Opening Retreat
Leadership New Hampshire Begins Its 20th Year Journey!
By Roxanne Benzel , Class of 2012
Along the shores of Dan Hole Pond, the Class of LNH 2012 embarked on its journey toward building a community of informed and engaged leaders. Traveling to Camp Merrowvista in Tuftonboro, NH was a beautiful ride circling on the edge of Lake Winnipesaukee and into the Ossipee Mountains. Upon arriving at camp, we were warmly greeted and shown to our rooms where we deposited our gear in our chosen bunks and very quickly sprung into our first activity. Introductions were made and we learned about each other in a loud, lively circle activity. From there, we learned about each other by asking the question “Who Are You”, and rounded out the introduction of our fellow classmates with the “Affinity Circle.” The afternoon’s schedule kept us very busy while we blindly built bridges and found the clear path from end to end on the blue tarp.The North Country - 2011
By Sherrie Trefry '11
As we embarked on our bus tour of the North Country, I anticipated that I would learn about the struggles of rural life and that our LNH class would again be left with more questions than answers. However, as we made our way from the North Forest Heritage Park in Berlin to the Town Hall in Errol to the Indian Stream Health Center in Colebrook, we discovered incremental progress fueled by New Hampshire ingenuity and self-reliance.
At Heritage Park we learned how Berlin was not just a home to hardworking loggers and mill workers, but was once host to the inventor of Tupperware and the first butter substitute. These glory days have passed, but they are not forgotten in this special place. Heritage Park encourages families to re-live those days and has become a focal point and profitable entity in the city. However, I did not fail to appreciate the fact that the park includes vacant buildings that once served a booming economy. In light of the decrease in logging and paper manufacturing, Berlin's community is being challenged to attract new industries and re-train their workforce. In a replica of a loggers' bunkhouse, we heard how White Mountains Community College and the Berlin School District are addressing these challenges by inspiring the youth and making higher education accessible to all. The high school is encouraging their students to blaze a trail to college and not rely on the guaranteed jobs of a dying industry. The Community College has worked to serve students by focusing on financial aid programs and easing transfers to 4-year programs.
In Errol, we learned from the Northern Forest Center about the changing landscape of the North Country as land ownership has been transferred from large paper companies to private real estate entities. This change in ownership impacts parcel size and the priorities in the region, which adds complexities to land management issues across the region. Lake Umbagog Wildlife Refuge exemplifies this struggle as a conservation parcel that is surrounded by a mosaic of owners and is pressured by competing development and use interests. However, the spirit of cooperation in the region appears to be serving the area well as abutters and the US Fish and Wildlife Service work together to facilitate the protection of areas around the lake while maintaining traditional land uses including snowmobiling and four-wheeling.
In Colebrook, we heard from the Colebrook Town Manager, the CEO of the Indian Stream Health Center, and the President of First Colebrook Bank. It was the personalities and personal stories in Colebrook that carried the afternoon. The afternoon session painted a picture of the North Country that included a focus on people, community, and a spirit of service. The Town has demonstrated skills in securing funding to fuel main street improvements to attract businesses. The Indian Stream Health Center is providing valuable services and expanding its practice to serve the unique needs of the rural population. Last but not least, the President of First Colebrook Bank personally encouraged a friend to move his expanding machine shop to Colebrook where it employs 14 residents. This final stop on the tour truly illustrated the idea that the North Country will survive not by relying on a single silver bullet, but rather on silver buckshot. It will take a community of dedicated people and we met some in Colebrook.
The North Country is a dynamic rural area that is in transition, but the impression I am left with is not one of struggle, but of hope. This part of the State has been forced to have the tough conversations, choose possible solutions, and move forward. I titled this summary "The North Country: A Case Study" because I believe that southern NH could learn a few lessons from our northern neighbors as we face similar challenges brought about by limited resources and changing markets.
