Southern New Hampshire University

Southern New Hampshire University was founded in 1932 by Harry A.B. Shapiro as the New Hampshire School of Accounting and Secretarial Science. The school remained relatively small until 1961, when it was incorporated and renamed New Hampshire College of Accounting and Commerce. The state of New Hampshire in 1963 granted the university its charter, which gave it degree-granting authority. The first associate’s degrees were awarded that year; and the first bachelor’s degrees were conferred three years later. The college became a nonprofit institution under a board of trustees in September 1968 and the name was shortened to New Hampshire College in 1969.

The 1970s were a time of growth and change. In 1971, the college moved from its downtown Manchester site to a new 200-acre campus on the Merrimack River. In 1974, the college introduced a Master of Business Administration program; in 1976, it created a B.S. in Hotel Management; and in...

Southern New Hampshire University was founded in 1932 by Harry A.B. Shapiro as the New Hampshire School of Accounting and Secretarial Science. The school remained relatively small until 1961, when it was incorporated and renamed New Hampshire College of Accounting and Commerce. The state of New Hampshire in 1963 granted the university its charter, which gave it degree-granting authority. The first associate’s degrees were awarded that year; and the first bachelor’s degrees were conferred three years later. The college became a nonprofit institution under a board of trustees in September 1968 and the name was shortened to New Hampshire College in 1969.

The 1970s were a time of growth and change. In 1971, the college moved from its downtown Manchester site to a new 200-acre campus on the Merrimack River. In 1974, the college introduced a Master of Business Administration program; in 1976, it created a B.S. in Hotel Management; and in 1978, the college assumed Human Services degree programs created by Franconia College that later were organized into the programs of the Graduate School of Business and the School of Human Services

In the spring of 1981, the general court of New Hampshire authorized New Hampshire College to award a Master of Human Services degree and the Master of Science degree in business related subjects. That same year, to accommodate the two rapidly expanding programs, the university purchased the former Mount Saint Mary College in Hooksett

In 1982, the college introduced a master’s degree in community economic development. The two-year Culinary Arts program was established in 1983 to prepare students for careers in the hospitality field. Five years later, the School of Human Services was transferred to Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts.

New Hampshire College continued to evolve throughout the 1990s. Academic programs now are offered at off-campus locations to serve adult learners. The university also offers degree programs in the United Arab Emirates and Malaysia. New undergraduate liberal arts and teacher education majors were added in 1992. The institution’s reach was extended globally to students by the innovative, Internet-based SNHU Online program, which was launched in 1996.

The campus saw a growth spurt in 1996 and 1997 with the construction of four new state-of-the-art buildings, including a residence hall, a new building for the School of Business, a School of Hospitality building, and a structure that houses the Center for Language Education and the Center for International Exchange and Public Safety. All of the university’s operations at the north campus were moved to the main campus. In the spring of 2001, the college added a Master of Education program and a Master of Science degree in Community Mental Health, programs formally based at Trinity College in Vermont.

New Hampshire College became Southern New Hampshire University on July 1, 2001. Undergraduate and graduate programs were reorganized as programs of the School of Business; the School of Liberal Arts; the School of Community Economic Development; and the School of Hospitality, Tourism, and Culinary Management. New residences and housing facilities and an addition to the Athletic Complex were completed. A new academic facility, Robert Frost Hall, containing the McIninch Art Gallery and a new 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 impetus behind New Hampshire College’s change to Southern New Hampshire University can be traced to 1998, when the graduate school began offering its first doctoral programs, in both international business and community economic development. Southern New Hampshire University now has an enrollment of nearly 2,000 undergraduate day students; 1,800 graduate students; and 4,000 continuing-education and distance-education students. The high percentage of enrolled international students has resulted in a cultural diversity that enriches the learning experience for all.