DURHAM, N.H. - Two Whittemore School of Business and Economics have received the first SIGNAL prizes of $2,500 each.

Hannah Slavin, a junior majoring in business administration from Hooksett and Tiffany Cutts, a junior majoring in business administration from Pepperell, Mass., are the recipients of the first annual SIGNAL (Students Interested in Growth, Networking and Leadership) prizes. SIGNAL, an extra-curricular organization for UNH business students, launched the scholarship to help its members achieve their goals of personal and professional growth. Fidelity Investments provided an inaugural gift to fund the program.
"This semester I am in London studying and interning. The prize is making that possible. I will be able to experience a new way of learning and will be applying what I have learned in all my courses at UNH to real-world experience. Because of the prize, I am able to gain international experience and knowledge," Slavin said.

Cutts said the prize will allow her to continue her UNH education in accounting and finance.

SIGNAL, which was created by a motivated group of five students in 2003, is based out of the UNH Whittemore School of Business and Economics. The organization, which now consists of approximately 40 active members and 80 alums, was developed to connect members with regional business leaders who help them develop networking and leadership skills. SIGNAL's mission is to develop students' social skills and to facilitate their desire to achieve success in the business community. Members build relationships with business school alums, regional businesses, and other business schools and gain inspiration from the personal stories behind today's organizational leaders.
 
Award recipients must demonstrate academic excellence and embody SIGNAL's goals. Recipients must have been active in SIGNAL for at least two semesters, have taken on leadership roles in a variety of organizations, have shown a commitment to personal and professional growth, and have contributed to the growth of others through networking, advising or mentoring.
 
The inaugural gift to fund the first two SIGNAL Scholarships for 2010 comes from Fidelity Investments, through its regional center located in Merrimack, New Hampshire.
 
"Fidelity Investments and the University of New Hampshire have enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship with many graduates launching successful careers at our company," said Joe Murray, senior director of public affairs for Fidelity. "We're pleased with the opportunity to support this effort to build a foundation for future leaders through a program which complements what students are learning in the classroom."
 
The UNH Whittemore School of Business and Economics offers a full complement of high-quality programs in business, economics, accounting, finance, marketing, and hospitality management. Programs are offered at the undergraduate, graduate, and executive development levels. The school is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, the premier accrediting agency for business schools worldwide. For more information, visit http://wsbe2.unh.edu/.
For more information on SIGNAL, visit www.unh.edu/signal.
 
Fidelity Investments is one of the world's largest providers of financial services, with assets under administration of $3.0 trillion, including managed assets of more than $1.4 trillion as of August 31, 2009. Fidelity offers investment management, retirement planning, brokerage, and human resources and benefits outsourcing services to over 20 million individuals and institutions as well as through 5,000 financial intermediary firms. The firm is the largest mutual fund company in the United States, the No. 1 provider of workplace retirement savings plans, the largest mutual fund supermarket and a leading online brokerage firm. For more information about Fidelity Investments, visit www.fidelity.com.
 
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 more than 12,200 undergraduate and 2,200 graduate students.

-30-