Criminal Justice and Families Day - 2011
By Don Dickey ('11)
For Criminal Justice and Families Day, our group convened at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at St. Anselm College in Manchester. The location seemed prescient as our "homeroom" discussion came to focus on the disturbing tenor of political discourse. The charged political climate characterized by sound-bite arguments and "conversational poker" (throwing down opinions as if challenging opponents to trot out a stronger hand) leaves little room for informed political discourse concerning the downstream impacts of hastily made policy decisions. Our eyes were opened by the pre-session visits to county jails and state prisons, and especially the "ride-alongs" with probation and parole officers checking on offenders on supervised release. We got to see people in the correctional system "in context" – where the majority are not hardened criminals but individuals with mental illness and addiction who, given some support, often succeed in rehabilitating their lives. We learned the importance of substance abuse and mental health services, and education/training and housing. Yet proposals in the NH House for cutting the state budget threaten to defund much of the already limited service infrastructure that supports these and other safety-net services.
Dianne Mercier (LNH 09), President of People's United Bank (our gracious sponsor for the day) told us how this session day in particular had profoundly affected her. She thought herself well-informed but arrived at a much deeper, richer, and more nuanced understanding of issues that lie largely out of public view. She prized her LNH experience for showing her both what needed to be done and how to do it.
Malcolm Smith of UNH Cooperative Extension grounded us in the data concerning "what we know about why people commit crimes," the circumstances that lead up to incarceration and high recidivism rates (where one out of two offenders who are released returns to prison). A broad body of evidence indicates that punishment alone is ineffective to increase public safety. Yet recidivism rates drop markedly when offenders are matched with programs that address "dynamic criminogenic needs" such as treatment for mental illness and addiction, housing, and education. A promising example is the TRAILS (Transitional Re-entry and Offender Life Skills) Program, a demonstration program administered by the Sullivan County Community Corrections Center and supported with substantial federal grant funding.
Edda Cantor, former Corrections Commissioner (and LNH Director), emphasized that these needs are most effectively addressed early on. "Fund Head Start," and put more front-end resources into troubled families and the like, and taxpayers will spend less on the back end when these same children grow up and enter the correctional system. Edda facilitated our small group in-person interviews with three inmates of the State Prison for Women. These three women put a human face on challenges within the correctional system, as each shared her perspective about how she came to commit a serious crime and what factors seemed most important to enable her successful reentry after release. The interviews were enriched by a fascinating debrief with Edda and Joanne Fortier, Warden of the State Prison for Women.
The afternoon commenced with Christina Toth (also LNH 09), director of the Family Connections Center in Concord. This groundbreaking program supports families affected by incarceration through support, referrals, relationship classes and family re-entry planning available to eligible incarcerated fathers and their partners. A woman (wife of prisoner) shared her heart-rending story, a poignant opportunity for us to reflect on the impact of this vital connecting thread on the life journey of each person in this family – wife, son, and father.
Moving toward "what needs to be done," we heard from a judge and prosecutors about specialty courts and other innovations. The punitive, adversarial system is not effective in every case, and is yielding ground to collaborative approaches where the prosecution and defense might come together with a case manager and substance abuse expert to develop strategies more directly responsive to an offender's needs and circumstances. What supports are needed to prevent re-offending and what triggers might cause relapse? Justice Tina Nadeau argued that, with 80% of offenders having addiction and/or mental health, this approach of addressing underlying problems was not "soft on crime," but "smart on crime." Leading edge programs in Stafford and Rockingham Counties included:
Finally, former House Speaker Donna Sytek and current Commissioner of Corrections William Wrenn joined us for a discussion of SB 500, an example of good policy derailed by political wrangling. SB 500 was the outcome of an extensive data-driven and bipartisan process to develop a sound policy framework to reduce the prison population from 2800 persons to 2300 persons by 2015 and reinvest 50% of the savings in treatment and supervision, aiming ultimately to reduce revocations from parole by 40% and probation by 20%. The governor's race made an issue of the nine-month supervised release policy, casting it as the "early release" law for dangerous criminals and a major threat to public safety. High turnover in the House committee responsible for Corrections leaves very few of those members who sat through the policy discussions and debates leading up to SB 500 and "no recognized champion" to speak to the policy considerations. Implementation will likely be blocked by a one-year moratorium.
