Community & Student Organizations

A great way to find community at UNH is by attending events for graduate students. The Graduate school Weekly Newsletter, delivered to your inbox each Monday morning during the academic year, is a great place to find information and stay up to date on upcoming events and resources. Read the newsletter to learn about regular programing—including workshops, writing groups, research communication events, and more. There are also regular social gatherings open to the graduate community, such as: “First Thursday” graduate student socials hosted by the GSS, and Grad Student Hikes organized by Campus Rec’s Outdoor Adventures.

Follow the Graduate School on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to stay up to date on current happenings and helpful resources.

Located on the ground floor of Thompson Hall, these are designated graduate student spaces. The Nest, Room G15, is a social space and features a variety of seating and tables, a meeting room, and coffee/tea/snacks. Graduate students are welcome in the Nest anytime during business hours, Monday-Friday 9am-5pm. The Hive, Room G16, is a study and learning space, equipped with tables and chairs for approximately 20 people. While the Hive does have designated drop-in study hours for graduate students (schedule changes each semester—stop by for details), this space should typically be reserved in advance and can be done so by sending an Outlook calendar invite with your requested date/time to grad.assist@unh.edu.

Graduate Study Carrels: Unassigned carrels and a variety of seating options are available for graduate students in Room 441 of Dimond Library (Level 4) and are meant for quiet study. There are also lockers and book trucks available to sign out from May-May for a $5 rental charge. Any library materials kept in this room must be checked out. To obtain the combination to the room or to arrange a rental, please bring a valid Graduate UNH ID to the Circulation Desk on Level 3 (Main Level).

If you are looking into becoming more involved in campus organizations, the University of New Hampshire has several student groups that graduate students of diverse backgrounds can join. Follow the links below to find out more information.

Student Organizations and Diversity support coalitions:

• Black Student Union
  • The Black Student Union (BSU) provides black students and allies a safe space to gain knowledge and a sense of self while also educating the UNH community on issues such as black culture and social justice.
• Hillel
  • Hillel is dedicated to creating a welcoming environment for Jewish students and students interested in Jewish culture.
• Native American Cultural Association
  • The Native American Cultural Association is dedicated to sharing knowledge about indigenous peoples of the Americas through stories, speakers and more.
• MOSAICO
  • MOSAICO is the Latino/Latina/Latinx student organization that educates and shares the cultures and traditions from various Latin American countries.
• Stonewall grads
  • Stonewall Grads is a social based organization for supporting LGBTQA+ people in the graduate community and people of all levels.
• Alliance
  • Alliance is the primary LGBTQIAP+ student group at UNH. We welcome people of all orientations and identities! Each week we have a discussion, guest speaker, or other activity related to the LGBTQIAP+ community. These meetings provide an opportunity for learning, venting, healing, relaxing, having fun, and building community.
• United Asian Coalition (UAC)
  • The United Asian Coalition (UAC), a student organization under the Diversity Support Coalition (DSC), promotes equity, diversity, and inclusion. UAC celebrates and educates fellow UNH students and community about Asian/Asian American/Pacific Islander cultures.
• For other multicultural student groups at UNH, follow the link below:
  • https://www.unh.edu/omsa/student-organizations

The University of New Hampshire has several offices that focus on retention and community for underrepresented students. Follow the links below to find out more information about what these offices have to offer.

• The Beauregard Center
  • The Beauregard Center is committed to working collaboratively with the whole UNH community to create a more inclusive, equitable, and socially just campus through education, advising, advocacy and community building.
• Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS)
  • The Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS) provides immigration advising and support and coordinates programs to bring our international, campus and local communities together.
• Graduate Student Senate Ad-hoc Diversity Committee
  • The Graduate Student Senate creates ad-hoc committees to address immediate needs for the student body.

Social Justice and Anti-Racism Resources for Graduate Education

• These resources are intended to help support reflection, dialogue, and action by graduate education leaders, faculty, staff, and students interested in social justice in graduate education programs and institutions. They are useful for providing background information to inform work on social justice issues in graduate education, or for sharing directly with members in your communities. 

UNH also provides several resources through the Office of Community, Equity & Diversity and the Civil Rights & Equity Office to create a safe community for all students. Below you will find links to the resources we offer on reporting biased for creating a safe community on campus:

• Reporting Bias
  • The Bias Response and Support Coordinator operates out of the Office of Community, Equity, and Diversity and serves as a resource to students, faculty & staff across UNH campuses. Contact Sharon Tarleton at Sharon.Tarleton@unh.edu for more information.
  • The Civil Rights and Equity Office makes every effort to keep the UNH community informed by providing resources and records of reported bias and hate incidents. 

