If confirmed, Huddleston plans to assume the New Hampshire presidency in July. He will take the reins at New Hampshire after having served since 2004 as president of Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio, the position for which he left UD.
"Dr. Huddleston offers UNH a distinctive blend of vision, experience, and commitment. He is a sitting president at a well-respected private university who previously has served in increasingly responsible positions over 24 years at a large public university,” University System Chancellor Stephen J. Reno said. “He is a dedicated and recognized academic, and an individual who impressed the search committee and members of the UNH community with his vision for the university and his collaborative style of leadership.”
Huddleston began his academic career at the State University of New York-Buffalo in 1977 as an assistant professor of political science. He then joined the faculty of the University of Delaware in 1980, where he remained for the next 24 years.
At UD, Huddleston chaired the Department of Political Science and International Relations and served as associate provost for international programs. He was named dean of the College of Arts and Sciences in 2001, where he managed 45 academic departments and centers with nearly 900 fulltime faculty and staff, and served in that capacity until he was named president of Ohio Wesleyan University in 2004.
"I am thrilled-and deeply honored-to have been recommended as the next president of the University of New Hampshire. UNH is a very special place. It has cutting-edge research programs, outstanding faculty and staff, a diverse and talented student body, a great athletic tradition and a strong ethic of service to the people of New Hampshire and the world beyond. Yet even with all of these assets, I am convinced that UNH's brightest days are still ahead," Huddleston said. “I feel immensely privileged to become part of this great institution.”
For details, see the University of New Hampshire web site [www.unh.edu].