DURHAM, N.H. - The University of New Hampshire administration and the UNH chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) have agreed that contract negotiations remain at impasse after mediation failed Dec. 18, 2009. The parties have further agreed that the process should move as swiftly as possible to the next phase as provided by state labor law.

The university and the AAUP will now engage in fact finding, which requires a neutral, third party to assess and report findings of fact together with recommendations for resolving each of the issues remaining in dispute. The fact finder's report is nonbinding.

Candace Corvey, the UNH administration's chief negotiator, noted the mediation process was a helpful step and it is disappointing that agreement could not be reached. "There is a very high level of concern about the financial challenges facing the university," said Corvey, "but UNH remains committed to bargaining in good faith and reaching a prudent and productive outcome that allows us to attract and retain talented faculty and staff while protecting the financial health of the institution."

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 2,200 graduate students.

-30-