February 16, 2023
Increased investment will attract visitors, revenue, students, and blockchain entrepreneurs
CONCORD, N.H. (February 16, 2023) — During his presentation to the House Finance Committee yesterday, Governor Chris Sununu outlined two one-time capital investment proposals for projects at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) in Durham. The Governor’s remarks can be viewed on YouTube here.
The increased investment in capital will be used to renovate the Whittemore Center at the University of New Hampshire and the establishment of a Blockchain Quality Assurance Center at the UNH-Interoperability Lab (UNH-IOL).
Whittemore Center Renovation:
The proposed $8 million state investment will leverage commitments from private donors and the university to complete an ongoing $30 million renovation of the nearly 30-year-old Whittemore Center.
“There are benefits to both the state and UNH with a revitalized Whittemore Center,” said Allison Rich, director of athletics at the University of New Hampshire. “This investment in one of the state’s largest venues for sporting and entertainment events will help bring more visitors and revenue to the state of New Hampshire. It will be a great asset for attracting and retaining outstanding student-athletes while also driving admissions and building pride in our state and the university.”
Blockchain Quality Assurance Center:
In response to a recommendation from the Governor’s Commission on Cryptocurrencies and Digital Assets, the Governor proposed $1.5 million to fund the establishment of a Blockchain Quality Assurance Center at the UNH-Interoperability Lab (UNH-IOL). After initial funding, the Center would be revenue-generating and self-sustaining.
“This investment will help to establish New Hampshire as an attractive destination for Blockchain entrepreneurs and enable the UNH-IOL to rapidly expand testing and quality assurance offerings to meet industry demand in this space,” said Jeff Lapak, director of the UNH-IOL.
UNH-IOL is one of the premier centers in the U.S. that provides independent, broad-based interoperability and conformance testing for leading edge data, telecom and storage networking technologies. Since its founding in 1988, the laboratory has become the leading independent proving ground for new technologies. The IOL actively partners with industry to meet their evolving testing needs, while at the same time attracting students to, and preparing them for, careers in cutting-edge technology.
To learn more about the University System of New Hampshire, visit https://yours.usnh.edu/.
The University System of New Hampshire (USNH) enrolls 27,000 students and consists of three public institutions: Keene State College, Plymouth State University and the University of New Hampshire. USNH strives to ensure the availability of high quality, affordable and accessible higher educational opportunities throughout New Hampshire and addresses critical state workforce needs. A 28-member Board of Trustees is responsible for overseeing the University System.
Media Contact:
Lisa Thorne
Director Communications, University System of New Hampshire
lisa.thorne@usnh.edu
V: 603.862.0924
M: 603.540.9954
