STEPHEN J. RENO

2124 Elm Street, Manchester, New Hampshire 03105-2315

603-969-3355       Stephen.reno@usnh.edu 

Stephen Reno has nearly forty years experience in higher education as a senior administrator, professor, and consultant, working both in the United States and abroad.  In July 2009, he completed a nine-year term as chancellor of the University System of New Hampshire: a role in which he oversaw the work of a twenty-seven member Board of Trustees, four institutions, a distance learning network, and a public television station.  As an administrator and consultant, he focuses on strategic planning, institutional efficiency, board development, and establishment of creative partnerships.  He has served as president of Southern Oregon University, and held senior administrative posts at the University of Southern Maine and the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom.

Reno's interest in institutional evaluation and effectiveness, including key issues of governance, planning, assessment, and board responsibility, has led to his serving as chair of accreditation teams to numerous public and private colleges and universities including Brigham Young University, Montana State University - Bozeman, University of Nevada- Reno, Montana State University-Billings, Warner Pacific University, Pacific Lutheran University, Warner Pacific University, City University, Whitman College, University of Puget Sound, Seattle Pacific University, Marylhurst University, and Utah Valley University.  Recent consultancies include the Board of Governors of the University of Winchester (UK), and the University of Timisoara (Romania).  He has chaired numerous CEO searches and senior leadership evaluations.

Reno's own board service includes:  Chair, Board of Trustees of New Hampshire Public Radio; Chair, New Hampshire Postsecondary Education Commission; Member, Board of Directors of the New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies; Member, Lumina Foundation Research Advisory Board; Member, Board of Trustees of Catholic Medical Center; Member, Board of Directors, Business and Industry Association; Member, Assembly of Overseers of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center; Commissioner, Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities; and treasurer of the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association.  He serves also as Chair of StayWorkPlay Board of Directors (a non-profit committed to the retention of college graduates in New Hampshire).

In addition to scholarship in his academic field of comparative religion, Reno's presentations and publications focus on institutional efficiency and effectiveness, governance, and strategic partnerships.  Selected titles include Looking for Dialogue (New England Journal of Higher Education), Making Mission Statement an Active Verb (Board of Governors, University of Winchester); Assessing Student Learning: What should institutions and accreditors do? (SHEEO); The Value of Consortia in Higher Education (American Leadership Consortium); Accountability in Higher Education (Ohio Board of Regents); The Place of Autonomy in University Governance and Reform (Salzburg Seminar); Speaking the Same Language of Expectation (Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities); and The Accelerated Baccalaureate - Vision and Experiment (Willamette University).

Reno co-founded the Department of Religion at the University of Leicester (UK); was a Visiting Scholar at the Harvard Center for the Study of World Religions; developed the first accredited three-year bachelor's degree option in the Oregon University System; co-chaired a major review of the Chancellor's Office and Board of the Oregon University System; developed and implemented an articulation system between the University System of New Hampshire and the Community College System of New Hampshire; has been a participant in the Salzburg Seminar (Austria) on university governance; and has initiated the development of an on-line job matching facility in New Hampshire.  This year he was honored with the "Lifetime Achievement Award" by the New Hampshire Business and Industry Association.

Reno earned both the doctorate and master's degrees in religious studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a bachelor's degree in philosophy from St. John's College, California.  He is an Honorary Fellow of the University of Winchester (UK) and is currently an ad hoc Fellow at the Harvard University Center for the Study of World Religions.

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