MANCHESTER, NH – New England College (NEC) will complete the final phase of its merger with the New Hampshire Institute of Art (NHIA) on July 1, 2019, following a plan established with accreditors and New Hampshire authorities in 2018.
New England College will rebrand the former NHIA as the Institute of Art and Design at New England College, with changes to letterhead and business cards as the first step of the rebranding process. Other rebranding activities will occur over the next several months.
“This new academic division of NEC will be an important component of our ongoing and expanding commitment to the liberal arts, and the Manchester campus will remain central to plans for expanding and growing both our art and design programs and other educational programming,” said Michele Perkins, NEC President.
With the merger between the two institutions official, NEC will be relocating its graduate program in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Concord to Lowell Hall in Manchester, as a first step toward expanding graduate offerings in the City. Additionally, the Master of Arts in Public Policy program will be relocating to the Manchester campus.
This fall, NEC will host a three-day residency for its Master of Science in Computer and Information Science in Manchester, a program that attracts graduate students from throughout the United States and around the world.
January 5-9, 2020 NEC will again host its highly regarded College Convention event, which attracts over 1,000 college and university students from across the United States. This is a once in a lifetime event where participants have the opportunity to come face-to-face with the people, issues, and processes that shape presidential primary campaigns, hosted at the Doubletree by Hilton Manchester Downtown Hotel.
President Perkins also announced that Darryl Furtkamp, an Associate Professor of Art at NEC, has accepted the position of Interim Associate Dean of Art and Design and Tom Horgan, who has been Senior Advisor to NEC President, has been appointed Executive Director of Community Relations and Public Affairs. Furtkamp will be working in both Henniker and Manchester and Horgan will be working in Manchester.
As part of the merger process NEC is also assessing its facility needs in Manchester. To support campus planning, NEC has engaged commercial real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield of Manchester to review the real estate portfolio and to assist in “right sizing” facilities for current and future campus needs. Properties in Manchester, Sharon, and Peterborough will be presented to potential buyers over the next several months. NEC will phase out activities in Sharon and Peterborough later this summer.
“Adjusting our owned, physical footprint is crucial to long-term success and was a central part of New England College’s planning since the inception of merger discussions. Only a select number of buildings will be marketed. The historic French building will not be offered for sale, and no student housing will be marketed,” said Perkins. Instructional needs of students and academic programs will guide decisions on facilities. Over time, NEC may seek to acquire additional space in Manchester to support new programs and expanding enrollments, both in art and design and other educational programs.
