UNH alumnus killed in Afghanistan
Students, staff and faculty are mourning the loss of Benjamin Keating, a recent UNH graduate with a dry wit and passion for ancient history, who died in a truck accident last weekend while serving with the Army’s 10th Mountain Division in northern Afghanistan.

Lt. Keating graduated magna cum laude in 2004 with a B.A. in history and classics. He joined ROTC his sophomore year, entered the Army right after graduation, and began his tour of Afghanistan in February 2006.

His involvement in ROTC came as a surprise to his family.

“I don’t really know what prompted that,” said his mother, Beth Keating. “All of a sudden he was talking to army recruiters, and wanted to sign up.”

“I was pretty shocked by it actually,” said his sister, Jessica Keating, who is a lawyer in Falmouth, Maine. “I knew he was patriotic, but I was definitely surprised at how he decided to express it.”

However, she explained, it quickly became “very clear that he absolutely belonged there.”

He graduated early from high school, in just 3½ years, and worked at an apple orchard for three years before he was ready for college, said his mother.

In the spring 2005 issue of UNH Magazine, Keating was quoted as saying, “Each person has to decide how it is that they can be an active member of society.” He also expressed that ideas about citizenship and duty he’d learned about in his classes had influenced his decision to join the military.
—Helen Hocknell

UNH’s final two candidates
The 13-member search committee charged with the task of selecting a permanent successor to Dr. Anne Weaver Hart, the 18th president of UNH, has narrowed the field of applicants down to two candidates.

The finalists are Dr. Jack Burns, the former vice president for academic affairs and research at the University of Colorado System, and Dr. John Cavanaugh, the current president of the University of West Florida, according to a University System of New Hampshire press release.

“These two finalists have strong academic backgrounds and have demonstrated themselves as very capable and competent leaders,” stated Edward Dupont, chairman of the UNH Presidential Search Committee and vice chairman of the USNH Board of Trustees, in the press release. “I look forward to seeing Dr. Burns and Dr. Cavanaugh engage with the numerous constituencies that comprise the UNH community during their upcoming visits.”

A third finalist dropped out because he or she did not want his or her name released to the public at this time.

The two remaining candidates will each attend a number of open forums held for students, staff, faculty and the greater community at the UNH Durham and UNH Manchester campuses. Each candidate will visit the campuses and attend these forums over a two-day period. Cavanaugh’s visit took place Dec. 4-5, and Burns’ visit will take place Dec. 11-12.

After the visits, the search committee will reconvene and propose a final candidate to Chancellor Stephen J. Reno, who will, in turn, review the remaining applicant. Reno will then make a recommendation to the USNH Board of Trustees, the collective deciding factor in the presidential search process.

According to the USNH press release, once a new president is selected, he would begin his role as soon as possible, but in light of the circumstances of the remaining applicants, “neither would likely start until the beginning of the 2007-08 academic year.”
—Steve Bodnar

UNH students camp out for 40 hours to buy PlayStation 3
Here’s a way to make a buck: camp out for 40 hours outside of a major electronics store while enduring rain, fending off skunks, dodging eggs and conversing with the British. Do all of this while standing in line for the latest in video game technology in order to sell it on eBay for massive profit.

On Nov. 17, Sony’s next-generation video game console, the PlayStation 3, launched in North America with the hope of continuing Sony’s dominance in the billion-dollar gaming industry.

For buddies and UNH juniors Kevin D’Entremont and George Armstrong, it wasn’t about getting the latest in video game technology. It was all about the money. They camped out in a line of six people outside of the Portsmouth Circuit City for two days in order to achieve their goal of snagging a PS3 to sell on eBay.

They were not the only ones with this idea. As soon as people from all over the country had begun to buy their PS3s, auction listings on eBay appeared like crazy. Bids reached four times the console’s sticker price, many even higher than that. With the manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $500 for the 20 GB model and $600 for the 60 GB model, that’s a lot of money.

Eventually the auction Web site became flooded with PS3s and the average final sale amount dropped considerably. As of today, a search for “PlayStation 3” on eBay yields 14,268 auctions, most hovering around the $1,000 mark.
—Jonathan Wahlgren

WSBE close to naming new dean
As the semester rolls toward an end, so does the search for a new dean at the Whittemore School of Business and Economics.

Of an original candidate pool of about 60, only four remain. WSBE faculty, staff and students have interviewed and met the four remaining candidates: Daniel Innis of Orono, Maine; Glenn Pitman of Binghamton, N.Y.; Michael Ginzberg of Hockessin, Del.; and Timothy Mescon of Atlanta, Ga.

The search started in early August when provost Bruce L. Mallory announced a 13-member search committee. Current Whittemore School of Business and Economics Dean Steve Bolander announced his retirement on March 29 in an e-mail to Whittemore School faculty and staff, according to an April article in the Campus Journal. He will retire on Dec. 31.

The search committee includes faculty members from different facets of the business school, as well as members in other academic schools. The committee is working in conjunction with the Boston recruitment firm EFL Associates, which is helping to oversee the process.

After reviewing the four candidates, the committee will, in the next few weeks, make their recommendations to Mallory and Interim President Bonnie Newman.
—Chris Quartarone