At every turn in the day, someone asked, "What can we do?" Some answers were:
Meeting at Steve and Kit Reno's house for St. Patrick's Day provided for celebration of an enormously engaging session day and the opportunity to express appreciation for the work of the LNH Program Committee, the presenters and facilitators and other session participants, and to Steve and Allyson for all they do for us.
Health Day - 2011
By Cheryl Lee Bozek ('11)
"Wellness…a choice that begins from within," a phrase that is personal to me and one I live by.According to the Institute of Medicine, health is defined as "a state of well-being and the capacity to function in the face of changing circumstances".It is no surprise, however, that we are a disease focused industry whereby physicians are seduced with enticements from pharmaceutical companies and healthcare professionals are often offered financial incentives for providing procedures, prescriptions and/or services whether they are needed or not. There is clearly a lack of collaboration and motivation to do the right thing as everyone wants their piece of the pie, and all this and more has contributed to the rapid transformation from a profession of health care to a bottom line business.As we sat through the program day listening to many passionate leaders across the health care industry with whom provided their perspective to the class, the current reality was blatantly apparent.While there is not enough time to properly summarize the content of this very rich and insightful day, in summary our system operates in an environment that is disease focused, fee for service, disconnected, specialty focused and practice variability just to name a few.
As I absorbed the plethora of data that was shared, it occurred to me that there is a recurring theme with each program day that seems to be consistent across industries and that is that we are working with old models that no longer serve us. More importantly, as a society we have moved away from proving quality and measurable services to the "people" we serve, whether it is the students we are educating or individuals we are providing health care to.With each day, we hear about the out of control costs of doing business in that particular industry, the result of unintended consequences with new laws passed and regulations placed upon us to ensure compliance and much more.
So where is the good news?The good news is that while we have a lot of work ahead of us, we do not have to be paralyzed by the current realities of the state of our systems in place today.Bringing it back to health care, I was energized with the end of day story of how one community is bringing the pieces of the health care puzzle together and creating a culture of health: Cheshire County's Vision 2020.This is a story of collaboration and a new vision for the future.It's about becoming a model and an example to others of how positive change can happen one baby step at a time.To me, it's about moving forward together…so what do you say folks?
Parade of Panels Provide Partially Positive Post-Recession Prognosis - Business & NH Economy Day
By Mark Broth ('11)
Like troops storming a fortified position, waves of business leaders barraged the Class of 2011 with a mildly optimistic outlook for the New Hampshire economy. The day began with the Business NH Magazine Economic Outlook conference, where a panel of industry leaders from the financial services, telecommunications, health insurance, commercial real estate, energy and higher education sectors each gave brief presentations regarding the opportunities and challenges they see in their immediate future. Topics included renewable energy and the Northern Pass project, expansion of wireless and hi-speed internet service, the role of commercial real estate in local and regional economic development, health reform and rising health care costs, and changes in business lending practices.
Following the conference, the panel, which included Gary Long (PSNH) Teresa Rosenberger (Fairpoint), Beth Roberts (Harvard Pilgrim), Diane Mercier (Peoples United) Roger Dieker (CB Richard Ellis) Paul LeBlanc (SNHU) and Bret Clark (Spectra Access), met privately with the LNH class and through a discussion facilitated by Pamela Diamantis (Curbstone Financial), expanded on the themes outlined earlier, particularly the burdens of excessive regulation and legislative uncertainty. The panel was followed by Prof. Ross Gittell (Whittemore School, UNH), whose presentation on the current state of the New Hampshire economy in comparison with regional and national trends reinforced and confirmed the economic outlooks prepared by the NH Center for Public Policy and the PSNH 2010 Economic Review.
Prof. Gittell was then joined by a panel representing the Green Launching Pad, an initiative linking entrepreneurs with financial, technical and business support, with UNH faculty and students. The panelists‘ enthusiasm for the several innovative projects they described, which ranged from new applications for existing technologies (self-reading meters) to creative financing for energy efficient HVAC in public buildings made clear that the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well. I also came away understanding that UNH can and should play a central role in boosting the NH economy by forging stronger links with the business community and by serving as a broad scope research and development facility.
