NHBR Article

Granite State College president to retire

Monday, October 26, 2009

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Dr. Karol LaCroix, president of Granite State College, has announced plans to retire at the end of the academic year in June 2010.

President of the college since 2004, LaCroix has been instrumental in transitioning the institution from its former identity as the College for Lifelong Learning to its new incarnation.

The college, part of the University System of New Hampshire, has four regional centers in Conway, Claremont, Concord and Rochester as well as five educational sites in Berlin, Manchester, Littleton, Portsmouth and Lebanon.

“It was time for a change. This tops off some 30 years of service to public higher education,” said LaCroix about her decision. “I did have an agreement with the college to make some significant changes. Having achieved that goal, now is the perfect time for someone else to step in.”

LaCroix said she plans to continue to serve public higher education in some capacity in the future.

“I have always felt a deep commitment to education, and my particular passion has been the adult learner and lifelong education,” said LaCroix. “I strongly believe in and support the notion that being a student transcends age.”

Under LaCroix's leadership, Granite State College has had a steady increase in enrollment, including a 20 percent enrollment increase this year. She also has helped to establish endowments to support scholarships and lifelong learning opportunities.

Prior to her term at GSC, LaCroix was dean of the University of New Hampshire Manchester from 1996 to 2004.

Previously, she also served as a medical laboratory sciences faculty member at UNH in Durham, associate dean of UNH's School of Health and Human Services and interim dean of the Graduate School.

LaCroix, a native of Newport, N.H., was named earlier this month as a winner of NHBR's Business Excellence Award for public service. — CINDY KIBBE/NEW HAMPSHIRE BUSINESS REVIEW

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