[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 78 (Monday, May 14, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2640-S2641]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO DR. SUSAN J. HUNTER

  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I wish to congratulate Dr. Susan J. 
Hunter, president of the University of Maine, on her retirement after 
27 years of outstanding service in higher education. Dr. Hunter joined 
the faculty of the University of Maine at Orono in 1991 as a researcher 
in cell biology. In 2014, she was named the university's 20th 
president, the first woman to hold that position.
  It is a pleasure to join the people of Maine in expressing gratitude 
for Dr. Hunter's commitment to higher education. In her many roles 
during a truly distinguished career--from researcher, to professor, 
provost, and president--she has been an inspiring leader.
  Even if Dr. Hunter had remained solely in the research field, her 
contributions would be worthy of accolades. In addition to invaluable 
work in bone cell biology, she served as coprincipal investigator of an 
award-winning National Science Foundation grant that placed graduate 
teaching fellows in primary and secondary schools as science 
demonstrators. She also led the establishment of UMaine's Rising Tide 
Center, an important initiative to enhance opportunities for women 
faculty members in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and 
social-behavioral sciences.
  Dr. Hunter's service as an administrator includes chair of the 
department of biological sciences, associate provost and dean for 
undergraduate education, executive vice president for academic affairs 
and provost, and vice chancellor for academic affairs for the entire 
University of Maine System. Last year, while serving as president of 
UMaine's flagship campus at Orono, she also became president of the 
university's regional campus at Machias.
  Dr. Hunter's leadership at UMaine played a key role in bringing about 
advancements in enrollment, fundraising, and advocacy and partnerships. 
During her presidency, UMaine has recruited its largest incoming 
classes and the largest number of out-of-state students in the 
university's 153-year history, and the university has seen a 22-percent 
increase in private giving to its annual fund. Students and supporters 
have expressed their confidence in Dr. Hunter's leadership in the most 
meaningful ways.

[[Page S2641]]

  Dr. Hunter's contributions reach far beyond the campus. In the 
community, she has served on the boards of directors of the Maine 
School of Science and Mathematics, the Bangor Symphony Orchestra, and 
the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance, and she worked with the 
Maine Arts Commission to develop a cultural strategic plan for the 
State of Maine. Currently, she serves on the boards of Maine & Company 
and the Maine Development Foundation to foster economic growth and job 
creation and on the advisory network for the Olympia Snowe Women's 
Leadership Institute.
  Her achievements have been widely recognized. In 2016, Dr. Hunter was 
inducted into the Deborah Morton Society at the University of New 
England in honor of her work to advance women in scientific fields. 
Last year, she received the Wilma Award from the Collins Center for the 
Arts at the University of Maine for her promotion and enhancement of 
cultural activities and the Kenneth M. Curtis Leadership Award from the 
Maine Development Foundation for her commitment to economic 
opportunity.
  In a recent interview, Dr. Hunter said that her leadership decisions 
have always been guided by the best interests of students and the 
people of Maine. Her decades of distinguished service and reverence for 
education have created a legacy that demonstrates how faithfully she 
has followed that guidance, and that will benefit our great State for 
many decades to come.

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