[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 79 (Tuesday, May 15, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2677-S2678]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                     TRIBUTE TO DR. SUSAN J. HUNTER

 Mr. KING. Mr. President, today I wish to honor Dr. Susan J. 
Hunter. Dr. Hunter, who currently serves as the president of the 
University of Maine, UMaine, at Orono, will retire from that position 
at the end of June. I want to recognize Dr. Hunter for her many years 
of work at the university not only as president, but also as a 
researcher, professor, vice chancellor of academic affairs, provost, 
and more.
  Dr. Hunter became the university's 20th president in June of 2014 and 
was the first woman to lead the institution in its 150-year history. 
Dr. Hunter has led the university to many achievements, including 
advances in enrollment, fundraising, advocacy, and partnerships. During 
her tenure, UMaine has welcomed the largest incoming classes and 
largest number of out-of-State students in the university's history. 
The school has also seen a 22-percent increase in private giving to its 
annual fund. Dr. Hunter also continued the implementation of UMaine's 
innovative five-year strategic plan, which was developed during her 
tenure as Provost.
  Dr. Hunter's influence is not limited to the halls on the Orono 
campus. On July 1, 2017, she also became president of the University of 
Maine at Machias. Dr. Hunter also served her community by serving on 
numerous boards of directors, including the Maine School of

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Science and Mathematics, the Bangor Symphony, the Maine Mathematics and 
Science Alliance, and on the advisory network for the Olympia Snowe 
Women's Leadership Institute.
  While it is easy to see the impact Dr. Hunter has had on the 
University and the Orono community, her lasting legacy will be her 
impact on students. Thousands of students have benefited from Dr. 
Hunter's knowledge and guidance over the years, and UMaine is lucky to 
have also benefited from such an experienced educator and 
administrator. The new programs Dr. Hunter brought to the university 
have contributed to the region's cultural and economic development. Dr. 
Hunter's contributions have been so important--to the university, the 
region, and across the entire State of Maine--and we are so grateful 
for her decades of service. She will be missed; however, I am confident 
that the institution she leaves behind, ``the college of our hearts 
always,'' will continue to benefit from her legacy of service for years 
to come. In her honor, I ask that we ``fill the steins to dear old 
Maine'' and ``drink to Maine, our alma mater, the college of our hearts 
always.''

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