50 Years on Campus

What began as a two-room business school in downtown Manchester in 1932 became a beautiful 300-acre university along the Merrimack River. SNHU made its campus location home in 1971 after outgrowing its space on Hanover Street. Over the past 50 years, the Manchester campus has continued to grow and evolve to meet the needs of our learners. Take a walk through our history as we celebrate 50 years on campus.

Intersection sign in the heart of campus from the mid-1970s.

Aerial photograph of then-New Hampshire College, taken in the late 1970s. New Hampshire College residence hall on the west side of campus.

Student broadcaster airing a show in the campus radio station in the 1970s. Opened in 1996, SNHU’s Washington Hall features large community spaces and houses 248 students.

New Hampshire College student-athletes showing off their Penmen pride in 1980s.

Opened in 2016, The Edward S. Wolak Library Learning Commons was named in honor of SNHU alumnus and Trustee, Edward Wolak ’74.

Dedicated in 2012, the Robert A. Freese Student Center was named for SNHU Trustee Robert Freese ’89. SNHU’s 1,500-seat athletics complex, Penmen Stadium, opened in early 2018.

Laurie Chandler ’89 and Clarke Chandler celebrate at the ribbon cutting of the Chandler Center in 2018. The Deborah L. Coffin Women’s Center, located within the William S. and Joan Green Center for Student Success, was unveiled with a ribbon cutting ceremony in 2016. Kingston Hall, a 328-bed residence hall, opened in 2018. It was constructed where some of SNHU’s original residence halls - Chocorua Hall, Winnisquam Hall and Kearsarge Hall - once stood.

Unveiled in early 2020, SNHU’s newest facility on campus houses the School of Engineering, Technology and Aeronautics.