Southern New Hampshire University

Southern New Hampshire University

Motto	Summa Optimaque (Latin)
Motto in English	"The Greatest and the Best"
Type	Private, nonprofit, coeducational, nonsectarian
Established	1932
Endowment	$16.7 million
President	Paul J. LeBlanc
Provost	Patricia Lynott
Academic staff	152 (Full time) 1,642 (Part time)
Students	3,147 (On campus) 60,000 (Online/Continuing education)
Location	Manchester/Hooksett, New Hampshire, U.S.
Campus	Suburban 300 acres (1.2 km2)
Colors	Blue and Gold
Athletics	NCAA Division II – NE-10
Sports	Baseball, basketball, softball, cross country, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, volleyball, golf, cheerleading, field hockey, track and field
Nickname	Penmen
Mascot	Petey Penmen
Affiliations	NEASC, ACBSP, AAC&U, ACE, NAICU
Website	www.snhu.edu

Coordinates: 43°02′23″N 71°27′14″W / 43.03972°N 71.45389°W / 43.03972; -71.45389 Southern New Hampshire University, also known as SNHU, is a private, nonprofit, coeducational, and nonsectarian university situated between Manchester and Hooksett, New Hampshire, in the United States. The university is accredited by the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education (CIHE) of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, and also has specialized accreditation for its schools and programs.

The university was founded in 1932 by Harry A.B. Shapiro and Gertrude Crockett Shapiro (his wife) as the New Hampshire School of Accounting and Secretarial Science. In 1961, it was incorporated and renamed New Hampshire College of Accounting and Commerce. The state of New Hampshire granted the college its charter in 1963, which gave it degree-granting authority. The first associate degrees were awarded that year, and the first bachelor's degrees were conferred in 1966. The college became a nonprofit institution under a board of trustees in September 1968, and its name was shortened to New Hampshire College in 1969.

The 1970s were a time of growth and change. The college moved from its downtown Manchester site to the now 300-acre (120 ha) campus along the Merrimack River at the northern border of Manchester with the town of Hooksett in 1971. The college introduced its first Master of Business Administration program in 1974, and now almost four decades later offers more than two dozen specialized MBA programs in fields such as forensic accounting, project management, information technology management, and corporate social responsibility. New Hampshire College absorbed some of the programs of Franconia College, which closed in 1978.