Tomorrow, students will be able to quiz the latest UNH presidential candidate finalist on pressing issues in an open forum.
Dr. Mark Huddleston, who currently serves as the president of Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU), will be available to students, faculty, staff and members of the community in Durham and Manchester today and tomorrow.
Dr. Huddleston received his master's and Ph. D. in political science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has held teaching positions at SUNY-Buffalo and OWU. He stayed at OWU for over two decades, where he chaired the Department of Political Science and International Relations. He was named dean of the College of Arts and Sciences in 2001, and then university president in 2004.
Tomorrow, from 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. in room 330/332 of the MUB, Dr. Huddleston will be available to talk with students. For people unable to make any of the forums, a videotaped version will be available either on DVD/VHS tape or online.
Because UNH is a public university, the USNH presidential searches have included a public phase once the finalist is selected by the presidential search committee.
"It has been a previous goal so students can have the opportunity to meet and get a sense of who the individual is," said Associate Vice Chancellor for External Relations Matt Cookson.
Cookson said it is important to see how the finalist is able to interact with students.
"There is a lot of interest in how a candidate does in an open forum and how they respond to student questions," said Cookson.
Cookson hopes students will raise questions about the many issues facing UNH, such as quality of education, finance and the finalist's vision for going forward.
Sophomore Amanda Bellerose, despite not being previously aware that the finalist was coming to campus, plans to attend the forum for students.
"It is important for students to go so they can make informed decisions about who they want for president," said Bellerose.
Roxanne Brown, a secretary in the English office, read about the forums in an email and said she would probably attend the forum for staff. She expects finances to be an important topic.
"I would like to see comments about financing for UNH housekeeping staff and faculty," said Brown, "like where they are going with funding raises. It is important to go so everybody knows what is at stake." At each forum there will be feedback forms for participants to fill out that will be evaluated by the search committee.
Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU), in Delaware, Ohio, has a different face than UNH. OWU has an enrolment of 1,850 students and 135 permanent faculty members. A private liberal arts school, OWU also competes in Division III athletics. The community of Delaware, with a population of 26,000, is larger than Durham.
Dr. Huddleston will be the third finalist brought to campus by the UNH Presidential Search Committee. The search began in late June after President Hart announced she was leaving UNH for a position at Temple University. Information about the forums can be found on the UNH website.
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