Lawmakers move closer to merger of Granite State College and UNH [View all]

Senate lawmakers appear poised to move ahead with a plan to merge Granite State College in Concord with the University of New Hampshire, a move officials say is necessary to deal with enrollment challenges across the state.

During a hearing Tuesday on the bill to authorize the merger, House Bill 1218, state university representatives said the combination would allow the small college to benefit from the greater brand recognition of UNH, and said it would allow the university to bring together both online and in-person offerings for students at Granite State College and the University of New Hampshire Manchester.

“The university system has been focused on how we can think differently about the structure and the delivery of higher education in the Granite State, because we’re facing some pretty strong headwinds in the future in the coming years, demographically,” said Catherine Provencher, the chief administrative officer at the University System of New Hampshire.

Enrollment has steadily declined at New Hampshire public colleges and universities, and was exacerbated by the pandemic, data suggests.

Read more: https://newhampshirebulletin.com/briefs/lawmakers-move-closer-to-merger-of-granite-state-college-and-unh/