Six UNH lecturers whose contracts were not renewed have filed a complaint with the New Hampshire Human Rights Commission alleging age discrimination.
This comes after a total of 17 lecturers with the College of Liberal Arts received notice earlier this year that they would be cut.
University of New Hampshire Lecturers United president Catherine Moran said newly-hired faculty has moved into many of the positions and that those let go had worked for the university for between eight and 20 years.
“The affected faculty were long-standing, seasoned educators with track records of excellence in teaching,” Moran said in an email.
For its part, UNH said age would never be a factor in non-reappointment, adding that declining enrollments and "a desire to strengthen programs" were factors in the cuts.
“Each of the non-reappointed lecturers was employed for the entire duration of their appointment period and were provided with four months’ notice of the non-reappointment which is consistent with the language negotiated in the collective bargaining agreement for these faculty,” UNH spokesperson Erika Mantz said in an email.
In January, the UNH student body president released a statement citing concerns about potential impacts to students.
UNH says it is preparing a response it believes will show age was not a factor in the contract non-renewals.
