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As UNH Raises Tuition, University Units Promote NH Outright Programs Reaching K–5
- Chris Thompson
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
Editor’s Note: This article is the second in a 3–4 part series examining New Hampshire’s public schools and their connections with LGBTQ+ youth programs. The first can be found here. DURHAM- The University of New Hampshire is increasing undergraduate tuition to $15,908 this academic year while projecting additional budget cuts, even as university units promote and partner on youth-focused programming with New Hampshire Outright (formerly Seacoast Outright), including offerings for children in kindergarten through grade five.
UNH’s Institute on Disability (IOD) hosted an April 2025 webinar — “Supporting LGBTQIA+ Youth & Families in the Current Moment” — explicitly billed as “hosted by Wildcats for Recovery in partnership with NH Outright,” with panelists from NH Outright and the ACLU. The event page lists UNH contact information and branding, underscoring the university’s role.
The relationship has also been spotlighted in UNH’s Pride programming. In April 2024, the university’s official “Pride & Pancakes” breakfast featured Rev. Heidi Carrington Heath, executive director of Seacoast/New Hampshire Outright, as keynote speaker. UNH’s Diversity & Inclusion site continues to promote the annual event and highlights the 2024 program in its recap.
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At the same time, New Hampshire Outright advertises activities for elementary-age children. The group’s public “Youth & Young Adult Groups” page describes “Little Outrighters (K–5)” as a monthly in-person program, and recent calendar listings show K–5 events alongside middle- and high-school offerings.
The partnership extends into clinician training. A Seacoast Outright flyer for “Mental Health Care for LGBTQ+ Youth in NH” advertises an ECHO learning series for behavioral-health providers and lists the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Health Policy and Practice among its partners, alongside the Endowment for Health, the NH Citizens Health Initiative, and Inclusive Minds LLC. The program invites youth-serving clinicians to join biweekly sessions and emphasizes “effectively engaging youth and families” through a panel of subject-matter experts.
The flyer also frames current policy fights—citing debates over “ending the ban on conversion therapy,” participation in sports, and access to gender-related health care—signaling that the curriculum sits within active public controversies. For critics focused on core academics and affordability, the co-branding with a UNH institute underscores concerns that the university is raising tuition while lending institutional weight to advocacy-adjacent programming that reaches K–12 audiences.
UNH officials have said more belt-tightening is ahead. In February, the school projected another $15–$20 million in reductions for the next fiscal year on top of earlier trims, and the system confirmed tuition hikes this cycle after years of a freeze.
Republican lawmakers — who have prioritized affordability and a tighter focus on core academics — say public universities should be judicious about mission creep during a period of higher student costs. Families now paying more may question why UNH is elevating partnerships with an outside advocacy group whose programming explicitly reaches K–5 children, even as the university pares back elsewhere.