Despite being reinforced by an afternoon cookie break, the Class was clearly weakening and was unable to resist the final assault by the last panel of the day, consisting of innovative and forward looking business leaders, who each gave their own perspective on the challenges and opportunities of the NH business environment. Exhausted, with cookie supply depleted and the coffee long since gone, our desperate attempt to process all of the information absorbed throughout the day faltered, with the disoriented survivors, seeking to regroup, were unable to effectively convoy to a local watering hole.
We continue to mull over a potential role for LNH in driving the broader discussion over the State’s future. Hopefully this will be part of the ongoing discussion between and among LNH leadership, the Greatest Class Ever and the great but not greatest classes that preceded us.
Government & Politics - December '10
By: Kevin Lew-Hanson ('11)
In preparation for New Hampshire Government and Politics Day, the associates were asked to shadow a legislator, an Executive Council member, a lobbyist, or a State employee prior to our December 9th session. Since the Legislature will not convene until January, I only had the opportunity to interview Sen. Sylvia Larsen, who until recently was President of the Senate. She is serving her seventh term and represents District 15. Sen. Larsen was a member of the Finance Committee and Joint Fiscal Committee. She cites her proudest legislative achievement, as the prime sponsor of a first-in-the nation college tuition savings plan, entitled the "Unique Plan." She was also instrumental in co-sponsoring the legislation that raised the high school dropout age to 18.
The associates began the day in the Executive Council Chambers at the State House where the Governor and Executive Council meet. The room is quite impressive with its high ceiling and is steeped in history with paintings of the State's earliest governors along the walls. Steve Reno launched the day's events by introducing LNH Program Committee Observers: Michelle Talwani '08 and Derek Lick, '07. Steve than introduced Joe Murray '09 Senior Director, Public Affairs, Fidelity Investments, the Session Day sponsor. Steve indicated that Fidelity was also sponsoring a spring 2011 pilot to encourage college students to stay in New Hampshire. John Shea '11 introduced Mr. Li Yaoquan who is a superintendent overseeing 70 schools with 40,000 students near Beijing (in the city of Tianjin) to learn more about U.S. education, including touring various schools in the State and Mr. Li's interpreter, Mr. He De ("Heidy") who is teaching Chinese at Kearsage Regional High School.
Steve proceeded to summarize the goals for the day: understand NH's governance structure; examine leadership roles in the political process; meet and interview State political leaders; determine how associates may be involved in the political process – now and in the future.
Brad Cook, Esq., '93 of Sheehan, Phinney, Bass & Green gave the associates a brief history and overview of New Hampshire government. He indicated that the State's system of government is designed to be weak. King George III designed the original system of government. At the same time, there is "huge momentum" to make things happen in New Hampshire. Brad stated that the party in power "likes the legislative results… the party out of power does not…" He regaled the associates with a number of interesting anecdotes. He gave a government and politics knowledge and aptitude test and reviewed the answers with us. The associates were then given a tour of the House and Senate chambers. A staff member gave us the history of both chambers, seating arrangements and other interesting tidbits.
Sen. Peter Bragdon, incoming President of the Senate and Rep. Bill O'Brien, newly appointed House Speaker gave everyone a brief overview of how the Senate and House operate, including how bills are submitted and processed. Sen. Bragdon oversees a $2 million budget and anticipates lowering expenses by 10 to 15%, or $150,000. In the House, the budget is about $10 million with 144 employees. It was pointed out that New Hampshire has more public employees than any of the other New England states. To address the budget deficit, NH legislators will be focusing on: the economy, jobs, budgets and taxes.
Steve Norton, LNH '07, Executive Director, NH Center for Public Policy Studies spoke on "How does NH design its budget." He indicated that the budget is 2,126 pages long and only a handful of policy makers fully understand its contents!
Gov. John Lynch welcomed the associates and encouraged LNH to be more engaged in enhancing State government. After his remarks, he polled everyone on whether we were for or against gambling. A number of us had an opportunity to express our views. I indicated to the Governor that gambling would be a more equitable revenue option versus imposing a statewide income or sales tax. The Governor feels if gambling is allowed - it would proliferate in a number of communities, negatively altering the current high quality of life that residents now enjoy.
