Affirming its commitment to serving the needs of its state citizens, the University of New Hampshire officially became a full land, space and sea grant institution at an August 20 ceremony in Dimond Library. During the event, NOAA Administrator and Undersecretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere Vice Admiral Conrad Lautenbacher Jr. presented UNH President Ann Weaver Hart with a plaque commemorating the University’s new status as a top tier Sea Grant College.

“The University of New Hampshire is an extremely impressive organization,” said Lautenbacher after spending the morning touring campus and learning more about UNH - NOAA partnerships such as the Northeast Consortium, the Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping (CCOM) / Joint Hydrographic Center (JHC), the Cooperative Institute for Coastal and Estuarine Environmental Technology (CICEET), and the Atmospheric Investigation, Regional Modeling, and Prediction (AIRMAP) Cooperative Institute. “This University has been a leader in partnerships,” he said.

As one of only nine universities in the nation to hold top tier status as a land, space and sea grant institution, UNH receives federal funding for research, education and outreach through three national programs established by Congress: the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (funded by USDA), the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program (funded by NASA), and the National Sea Grant College Program (funded by NOAA).

“These three programs are all unique in that Congress created them to bridge the gap between researchers and stakeholders by formally incorporating education and outreach into each program’s mission,” said UNH Vice President for Research and Public Service Donald Sundberg during the ceremony.

Also speaking were National Sea Grant Review Panel Chair Peter Bell, Seacoast Science Center President Wendy Lull, and National Sea Grant Director Ronald Baird. Nancy Ragland Perkins, Legislative Assistant for Oceans and Environment for U.S. Senator Judd Gregg (R-N.H.), read a letter from the Senator.

“Senator Gregg has been a very strong supporter of the National Sea Grant College Program,” said NH Sea Grant Director Ann Bucklin following the presentation of the plaque. “He is certainly a legislative leader in marine resource issues, and NH Sea Grant is very grateful for the Senator’s continuing support.”

The National Sea Grant College Program is a federal-university partnership whose mission, as mandated by Congress, is to foster the sustainable development of the nation’s coastal resources. Operating through a university-based network, Sea Grant supports research, education and outreach to address a broad range of issues including aquaculture, marine biotechnology, seafood processing, the development of marine products, fisheries recruitment and conservation, estuarine processes and marine policy.

Although UNH has received Sea Grant funding for the past 35 years, for most of that period it was part of a joint program with Maine. Due to growth in marine research at both universities, Maine/NH Sea Grant separated in 2000, creating two fully distinct programs. The newly independent NH Sea Grant has been able to focus its efforts on the needs of the Granite State. However, separation also required UNH to reapply for top tier status as a Sea Grant College.

Sea Grant College status is the top level of programs within the National Sea Grant College Program. The designation is based on a demonstrated record of superior performance in marine and coastal resource programs and signifies that the Sea Grant program is addressing the needs of its state.

In March, a panel of marine experts visited UNH to review its application and gave it a “glowing recommendation” that it should become a Sea Grant College, according to Peter Bell, who assembled the panel.

The top tier status recognizes UNH’s dedication to maintaining a high quality and balanced program of marine research, education and outreach, and NH Sea Grant’s role in working with UNH’s marine community, marine researchers at other New Hampshire colleges and universities, and the state’s marine stakeholders to address current and future resource issues. This recognition puts UNH on the same level with other top tier Sea Grant programs, making it more competitive in seeking additional NOAA funding.

“Sea Grant lies at the interface of this continuum from research to the user, allowing the benefits of technology to be translated into usefulness in the community, and to connect those users’ requirements to those in research and education,” said Lautenbacher. “It is a marvelous vehicle for doing so, and it has been honed to a fine art here in New Hampshire.”

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