University of New Hampshire President Jim Dean was a featured speaker at the 2023 TEDx Portsmouth event held May 12 at the Music Hall, delivering a speech entitled "Why College Students Need Shakespeare Now More Than Ever." In it, Dean addresses how to prepare students for an uncertain future, making a "compelling case that integrating the humanities with STEM, business and health care is what will equip graduates with the complex, creative problem solving needed in the 21st century," according to the TEDx Portsmouth post of the video on YouTube.