After lunch, the associates reconvened in the Legislative Office Building. Dr. Andy Smith, Director, UNH Survey Center, gave the associates a slide presentation on "New Hampshire's Political Landscape" citing a number of recent election statistics.
Rep. Neal Kurk, House member and Donna Sytek, former Speaker of the House gave us a brief overview on how legislative hearings work. One of the most interesting class exercises to date was to give each of us an opportunity to role play and participate in a mock committee hearing. I had the opportunity to testify in opposition to House Bill (HB) 1522 which related to local spending caps. Rep. Kurk chaired the committee hearing and a mock caucus. Role hearing assignments included being a "Republican" or "Democrat" on one of the committees, a bill sponsor, an advocate or an opponent of the legislation. Senate Bill (SB) 500 committee was chaired by Donna Sytek who conducted the mock hearing. The Senate Bill concerned an act "implementing changes in the probation, parole and sentencing of certain offenders …to increase public safety, strengthen community supervision, and reduce recidivism."
Kathy Salisbury '93, Associate Vice Chancellor for Government Affairs, University System of New Hampshire described her advocacy efforts in her talk on "Negotiating Inside the 'Concord Beltway.'" Currently, she is tracking about 80 bills on diverse topics to insure faculty and researchers are available for assistance to legislators to demonstrate that UNH is an invaluable State resource. Kathy recommended the "Blue Book" that contains bios of all the legislators.
An evening reception was held at the NH Charitable Foundation. Richard Ober, newly appointed Foundation President, welcomed the associates, Leadership NH alumni and Leadership Concord attendees. Class of 2011 had an opportunity to meet and network with a number of LNH alumni, including: Laura Simoes '04, Mary Ann Aldrich '04, Christine Schon '10 and Kirk Leoni '09. The reception capped a very stimulating day for the associates.
Education Day - November '10
By Michelline Dufort '11
Educating for Change and Changing Education
Education Day for the Class 2011 found us in unchartered territory for LNH… Manchester. Traditionally the educational immersion portion of the program has brought associates to Claremont, but much due to input from the current class, our exposure to the secondary education portion of the day was through a visit to Central High. Also a new element to our program is the assignment of interviews to be conducted by current LNH associates with our panel of visiting experts. First up to bat in this new exercise were 2011 associates Liz Bailey, Cheryl Lee Bozek, Jeannette Davila, Kevin Lew-Hanson, Tara Mahady, Wanda Mitchell, Kim Shottes, Chip Underhill, and Ellen Wheatley. Our LNH alumni representative for the day was Jamie Batson `93, whom we collectively agree is the 'greatest LNH alumni' across all classes.
Our fearless leader Dr. Steve Reno reminded us of our goals for the day; exposure to current major trends and principal strategies in education today and accounting of how the product of education is being delivered. For secondary education, our call to action was to study the current conditions, challenges and strategies. Our overall challenge was to form our own opinion about how education, P-16, ought to be delivered.
Again LNH served the purpose of lining up experts, and the experienced, in the field for a complete immersion in a relatively short time frame. We were led in many regards by one of our own, John Shea `11, the Project Director/Principal of the Big Step Forward high school project in the Rochester School System. With the support of his board of education, John has embarked on a cutting edge concept of how to best deliver secondary education in an optimal setting that serves today's youth's education needs. Our homework included reading the many enlightening articles John has written on the subject during his professional transformation journey.
Our day at the NH Institute of Art was led by an introduction through Ellen Wheatley `11 to Department of Education Deputy Commissioner Paul Leather. The Deputy Commissioner shared with us insights to the current initiatives set forth by Commissioner Virginia Barry; an overview and overhaul of the current assessment measures through a strategic process. The doctrine is moving towards a model of individualized education through the Next Generation Learning methods, and example of such is Learning Teams which case study model for educational experience, and adaptive testing measures. These initiatives will be supported in the near future through an assessment tool called Smart Balance.