The UNH Graduate School has long standing initiatives geared towards the recruitment and of underrepresented students. The Graduate School supports colleges and program efforts towards the recruitment of underrepresented graduate students.

For information on available resources and funding, please contact Dovev Levine at dovev.levine@unh.edu.

Hosted by the Graduate School and its Advisory Board for Underrepresented Graduate Students, this series is dedicated to engaging New Hampshire-based practitioners of equity and inclusion with their peers outside of the Granite State. As communities and institutions seek to address racial and social justice, we believe that consistent and frequent dialogue on equity and inclusion-related issues is critical, along with bringing new perspectives into our sphere. This series is a cornerstone of these efforts at the graduate level.  You can find full video recordings of each event on the Critical Dialogue Series UNH Media channel. 

Board comprised of master's and doctoral students representing the cross-sections of U.S. underrepresented graduate students (e.g., colleges, gender) that advises the Graduate School deans on retention and recruitment-related initiatives. The board meets in-person monthly, and has a particular focus on building community for the underrepresented population. An "Underrepresented Graduate Student Organization" is in development, which will be governed by ABUGS.

For more information contact: Dovev.Levine@unh.edu or grad.assist@unh.edu.

The Northeast Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (NEAGEP) program is a consortium composed of 15 universities and colleges (including five minority-serving institutions), whose goal is to work cooperatively to increase the number of underrepresented U.S. minority students receiving doctoral degrees and becoming faculty members, with a particular emphasis in STEM fields. Founded in 1999, and under the Administrative leadership of the UNH Graduate School since 2018, this consortium has successes in an array of fronts, including collaborative work on recruitment and retention activities and innovative research regarding supports and challenges facing underrepresented graduate students. The NEAGEP website is currently being developed and will be launched soon!

"UNH is proud to take the lead in continuing this important work to increase diversity in graduate education, particularly in STEM fields. NEAGEP has made great strides and we are committed to ensuring it only grows." - Wayne Jones, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs via UNH Today

The Graduate Student Senate (GSS) is the official voice of UNH’s graduate student body. The GSS works hard to advocate for graduate students, representing their interests across UNH and the university system, as well as engage the state legislature and foster a sense of community and social engagement among graduate students on campus. GSS elections take place each spring for students interested in running for a position. However, all grad students are welcome to attend meetings, which occur biweekly.

There are a number of student-led organizations open to graduate students at UNH.  Details and contact information can be found through Catalyst. A few of these groups are highlighted below!

There are also several clubs and organizations at the Manchester Campus. See the list of organizations to learn more. If you have any questions about club opportunities please contact Keriann.Mcdonough@unh.edu.

Stonewall Grads is a social and activism based organization supporting LGBTQA+ people at UNH with an emphasis on the graduate community. Stonewall Grads contributes towards making UNH a fairer, more equitable and diverse climate through collaborations with other affinity groups and pioneering activism. Please join us for the suite of events we hold, such as our 'Post-work Social get-togethers' - formerly known as 'beers with queers', sponsored events, discussion evenings and adhoc activism.

On the Manchester Campus there is an undergraduate led organization called Common Ground. Graduate students are welcome to participate in their meetings which focus on supporting the LGBTQA+ community.

Graduate Christian Fellowship (GCF) invites you to enjoy a free dinner, connect with friends, and have in-depth conversations on topics of faith. Meetings are every Friday evening on the 2nd floor of Freedom Cafe (10 Mill Road, Durham). Contact unhgcf@gmail.com for more information.

The benefits of your UNH affiliation don't end when you graduate. Your UNH Wildcat network is a unique community dedicated to the success of current and former students at every stage of life, and you are a vital part of it.

OISS offers in-depth orientation programs and resources on topics including adjusting to living in another culture, adapting to the U.S. educational system, visiting area attractions and much more. They provide immigration advising and coordinate programs to bring international, campus, and local communities together. OISS will help you discover opportunities at UNH to immerse in American culture and share your own traditions with others from the U.S. and from around the globe. Contact oiss@unh.edu for more information.

Military & Veterans' Services (MVS) offers timely processing of VA benefits with extensive programming to support student Veterans, Service Members, and other military-affiliated students. With a recently remodeled space (with over 2200 square feet!) and three full-time staff members, MVS is the primary go-to for any military-connected student using a military educational benefit or seeking support (academic, personal, or social). Contact unh.veterans@unh.edu for more information.