new building transforms the university’s graduate and undergraduate business education and reinforces its long, proud history of offering a first-rate business education.

“I believe that if you have great financial success, you are, in part, only a steward of your assets during your lifetime. To quote Winston Churchill, ‘We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.’ I believe this will be one of my best investments, an investment I am proud to make. UNH is my university. I graduated from here, and its success is important to me,” Paul told the packed hall.

Paul is a native of Troy and 1967 graduate in business administration. The new Peter T. Paul College is located at 10 Garrison Avenue.

“The Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics is a huge step forward for UNH, our students, and for the state’s future economy,” said Mark W. Huddleston, president of the University of New Hampshire. “We are grateful to Peter Paul for his generosity and forward thinking. This building will allow us to expand the capacity and quality of our business programs to meet the demands of students as well as the businesses in our state clamoring for entrepreneurs and skilled leaders.”

The new building allows UNH to expand capacity of its business programs from 1,700 to 2,500 students. It was critically needed at UNH as demand has outstripped supply, and many well-qualified students who have sought admission to the business school have not been accepted due to space constraints.

The Paul College, which also houses the Whittemore Graduate School, helps create a dynamic, integrated learning environment and allows UNH to provide one of the top undergraduate business programs in the nation. “Smart classrooms” are outfitted with the latest technology to allow students and faculty to record lectures and download them on to iPods. Experiential learning facilities for hands-on learning and informal gathering areas encourage student collaboration.

“As business continues to change, business education must also change. The new Peter T. Paul College is designed to prepare UNH students to be creative, innovative leaders in the global business environment. With 28 breakout rooms, smart classrooms, and cutting-edge technology, our new facility will help us to continue to lead the way in business education,” said Daniel Innis, dean of the Paul College.

Paul is the CEO of Headlands Asset Management LLC, an investment management company he founded in 2008. In addition, he is the owner of West Biofuels, a research and development venture, and Peter Paul Wines. He is also chairman of The Headlands Foundation, a nonprofit organization he founded in 1995.

In 1999 he was the recipient of the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in financial services. In 2003 he received an Alumni Award for Distinguished Service from The Graduate School of Management at Boston University. In 2008 he received the First Annual Achievement in Business Award from the Whittemore School of Business and Economics.

In 2009 he received the Pettee Medal from the University of New Hampshire Alumni Association.