Through the rain we made our way to Central High School and were greeted by Principal John Rist, who made us feel right at home by speaking to us as he would to any class that came in late after the bell rang! Principal Rist gave us a very comprehensive, and candid, view of Central High. We learned that the current student body of 2,268 includes 300 students representing 60 countries and over 30 native languages. "We look like America and are good preparation for the real world", said Rist. He informed us that it is not unusual for a family to land on a Monday, and report to school on Wednesday. Challenges range from instances where that student has never had experience in school in their native land…and also there are languages and dialects that are spoken yet no written word! For many of us not in the education field, these were "Blinding Flashes of the NON-Obvious!" Principal Rist spoke so highly and passionately of "Central Pride" giving examples from the alumni base to the current student body, as well as the faculty and staff themselves. It was a theme echoed by the three Vice Principals introduced to the group. To quote, "I chose to be here, there is nowhere I would want to work". And it shows. Central boasts of strong AP and SAT scores; Principal Rist said, "For those academically ambitious, this can be the place to succeed" due to the adaptive and personalized attention to stay true to the mission of "Service to the Children"; Questions revealed that regardless of facilities and budgetary challenges, Central "gets it done and takes care of its own". We ended our visit by dispersing to different classrooms to get a taste of a typical day, and teaching styles. Groups found a range of teaching methods and levels of interaction and classroom control and command.
After a working lunch where associate John Shea `11 facilitated a discussion on our Central High visit and the state of education overall in New Hampshire, we were joined by our guest experts. We were fortunate to have Dr. Tom Brennan, the superintendent of the Manchester School System as our first guest; his interviewer and liaison was Cheryl Lee Bozek `11. Dr. Brennan endorsed both the work of the DOE in its current strategic process, as well as the spirit and commitment of those 'on the ground', such as Principal Rist. "The DOE is very focused on the process, and it's good for everyone to see that – including the students". While conferring that the process is complicated. Dr. Brennan left us with the thought of, "It's not really about identifying the need for reform, it's about acting on the reform needs."
Wanda Mitchell `11 introduced us to Jackie Cowell, the ED of Early Learning NH. Through Ms. Cowell's presentation, we were exposed the proven, and staggering, effects of early education; and the life-long risks for those who are not educationally nurtured at a young age. According to Ms. Cowell, there is a proven 10% return on early education, which is unsurpassed by any other governmental programs. She exposed to us to many studies that clearly show a lack of early education and interaction (starting with the concept of serve and return) have multiplied adverse effects for long term positive development, contribution to society and yes, even health.
Tom Raffio `97, brought to us an unique perspective not just as a business leader supportive of education measures in the workplace, but as a member of the DOE board of directors. As his interviewer, Kevin Lew-Hanson `11, drew out of him, Raffio firmly believes that 'learning is from birth through life' and he is supportive of the momentum from the traditional high school model to a learning community model. The challenges are that the rules and regulations are for the 20th century, yet the needs to be competitive are in the 21st century. 70 percent of high school graduates surveyed recently said that the wish they had been challenged more. Raffio feels strides are being made, and specifically referenced the NH Scholars Progam.
Post Secondary Education in NH Panel: Where do we stand today?
The Chancellor of the University System, Dr. Edward MacKay, was interviewed by Liz Bailey `11, who began her introduction by stating, "It's overwhelming the vast number of things the Chancellor oversees…". Chancellor MacKay presented to us an overview of the University System, and indeed it is staggering in scope, reach and responsibility. The system is an economic driver to the state of New Hampshire; a fact not lost on any of us.
Chip Underhill `11 introduced us to the newest New Hampshire leader among our panel, Dr. Susan Huard who was appointed as President of Manchester Community College this past June. Huard gave a candid and insightful overview of the community college community. She stated, "It is the role of the community college to produce the middle class tax bracket." Huard painted a very vivid view of today's community college student; a non-traditional student who holds down a full time job while working towards their education.
The Interim Dean of the University of NH at Manchester, Dr. Sally Ward, has long been a faculty member in the university system. Through Kim Shottes `11 overview, it became obvious that Dean Ward contributes greatly to the Manchester site's viability, much by her comprehensive knowledge of the university, the city and the state. The Dean made us aware that there are more 'college students in Manchester than in all of Durham", by pointing out the many education institutions within the city's limits. Her mission is to make sure that the Manchester campus does not remain a well-kept secret.
