Joe Tumber ’14

Name:  Joe Tumber

Class standing: Senior

Hometown: Leominster, MA

Major:  Environmental Conservation 

Involvements: Terrestrial Ecosystems Analysis Lab, UNH Stable Isotope Lab, President of Xi Sigma Pi, community service chair, member development chair and J-Board Member of SAE, Pledge Ed and Scholarship Chair, Member of Order of the Omega, McNair & Marble Scholar, Relay for Life Team Captain, Represent UNH and COLSA  at Alumni and Donor Events, Open Houses and conferences

Whether he’s grabbing lunch with President Huddleston or being flown around the country to speak on behalf of UNH, this week’s campus celebrity is one motivated undergrad! He’s not only involved in countless extracurriculars here on campus, but also manages to hold several chair member positions for UNH SAE. On top of all his involvements, Joe is still able to maintain an impressive GPA in environmental conservation, and believe it or not, Joe has won so many scholarships that he manages to attend UNH completely FREE! Keep reading to learn how Joe Tumber does it all and to find out about what he’s up to this semester.

Hey Joe!  You’re referred to by many as the “Face of UNH COLSA”. We’re so curious to know how this came about.  What led you to this role and what is it that you do?

It all started when I first got a scholarship called the Marble Scholarship, where you are expected to serve as a liaison and ambassador or the “face” for COLSA.  I started to go to all these donor events, I was asked to speak at some, went to a few photo shoots and some recorded video interviews, and more. I’ve gotten to meet and talk to Peter Paul, The Hamels and many other distinguished alumni. All my brothers and friends always joke about me being the face of UNH, because when they ask what I’ve been doing and I say something like I just had lunch with Peter Paul or I was meeting with the Dean.

Tell us about your relationship with UNH President Huddleston. How and when did this begin?

The first time I met President Huddleston was at a donor luncheon event where I was one of the keynote speakers, and I was nervous since it was my first time talking in front of such a distinguished crowd. He gave me some pointers, and all the alumni loved the speech. Since then I’ve been asked by the administration to attend several events, and have been given some great opportunities.

We learned that you were recently flown down south to speak on behalf of UNH. How exciting! What exactly did you do in Arlington? How were you chosen for this?

It was such a great experience; the McNair scholars program flew me down to Arlington to the Compact for Faculty Diversity Institute on Teaching and Mentoring. There were thousands of attendants and I was one of 12 undergraduates at the event. It was a great opportunity, because it helped me with networking and it was fun to be feeling wined and dined by the recruiters of different graduate schools. The University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa even offered me a post-doctoral position thinking that I was a PhD student. I also got to go sightseeing to all the monuments and I had a few speaking opportunities.

Have you participated in other public speaking events on behalf of UNH?

I’ve talked at Donor Events, Open Houses, on several Student Panels, and I’ve hosted a few student events on campus. I’ve done a recorded interview which will be posted online for UNH so I’m excited for that! I’m definitely working on my public speaking skills and look forward to more opportunities down the road.

Tell us about your research grant. What exactly is it that you do?

I received a Grant from the McNair Scholars Program last Spring and I am finishing up my first research paper which will hopefully get published. I’ll have one or two more that I’ll hopefully get published in the spring with my mentor. Most of my research so far has focused on better understanding different aspects of the forest carbon budget in order to be more knowledgeable how forests act, and to create more precise models for future estimates of global climate change.

How did you obtain such a prestigious full scholarship to UNH?

I’ve worked pretty hard to apply and make myself a contender for numerous scholarships every year, and I have been blessed to win enough scholarships to not have to pay a penny for school, rent etc. From the beginning I had to fund my own education, and I did it by just applying to scholarships.

On top of all of your other commitments here at UNH, you’re also president of  Xi Sigma Pi fraternity as well as SAE. Why don’t you share with us what it is you do for these frats.

As the President of Xi Sigma Pi, it is my responsibilities are to run the meetings, create different events (mostly community service ones) and bring in new members and mentors.

In SAE I was the Pledge Educator and Scholarship Chair, but have been recently voted in as the Community Service chair, a member of the Judicial board, and I am the first Member Development Chair.

Community service is a major part in what I do in both SAE and Xi Sigma Pi, and I am incredibly proud to be a member of both. SAE has even funded trips for me to go to Miami for a weeklong Conference and Indiana for an inter-fraternal conference.

Where do you see yourself, say, in 5 or 10 years down the road?

My goal is to attain a Ph.D. and hopefully become a professor at UNH!

Why don’t you share with us a fun fact about yourself not many people may know?

I love hanging outside and cooking on the grill. Also, I’ve been Santa Clause for Halloween for the last 4 years

Joe with his girlfriend of four(!) years, Hannah.