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MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — The University of New Hampshire's Manchester campus will move into a new building next spring even as it begins offering new programs in science and technology.
The campus will move from its current location on Commercial Street into the historic and renovated Pandora Mill building in March of next year.
The building sat vacant with trees growing from its rooftop for decades before the restoration efforts began several years ago.
UNH president Mark Huddleston called the Manchester campus an asset to the region and said its expansion signals the school's commitment to the region to deliver work-ready students, especially in the areas of science and technology.
With the move, UNH Manchester will increase its classroom and office space by 44 percent and feature new and updated labs. The biological sciences program, which saw a 20 percent increase in enrollment this fall, will have five new labs. New programs introduced at the campus include analytics, accounting, computer science and entrepreneurship.
This summer, the University System of New Hampshire board of trustees voted unanimously to support the sale of UNH's current building at 400 Commercial Street to DEKA in exchange for a long-term lease with the option to buy the Pandora building.
"The project marries two of my passions - education and my love for this city," said Pamela Diamantis, chair of the USNH Board of Trustees.
Inventor Dean Kamen, founder and CEO of DEKA, sees the expansion of UNH in Manchester as a win for the region and workforce development.
"We have to get a much larger group of well-educated people here. I'm struggling to find good people," said Kamen. "We need a pipeline and we need the next generation of technologists and leaders."
Manchester Mayor Ted Gatsas acknowledged that Kamen believed in the city's mill yard long before anyone knew what was possible. "Working with Dean and UNH Manchester is very exciting for this city," said Gatsas.
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