Through Jeannette Davila's `11 introduction, we learned that the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences is the largest pharmacy school in the world. Seth Walh, the Executive Director of the MCPHS's Manchester campus, detailed for us the current capabilities and future plans for growth and capacity building. Programs offered at the Boston campus will be appropriately duplicated. Another of the day's BFNO (Blinding Flash of the NON-obvious)…the starting salary for a graduate of the MCPHS is approximately $115,000! Another fact of interest…. 36 percent of the Manchester campus students are NH natives; however, 50 percent of the graduated settle in NH.
Tara Mahady `11 led her introduction by advising us all…by the end of hearing of Sue Corby's organization, English for Americans, we too would find ourselves wanting to support and volunteer! Sue Corby demonstrated for us the true need, and volume, for those entering the state with a need for English education. Run in a church basement and other volunteered sites, it reaches dozens of new Americans every year, with more on a consistent waiting list. There are currently 250 students whom receive 4-6 hours of English education per week; and a waiting list of at least 30.
This incredibly varied panel of experts brought us as much insight towards the goal of assessing the 'current conditions, challenges, and strategies' in New Hampshire education systems today as possible in one day. We heard from on the front lines how the product, education, is being delivered. We heard from those ultimately responsible how educational leaders in our state have recognized, and have responded, to the need to meet new trends and realities. We received a taste of what is at risk when those deliverables are not met, and what is being done to work towards models that do not allow for failure. Through this exposure, 38 different specific opinions may have been formed, however, one common belief is shared; education is the key to New Hampshire's future.
What is NH Day - October '11
By Nic Coates '11
In New Hampshire, we define ourselves by the view from our doorsteps. So says Stephen Taylor, the former NH Department of Agriculture Commissioner and former Leadership New Hampshire Trustee.
In other words, NH residents have long held onto the notion of local control; that is, governing, controlling our finances, our laws and our school districts, in our communities alone. This long-held belief in local control has deep roots in the Colonial New Hampshire from when Governor Benning Wentworth split up the region and sold land to developers in an investment scheme. As a result, colonists developed a distrust of government bodies from afar, which led to formation of the institutions we still hold onto today like the Executive Council and a large legislature.
Taylor kicked off the "What is New Hampshire" Session Day at the Seacoast Science Center at Odiorne Point State Park on Oct. 14 for LNH associates with his discussion entitled, "New Hampshire: A Mosaic of Interests." His conversation got at the one of the day's core goals – understand the tensions between what associates think we know about the state and what we should know and why.
That theme of tensions between what associates know and what we think we know prevailed throughout the day with our other presenters who also included Bruce Mallory, Professor of Education and Faculty Fellow at the UNH Carsey Institute; Russ Thibeault, President of Applied Economic Research; and Steve Norton, Executive Director of the New Hampshire Center for Public Policy.
For example, Norton, in his presentation entitled, "Our Changing State," challenged our assumptions of the importance of migration from other states to NH. He showed associates that migration into the state is a primary economic driver and anything that effects migrations has significant impacts on our economy.
Norton's primary focus was on unearthing the myths residents and leaders operate on and how myths can be barriers to making good local and state policies. Other myths Norton highlighted were that NH is not a state of natives, the people who are coming to NH are in their prime wage-earning years so NH is actually in its economic prime right now and that most people are actually employed by large firms (50 or more employees), even though 86% of businesses in the state are small (19 or fewer employees).
By uncovering these myths, the call to action for associates became clear: How do we have conversations about policies outside of LNH without the conversations getting lost in rhetoric and ideology?
On such way could be to follow a model that Mallory highlighted in his session, "Civil Deliberation to Advance Civic Engagement." Mallory introduced associates to study circles that have six core principles to help community members deliberate and have dialogs on difficult issues.
The idea of study circles is to help people talk across their differences.
