Collection number: UA 20/1/2 [Offsite Storage]
Size: 1 box
(.33 cu.ft.)
About the University of New Hampshire, Merrimack Valley Branch
The Merrimack Valley Branch of the University of New Hampshire was established in Manchester in September 1967. The branch started as an extension center. There were thirty-one credit courses, taught almost entirely by regular faculty members from the main campus, and enrolling 590 students. There also were seven short-term certificate courses enrolling 231. The first branch director, Frederick J. Robinson '49, had a small office in the Manchester Memorial High School and the classes met evenings in the high school. A year later, a house in the neighborhood was rented as an office and library building, while the growing number of classes continued to meet in Memorial High School and in nearby Southside Junior High. The unit got its first recognition as a separate entity when the 1969 legislature voted an appropriation of $60,000 for planning a campus. During the next few years, with the assistance of interested citizens, members of the Board of Trustees, and legislators, several sites in the region were investigated to determine their suitability for a commuter campus. A site within the City limits of Manchester was finally selected after a Feasibility Study of the site proved that it was satisfactory. The first building, named French Hall in honor of J. Fred French, a trustee for the University System for 11 years, opened on Hackett Hill Road in 1975. In 1977, the Legislature passed the House Bill 1006 establishing the MVB as a college in its own right with all the necessary powers and duties. Renamed the Merrimack Valley College, it became the fourth institution within the University System.
About the Merrimack Valley Branch Directors and Deans Files
This collection contains correspondence and papers from the various directors and deans of Merrimack Valley Branch. The list of names includes: Gordon O. Thayer, Director of the Division of Industrial and Community Services, Director Frederick Robinson, Chairman Raymond Hubbard, Dean Roger Bernard, Associate Dean William A. Cook, and Assistant Dean Frances A. Mahoney.
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
This collection is open. Please note, the MVB files are housed in the Library Storage Building and require 24 hour notice for retrieval.
Copyright Notice
Copyright is retained by the University of New Hampshire.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Merrimack Valley Branch Directors and Deans files, 1967-1977, UA 20/1/2, Milne Special Collections and Archives, University of New Hampshire Library, Durham, NH, USA.
Acquisitions Information
These records were transferred from the University of New Hampshire at Manchester Library in March 2002.
Collection Contents
| Box 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Box 1, Folder 1 | 1967 | Dr. Gordon O. Thayer Proposal: A Branch of UNH in Manchester |
| Box 1, Folder 2 | 1968 | Dr. Gordon O. Thayer: Recommendations for Further Development of M.V.B. |
| Box 1, Folder 3 | 1970 | Dr. Gordon O. Thayer : Papers |
| Box 1, Folder 4 | 1968 | Dr. Frederick Robinson, Director: Address from 2nd Annual Public Luncheon |
| Box 1, Folder 5 | 1974 | Dean Roger Bernard: Open the Doors of Learning |
| Box 1, Folder 6 | 1975 | Dean Roger Bernard: Supplement to Annual Report on Forum |
| Box 1, Folder 7 | March 1975 | Dean Roger Bernard: Union Leader Interview News Article |
| Box 1, Folder 8 | 1975 | Dean Roger Bernard: The Beginning of a College Report |
| Box 1, Folder 9 | 1975-1977 | Dean Roger Bernard Papers: Policy & Procedures Manual |
| Box 1, Folder 10 | Dean Roger Bernard Papers: M.V.B. Library Technical Assistants Program Accreditation1976 | |
| Box 1, Folder 11 | 1976-1977 | Dean Roger Bernard Papers: Reports to System Trustees |
| Box 1, Folder 12 | 1976-1977 | Dean Roger Bernard Papers: Administrative Board Minutes |
| Box 1, Folder 13 | 1973-1977 | Associate Dean William A. Cook Papers |
| Box 1, Folder 14 | 1974-1975 | Assistant Dean Dr. Frances A. Mahoney Papers |
| Box 1, Folder 15 | 1974-1975 | Chairman Dr. Raymond Hubbard, Coordinator of Career Studies Papers |
