[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 3]
[Senate]
[Page 3503]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    RECOGNIZING DR. KENNETH DOBBINS

 Mrs. McCASKILL. Mr. President, I wish to congratulate Dr. 
Kenneth Dobbins on his retirement and to thank him for his many years 
of leadership and service to the field of higher education. For 24 
years, including the last 16 years as president, Ken Dobbins has served 
Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, MO. Ken 
considered his job as president the position of a lifetime, and his 
dedication and passion for the University and its students is 
unparalleled. It is my pleasure to honor him today.
  Ken received a B.S. in accounting from the University of Akron in 
1971. Upon graduation, Ken served as a commissioned officer and 
civilian executive in the U.S. Air Force for nearly 10 years and was 
awarded the 1978 Air Force Audit Agency Outstanding Civilian Auditor of 
the Year. Ken also received an M.B.A. from Old Dominion University in 
1979 and a Ph.D. in higher education administration from Kent State 
University in 1987.
  Before his tenure with Southeast Missouri State, Ken held positions 
in higher education administration at Kent State. At Southeast Missouri 
State, Ken served as the University's vice president of finance and 
administration from 1991 to 1993 and executive vice president from 1993 
until his appointment as president in 1999.
  During Ken's presidency, the university reached significant 
milestones in enrollment and diversity, academic partnerships, 
programs, and construction. Ken's effective leadership shaped Southeast 
Missouri State University into the outstanding school it is today. As 
president, one of his greatest accomplishments was the significant 
increase in enrollment of students. In 1994, there were 7,500 students. 
Today there are over 12,000 students.
  In addition, Ken oversaw more than $400 million in new construction 
and building improvement projects, including the Seabaugh Polytechnic 
Building and the $58 million River Campus. New academic programs, 
including the College of Science, Technology, and Agriculture and the 
Earl and Margie Holland School of Visual and Performing Arts were 
established. Ken instituted a comprehensive review of all academic and 
nonacademic programs to minimize student fee increases in the face of 
extensive State appropriation reductions. He was also responsible for 
developing an innovative postprofessorial merit program, which provides 
base salary increases and professional development funds for faculty 
members.
  As president, Ken held numerous leadership positions in higher 
education administration. He served a 2-year term as president of the 
Missouri Council on Public Higher Education, and served 3 years as 
president of the Ohio Valley Conference. He currently serves on the 
board of directors for the American Association of State Colleges and 
Universities.
  Outside his work in higher education, Ken serves on the Greater St. 
Louis Area Council for the Boy Scouts of America, and was elected by 
local council associates to serve on the National Council for the Boy 
Scouts of America. Ken was awarded the Silver Beaver Award, the highest 
honor given to a Boy Scout volunteer by a council. Additionally, Ken 
has been elected to the St. Louis Regional Chamber board of directors 
and is a member of the Hawthorne Foundation.
  Ken is looking forward to spending more time with his wife Jeanine, 
son Paul, daughter-in-law Stacey, and his two grandchildren. I know 
they will enjoy the opportunity to spend more time with him. Ken will 
continue to be involved in higher education during his retirement by 
serving as a consultant with the American Association of State Colleges 
and Universities.
  It is my pleasure to honor Ken Dobbins today. He has touched the 
lives of many and immensely improved the quality of Southeast Missouri 
State University and the Cape Girardeau community. His dedication to 
higher education and the State of Missouri has been invaluable.
  I ask that the Senate join me in congratulating and honoring Dr. 
Kenneth Dobbins.

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