A group of New Hampshire business officials gathered in Concord Tuesday to express alarm about proposed cuts to state support for the university system and they made no mistake about who they blamed. 

“The House blueprint looks more like doomsday prepping than responsible budgeting,” said Bill Grenier, founder and chairman of the board of Primary Bank, a commercial bank with four branches in New Hampshire.

He said the proposal from the House Republicans “was partly based on an agenda rather than the facts in front of us,” adding “I think they just took a slash-and-burn approach” rather than talking to people knowledgeable about economic conditions.

Grenier’s comments were the most colorful of the press conference called by the New Hampshire Business and Industry Association, but his sentiment was echoed by a half-dozen speakers from industry groups like the Manchester Chamber of Commerce and Stay-Work-Play New Hampshire.

The topic was the House’s proposed state budget of $15.4 billion over two years – about $643 million less than a budget proposed by Gov. Kelly Ayotte – and proposed cuts to the state university system that Chancellor Cathy Provencher said totaled $57.6 million. The state Senate is taking up the budget now with support from Ayotte to restore some of the House cuts.

The big difference between the House budget and Ayotte’s version are predictions about how much money the state will make over the next two years from taxes, fees and other sources such as gambling. The House forecast is much lower than Ayotte’s.

Every speaker Wednesday said that the university system was a vital part of the state’s business climate, partly by bringing in young people and educating them so they can become part of the workforce – about 13,000 students in the university system come from out of state, Provencher said – but also by fostering academic partnerships with companies. 

“The foundation of the life sciences industry is based on research and development. … Often times that research is done in partnership with academia, utilizing the lab space, the equipment, the expertise of the faculty for guidance,” said Andrea Hecchavaria, president and CEO of New Hampshire Life Sciences, which represents 36 member biotech and medical companies. She called UNH and the university system “an anchor” for the industry’s growth and success.

“It’s an investment, not a cost,” said Business and Industry Association President Mike Skelton.

Several speakers emphasized New Hampshire’s status as a state with one of the oldest populations in the country and that cutting support for colleges would make it that much harder to keep or attract young people. 

Chancellor Provencher noted that the university system is already facing “headwinds,” the most serious of which is a continuing decline in the number of graduating high school seniors in the Northeast, which is forcing more competition among all New England colleges.

“States around us are doubling down, putting more money into higher education,” she said, adding that the proposed House cuts would turn headwinds into a “cyclone.”