Discussions begin with having people talk to each other about themselves to get to know each other and their perspectives on life. The core principles of the study circles are focused on being inclusive; being facilitated; having work done in small groups; being sustained over a period of time; having a balance of values, beliefs and facts represented; and being aimed at generating solutions.
Mallory believes that study circles can help communities and people tackle the most difficult issues challenging their communities and can focus decisions and policies on facts,
Following an exercise in our own study circles, associates immersed themselves in an economics presentation from Thibeault about the future of the national and NH's economy.
Thibeault's theme was that the economy NH will face in the next 20-30 years will be much different than the economy we have had and currently operate under. The tension associates wrestled with is how will NH adapt and change to meet our future challenges.
The state is outperforming the nation in terms of unemployment, but job growth has nearly halted and migration—what Norton described later as our prime economic driver—has slowed. Like the rest of the country, we have lost 28,000 manufacturing jobs (between 2000-2008) and the new jobs, as our population ages with people staying here, are and will be in health care and social assistance.
NH's economy has evolved from an agrarian base to manufacturing, but now the state needs to develop the next big thing to get our state economy moving into the future. So, the challenge as leaders that we face is to develop and influence statewide and regional policies and initiatives to transform our economy to bring jobs back to the state.
Following Thibeault's presentation and lunch, Norton made his presentation to associates about challenging our assumptions.
While Taylor described to associates the belief in local control, Norton informed associates that local control is one of the great myths in the state because local policies are in fact enabled by state statute.
This, associates commented, means we should start thinking and talking about policies and solving issues regionally and in coordination with the state because we are dealing with the same issues in all our communities. That shift in thinking, Norton said, will also require us to explore whether communities and the state has the right governance structures in place locally, regionally and statewide to transcend geographic borders or whether there is a need to create new ones.
Solving these difficult issues won't be easy. We need to unlearn what we've learned, Norton said, but the difficult conversations about issues like race, taxes, the environment, education need to start.
In his opening presentation, Taylor reminded us that big things do not happen in NH unless they first happen at the local grassroots level. As NH has grown up, we've developed a commuter culture and lost our identities, Taylor added.
As LNH associates, it will be our jobs to become more engaged in our communities and find ways to have the tough conversations and solve the issues with all of our neighbors who we can see from our doorsteps and those we have not yet met.
Opening Retreat - September 2011
By Yusi Wang Turell '11
LNH Class of 2011: The Best and the Bridge-est
Camp Merrowvista is stunning – and lacks cell phone reception. It's no wonder that LNH has held its orientation retreat here since 1995. The 38 associates of the Class of 2011 followed in this tradition on September 14-15, 2010.
After welcoming us, our talented Merrowvista host-facilitators challenged us to be alert for "BFO's – Blinding Flashes of the Obvious" that alter how we perceive ourselves or the world. Our LNH leaders – Steve, Allyson, and Jamie – also issued a challenge to the Class of 2011: to select a superlative that is more specific than the "Best Class Ever" title claimed by all recent LNH classes!
The day flew by with team-building and thoughtful activities that tested our leadership and communication skills. Suffice to say that powerful BFO lessons can arise from simple popsicle sticks and paper plates! Our class is diverse: hailing from a very wide range of sectors, with 1 to 60 years of experience in New Hampshire, from 31 to 63 years young. In this, there was palpable energy, a strong desire to connect personally and around broad social change.
After delicious dinner and an animated Granite State Challenge trivia quiz, some people clustered around the dessert table, others retired upstairs, and a third group roasted marshmallows and chatted past midnight under a brilliant canopy of stars.
On Day 2, we got our first taste of the substantive dialogue we can expect in future LNH sessions. With many subject experts in the room, it became clear that (1) NH's biggest challenges are interconnected and must be addressed systemically, but that (2) there is currently a patchwork of resources, key players, and solutions, requiring some sleuthing and piecing together before we can move to informed action.
When I asked classmates to share reflections from this intense retreat, a few themes emerged.
So, what will be our class superlative? While it's too soon to say definitively, I submit that we showed early strengths as bridge-builders – physically, conceptually, professionally, personally. I look forward to the journey ahead.