Features

On a cold day in mid-April, as blustery winds swirl a mix of spring rain and snow outside, Peter Paul '67 raises a ceremonial saber and slices the neck off a bottle of champagne from his California vineyard. Five hundred spectators cheer. It's official—five years after the philanthropist and entrepreneur launched the project with his $25 million gift, the largest in the university's history, the new Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics is open for business. More than a stunning new building, the college is a gathering place, a center for learning and teaching, a space for networking—a vibrant community.

Community Building
In the Great Hall of the Paul College, a flock of starlings is poised in midflight, a shimmering 40-foot kinetic sculpture of 5,000 silver rods and 2,000 black metal discs. "Intricate Universe" was designed to fit the vast space, according to artist Anna Hepler, who describes the piece as "a visual analogue," a tangible portrayal of "globalized economics and business in which every person, every element, is linked and related to every other."

The new college itself is a powerful example of what happens when a structure is designed with specific values in mind. "There's a buzz here, a real sense of community," says Dan Innis, dean of the college. Like the Great Hall, which he calls "the heart and soul of the college," gathering spaces throughout the building spark interaction among faculty and students, spontaneous conversation, and group meetings.

"The whole feel of the college is what a business school should be," says Casey Dupuis '16, who turned down a scholarship to a private school to come to UNH. The Paul College is a place where paths are constantly crossing, where face-to-face learning is in full swing—where the workings of the "intricate universe" are in perpetual motion.

Wired for Learning
Students settle into their seats, laptops and notebooks at the ready. The professor stands at a podium outfitted with a computer and control panel worthy of the starship Enterprise. With the press of a button, the blinds close. The lights dim. A screen drops from the ceiling. And the lecture is recorded for later podcast listening. "The technology is amazing," says Courtney Firestine '13, noting that even small details, like double electrical outlets between seats, make a difference. "Business students basically have their own home now," she says. "It's a great motivator. Just walking into the building gives an image of the future."

Students who used to set up camp in dorm rooms to work on projects now gather in breakout rooms, where they can be focused and efficient, and no time is lost wrestling with inadequate technology. "The new building encourages interaction with today's technology and enhances opportunities to work together," says Tom Varley '80, a Paul College donor who has spent three decades in the hotel industry. And that's a good thing, he points out, "because today's business environment demands effective collaboration, as well as technologically relevant experience. Business is all about people."

The College Philanthropy Built

What did it take to build a new business school? It began with a single gift from a single generous donor, a man with a vision. The momentum grew from there, as others caught the vision, expanding in an ever-wider circle of giving that eventually included more than 2,000 donors, who gave gifts ranging from $5 to $25 million. "We are grateful to each and every donor," says Debbie Dutton, vice president for advancement, noting that the success of the project is proof of the commitment alumni and friends have to UNH—and to the potential they see here.

"From a philanthropic standpoint, the Paul College project is one of the most important things the university has done in the past 20 years," says J. Morgan Rutman '84, who majored in economics and finance and built a career as a hedge fund manager. Along the way, he has stayed in touch with UNH, working with the business school's Wall Street residency program and the student investment group. "Giving to the college was another way to do something for a place that really helped shape my life," he says.

The names of Paul College donors appear throughout the new building: at the entry to classrooms and breakout rooms, on the grand stairway and next to offices. Those names are reminders of the people behind the project, people who had a vision—a new building designed to promote a vibrant community—and made it happen.