Retiring UNH President
James Dean
We are the biggest talent importer in the state,’ outing UNH president James Dean told NH Business Review about what a UNH education means for its students and the significant role its graduates play in the economic strength of the state. After more than four decades in academia as a professor and topline administrator, University of New Hampshire President James “Jim” Dean is retiring June 30.
Dean has served six years as president of the state’s flagship public university with more than 16,000 undergraduate and graduate students (including UNH-Manchester and the law school) along with a role as interim chancellor of the University System of New Hampshire. He is also the co-author of “The Insider Guide to Working with Universities.”
Prior to arriving at UNH, Dean was at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill for more than two decades. He served as dean of the business school and later as vice chancellor and provost while also teaching organizational behavior.
Dean has overseen a wide range of breakthroughs at UNH: It reached R1 status as one the top research institutions in the country; created a world-class testing lab at the onset of the COVID pandemic in 2020 that served the university community, regional nursing homes, and elementary schools; became the top public university in New England while increasing student aid, on-time graduation, and first job opportunities for graduates.
UNH was cited as the 7th “best value” among public universities in the country, according to the latest ranking by U.S. News and World Report.
Q. Why did UNH shut down a recent Gaza War demonstration?
A. UNH has always strongly supported free speech rights on campus, and we have been recognized for this work by a very high ranking by FIRE (Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression). We have facilitated many speeches and demonstrations all across the political spectrum.
Under settled law connected to the First Amendment, universities have the right to regulate the time, place and manner of demonstrations of free speech on campus. UNH also supports this doctrine. Without this right, it would be impossible to accomplish our mission.
The (May 1) demonstration, unlike the last seven demonstrations, blatantly violated the time/place/manner restrictions that the organizers had agreed to and was shut down. There were a number of people who were not part of the university community behind what happened. We cannot allow anyone, especially those outside the university community, to disrupt our students’ safety and ability to pursue their education.
Q. Why did you give a TEDx talk in Portsmouth last year on reading Shakespeare and the importance of arts and humanities in education?
A. Those who think job-focused training only should be our priority have it exactly backward. We have already seen in this millennium that changes are coming very fast: Any job-focused training is going to be out of date in a couple of years, and having a broader base of knowledge with the arts and humanities will be vital. I try to be a role model. I’ve addressed the French Honor Society (Pi Delta Phi) in French and sent messages throughout campus talking about books I have been reading. I talk to students, and my wife, Jan, and I support arts events and music concerts.
Q. What do you say to the growing public sentiment that a college education has become cost prohibitive?
A. It’s important to distinguish the difference between private and public universities. Even when accounting for inflation, the cost of public universities is going down rather than up, and the thinking about this nationally is way behind the curve.
There’s a well-known phrase that talent is universal, but colleges provide opportunity. As you know, there are two dimensions (to a college education). One is purely economic as lifetime earnings are $1 million higher for graduates depending on the major. But money is only one measure. Our students train to be nurses, social workers and elementary educators and have the opportunity to lead rich, fulfilled lives.
Q. What is UNH’s economic impact in New Hampshire?
A. We had an outside group conduct an economic impact study, and it was released last year. The study assessed that UNH had an overall $2.4 billion economic impact on the state. The study also estimated that alumni generate $1.1 billion in economic output in New Hampshire annually while sustaining 6,012 jobs and contributing an estimated $60.5 million in state and local taxes. We are the largest talent importer of any institution in the state and UNH is delivering them to the workforce. I feel this strongly: It would be hard to imagine a day in this state without Wildcat alumni.
