Mayor Kahn read a proclamation at Antioch University New England’s (AUNE) 60th anniversary celebration to declare February 21st, 2025 to be Antioch University New England Day in Keene, and celebrate its enduring imprint on and dedication to the Greater Keene community. Antioch University New England (AUNE) has provided quality learner-centered education for 60 years from its Keene, New Hampshire location. AUNE graduates have contributed to the economic vitality of the Monadnock region, creating dozens of businesses and organizations and through strategic partnerships like working with Pathways for Keene to transform rail trails into recreational and tourist opportunities. AUNE Environmental Studies students and faculty have motivated the City of Keene’s commitments to environmental sustainability including formation of the Cities for Climate Protection committee in 2000, the Climate Adaptation Action Plan in 2007; the first Earth Festival in 2001, the original business plan for the Monadnock Food Co-op in 2007, and the first community solar project in 2016. AUNE has partnered with state and regional mental healthcare leaders and providers to create internships and prepare psychologists and mental health counselors to support children, families, adult life transitions and substance-abuse clients that have burgeoned in the 21st century. AUNE collaboration with regional schools and educators helped attract an $11 million federal grant for Monadnock Region Public Schools of Choice (MRPSOC) setting a pathway for public charter schools in NH. For 60 years, Antiochians have been teaching our children, counseling those in need, protecting our wildlife and ecosystems, and facilitating change, fulfilling its mission of providing quality education intertwined with New England traditions of self-reliance, small-community values, and private action for the public good.
