Dr. Paul J. LeBlanc, Southern New Hampshire University
Dr. Paul J. LeBlanc became President of Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) on July 7, 2003. He previously served as president at Marlboro College (VT) since 1996.
Under LeBlanc’s direction, SNHU has become the first American university to bring online programs into China, has expanded academic programs including a nationally recognized MFA Program featuring writers like Russell Banks and Richards Rhodes, revitalized its campus with new buildings, and become the first carbon-neutral university campus in New Hampshire and one of the first in the nation.
At Marlboro, LeBlanc oversaw a $10-million campus revitalization program that included a new library wing and dance/music building. He successfully led a recently completed $34- million comprehensive campaign and guided the college into graduate and international education. The Princeton Review recently ranked Marlboro College second in the nation for “Overall Academic Quality.”
Prior to joining Marlboro College, LeBlanc was vice president for New Technology at Houghton Mifflin Company. He also served as chair of the Humanities Department at Springfield College (Mass.) from 1993 to1996. An authority on technology and education, he created the first full degree program in e-commerce, the first Master of Arts in Teaching with Internet Technologies, as well as the Master of Science in Internet Strategy Management, all based at The Graduate Center of Marlboro College.
LeBlanc received a Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 1990, a Master’s of Arts degree from Boston College in 1982 and a Bachelor of Arts from Framingham State College in 1980. He is also the author or editor of three books: “Computers and Writing: A History;” “Writing Teachers Writing Software: Creating Our Place in the Electronic Age” and “Re Imagining Computers and Composition: Teaching and Research in the Virtual Age.”
LeBlanc serves on the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning Board of Directors and serves or has served on the boards of the New England Association for Schools and Colleges Commission on Higher Education, the Council of Independent Colleges, The Derryfield School, NH Campus Compact, The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, NH Junior Achievement, NH Council of Colleges and Universities, and Heritage United Way. He was recently appointed by the governor to serve on the NH Post-Secondary Education Commission.
He was appointed by NH Governor John Lynch to the Governor’s Commission on Latino Affairs and while in VT was appointed by former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean to Vermont’s first Commission on Higher Education Funding. He has testified before the US Senate Judiciary Committee on questions of intellectual property and fair use and consulted with foundations on questions of the liberal arts and technology.
LeBlanc’s wife, Patricia Findlen, is an attorney, and they have two daughters, Emma and Hannah.
