This week at Rotary, we once again welcomed John D. Keenan, JD, the 14th president of Salem State University.

He was excited to be back at the Salem Rotary. He appreciates the scholarships provided by the club and recalled his time on the Scholarship Committee. He had left the Rotary Club when he was elected to the State House where he represented the Seventh Essex District in the Massachusetts State Legislature from 2005 to 2014. He was a leading proponent of gaining university status for Salem State in 2010, the lead sponsor of a bill providing benefits equity for all state university faculty, and an advocate for increased funding for state universities. He also moved a number of significant public projects forward, including the building of the J. Michael Ruane Judicial Center, the Salem MBTA Station, and the Thaddeus Buczko Probate Court.

Salem State was founded in 1854 as a "normal school" for educators. It was the fourth such school in the Commonwealth. It became the state teacher school, then Salem State College before becoming Salem State University. The school has about 5,000 undergraduate students and 1,500 graduate students. 30% are first generation college students. About 40% are from underrepresented communities, and nearly 50% are Pell Grant eligible. The teaching and nursing programs are the most well-known schools. Renovations are planned for the nearby Horace Mann School which will house the nursing program. Meier Hall is also due for a renovation and expansion. South Campus has been sold to  developers and will be rebuilt as affordable housing. They are presently in the largest fundraising campaign in the history of the state university system with a goal of raising $75 million. This fundraising effort was kicked off by several large donations. They are currently over $40 million. 

They are always looking for employment partners. He described the students as incredibly hard working, often working several jobs to make ends meet. This is why much of the money raised goes to financial aide, so that time can be opened up for classes and internships. They are working with Salem Offshore Wind to train students for jobs in the field that will be opening up locally. He encourages us to visit Salem State to catch a show where the program once again defeated the mighty Yale University program. 

Mr. Keenan resides in Salem with his wife, Kara McLaughlin, and their two children, Aidan and Erin. An avid bike rider, he is a 26-year participant of the Pan Mass Challenge, raising over $160,000 for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

There was Board of Directors meeting prior to our regular Rotary meeting. The Board approved next year's full list of Board of Directors as well as Funds Allocation requests for March. They discussed upcoming service opportunities for those with Community Service Memberships, including with NAGLY, The Salem Pantry, and Elliot Health. Stay tuned for more details!  

Heather Lang and Hannah Beth Murray received their membership badges. Marilyn Segal was made an honorary member of the Salem Rotary Club. Congratulations to all!

Apparently we had an amazing auction event last week. Please send along your best photos so they can be shared with everyone. 

UPCOMING EVENTS