Southern New Hampshire University Information & Southern New Hampshire University Links at HealthHaven.com

Established	1932
Type	Private
President	Paul J. LeBlanc
Undergraduates	1,900
Postgraduates	1,800
Location	Manchester, New Hampshire, USA
Campus	Suburban
Nickname/Mascot	Penmen
Colors	Blue, Gold
Athletics	NCAA Division II
Website	www.snhu.edu

Coordinates: 43°02′23″N 71°27′14″W / 43.03972°N 71.45389°W / 43.03972; -71.45389 Southern New Hampshire University, also known as SNHU, is a private university in Manchester and Hooksett, New Hampshire. Their athletics name is "The [SNHU] Penmen".

The university was founded in 1932 by Harry A.B. Shapiro and Gertrude Crockett Shapiro (his wife) as the New Hampshire School of Accounting and Secretarial Science. In 1961, it was incorporated and renamed New Hampshire College of Accounting and Commerce. The state of New Hampshire granted the college its charter in 1963, which gave it degree-granting authority. The first associate's degrees were awarded that year, and the first bachelor's degrees were conferred in 1966. The college became a nonprofit institution under a board of trustees in September 1968, and its name was shortened to New Hampshire College in 1969.

Created with a challenge and a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, the 3 Year Honors Program [1] broke the mold for higher education in 1995. This program is a custom-designed, integrated academic experience that is offered over the course of six semesters.

New Hampshire College became Southern New Hampshire University on July 1, 2001. A new academic facility, Robert Frost Hall, containing the McIninch Art Gallery and a new state of the art Center for Financial Studies, was completed in 2002. The University transferred three graduate education programs and two undergraduate education programs from nearby Notre Dame College when that institution closed.

The Southern New Hampshire University is one of only a few American educational institutions that is accredited by the European Council for Business Education (ECBE) in addition to ACBSP.

[edit] Academics

SNHU offers over 40 undergraduate majors including dual majors and over 30 minors, and nearly 20 graduate programs many with concentrations. It also maintains a leading distance-education program through SNHU online. [2] SNHU is divided into the following schools:

The School of Liberal Arts [3]
The School of Business [4]
The School of Education [5]
The School of Community Economic Development [6]

[edit] Awards

The School of Community Economic Development has been honored by the New England Board of Higher Education. The school received a 2007 New England Higher Education Excellence Award, the Robert J. McKenna award, named for the former Rhode Island state senator and NEBHE chair. It is presented each year to an outstanding academic program.[7]

Southern New Hampshire University's School of Business and SNHU Online were recognized as "Best of Business Award" winners in the Best M.B.A. Program and Best Online Degree Program categories by the New Hampshire Business Review.[8]

SNHU is one of the top five New Hampshire colleges and universities, according to DiplomaGuide.com.

U.S. News & World Report ranked Southern New Hampshire University a 'Tier-1' regional school in its 'Universities-Master's (North)' category for 2008 & 2009. 'Tier-1' indicates SNHU is placed amongst the top 50% of that particular category, while 'Tier-3' and 'Tier-4' schools round out the remaining 50%. For 2009, 86 out of 179 schools earned 'Tier-1' status. Schools that are not assigned a tier are designated 'unranked.'

Also, SNHU Online ranked among the "Top 25 Best Buys" in GetEducated.com’s "Best Distance Learning Undergraduate Schools, Business & Management 2006". A "Best Buy" designation indicates that the program has been found to offer a "high quality" distance degree to a national audience at tuition and fee rates well below the national average.[9]

[edit] Athletics

SNHU participates in NCAA Division II varsity athletics. The school is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the Eastern College Athletic Conference, and the Northeast Ten Conference.

In 1989, when it was known as New Hampshire College, the Penmen won its first and only NCAA Men's Soccer Championship, against UNC Greensboro. In 2002 the men's soccer team returned to the NCAA Division II championship game, but lost to Sonoma State.[10] The men's soccer program in total has had 14 NCAA tournament appearances since 1986.[11]

Longtime men's basketball coach Stan Spirou (1985-present) is considered one of the most successful NCAA Division II basketball coaches, compiling a career winning percentage of .707 (448-186), 4 New England Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year awards (1993, 1994, 1995, 1999), and was named the National Coach of the Year in 1994 by Division II Bulletin. His teams have averaged 22 wins per season and also have 14 NCAA tournament appearances, 4 NCAA regional titles, and 6 NECC tournament championships[12].

SNHU is a recipient of the NCAA Foundation Academic Achievement Award, in recognition of high graduation rates among student athletes. SNHU took home the award for the highest graduation rate among all Division II schools. SNHU also earned the Northeast-10 Conference Academic Achievement Award following the 2001-02 school year.

NBA Head Coach P.J. Carlesimo coached the New Hampshire College men's basketball team during the 1975-1976 season, compiling a 14-13 record and winning the Mayflower Conference championship[13].

Men's teams

Baseball
Basketball
Cross country
Golf
Hockey
Lacrosse
Soccer
Tennis

Women's teams

Basketball
Cross Country
Lacrosse
Soccer
Softball
Tennis
Volleyball
Cheerleading (offered as a co-ed varsity sport)

[edit] Clubs and organizations

Governing organizations

Student Government Association (SGA)
Inter-Greek Council (IGC)
Coordinators of Activities and Programming Events (CAPE)

Special interest

Association for Cultural Exchange (ACE)
Billiards Club
Campus Ministry Student Association
Christian Student Organization
Circle K
College Republicans
Commuter Student Council
Dance Club
Drama Club
Human Rights Association
LGBTQ Pride
Muslim Student Association
Outing Club
Outreach Association
Ski & Ride Club
South Asian Students Association (SASA)
Student Ambassadors
Students Today, Alumni Relations Tomorrow (START)
TV Club
Video Gaming Club

Academic

Accounting Association
Communications Club
Culinary Student Association
Economics/Finance Association
History Club
Hospitality Student Association
International Business Association
Justice Studies Association
Psychology Club
Sport Management Club

Media

Observer (student newspaper)
Enterprise Yearbook
Radio SNHU
Amoskeag (literature and arts magazine)

Club sports

Crew Club
Field Hockey Club

Fraternities

Phi Delta Theta (National and International Fraternity Chapters)
Kappa Delta Phi
Phi Delta Psi

Sororities

Kappa Delta Phi National Affiliated Sorority, Kappa Chi Chapter
Kappa Lambda
Phi Delta Beta
Phi Omega Psi

Honor societies

Alpha Chi/Epsilon Chapter (Liberal Arts)
Delta Mu Delta (Business Administration)
Delta Pi Epsilon (National Honorary Professional Graduate Society)
Eta Sigma Delta (International Hospitality Management Society)
Phi Theta Kappa (Associates Degree Honor Society)
Psi Chi (Psychology Honor Society)

[edit] Miscellaneous

The NASD Foundation awarded a grant to Southern New Hampshire University to develop a Financial Literacy Training Program for high school students in 2005.[14]

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., received an honorary degree at Southern New Hampshire University’s Commencement on Saturday, May 19, 2007 at the Verizon Wireless Arena. Obama received an honorary Doctor of Laws, as did SNHU President Emeritus Richard A. Gustafson and former President Edward Shapiro.[15]

Southern New Hampshire University is becoming the first carbon-neutral university campus in New Hampshire, as announced by President LeBlanc in May 2007.[16]

MTV and Myspace.com hosted the "Choose or Lose" meet-the-candidate special with presidential candidate Sen. John McCain at Southern New Hampshire University in December 2007.