DURHAM, N.H. - The University of New Hampshire celebrated the opening of the Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics today 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 said.

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 1986 Paul founded Headlands Mortgage Company. It became one of the premier wholesale lending institutions in the country, specializing in originating, selling, securitizing and servicing residential mortgage loans. After leading Headlands through a successful IPO in February of 1998, Paul negotiated its merger with GreenPoint Financial in 1999.

Paul became vice chairman of GreenPoint Financial and president and CEO of GreenPoint Mortgage. In 2003 opened Paul Financial LLC. Paul Financial LLC was a mortgage loan banking company from 2003 until 2007.
Paul has also served on the following public boards: Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corp., 1998 to 2004; Sequoia National Bank, 2001 to 2005; and JMP Securities, 2006 to 2009.

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.

Paul earned his bachelor's in business administration from the University of New Hampshire in 1967. In 1971, he earned an M.B.A. from Boston University, where he currently serves as a trustee.

The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling 12,200 undergraduate and 2,300 graduate students.

PHOTOS
A high resolution photo of Peter T. Paul is available for download at /unhtoday/sites/default/files/newsroom/img/PeterPaul.jpg.

Peter T. Paul and UNH President Mark Huddleston celebrate the opening of the UNH Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics Friday, April 12, 2013. From left to right: student ambassador; Mark W, Huddleston, president, University of New Hampshire; Dan Innis, dean, Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics; Peter T. Paul '67, Paul College founding donor; Ally Weimer '14 student speaker; Thomas Varley '80, senior vice president, Ocean Properties, Ltd., student ambassador.
Photo Credit: Perry Smith, UNH Photo Services.
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BIO OF PETER T. PAUL
A full bio for Peter. T. Paul is available at /unhtoday/news/releases/2013/apr/paulbio.cfm.

VIDEO
Time lapse video of the construction of the Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ObKa-g9pyfU

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