MCCS Board Honors Former Chief Justice Dan Wathen with Trustee Emeritus Standing

AUGUSTA, ME - The Maine Community College System (MCCS) Board of Trustees honored former Chief Justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court Dan Wathen on Wednesday with trustee emeritus standing for his many contributions and dedication to the students of Maine's community colleges.

"We are very grateful to Dan for his outstanding work supporting Maine's community colleges during a period of tremendous growth," MCCS President David Daigler said. "His guidance strengthened Maine's community colleges and made the state a better place through his dedication to expanding opportunities to Maine's community college students."

Wathen, of Easton, was appointed to the MCCS Board of Trustees in 2006 and served for eight years, two of them as chairman. During his tenure, Wathen helped establish the Foundation for Maine's Community Colleges, serving on the foundation's board since its founding and served as secretary for 16 years. The Foundation, as the fundraising arm of the colleges, has since raised nearly $150 million in support of student scholarships, program expansion, and new facilities and equipment.

In his remarks after receiving the citation on Wednesday, Wathen said that the Latin root for education - "educere," which means "to lead out" - meant education is there "to lead you out of poverty, to lead you out of ignorance …. Education is an important thing."

"I'm firmly convinced that education is the way to lead you out," Wathen said, noting that he was the only person in his 16-person graduating class in Easton to go on to a traditional college. "If you stick with education, your past is not your future."

"I'm very proud to have been involved" with the colleges and foundation, particularly for their focus on cultivating and supporting workforce development, he said.

Wathen is the ninth person to be named trustee emeritus in the 35 years since the title was created.

"One of the most satisfying aspects of being Governor and chairing the Foundation for Maine's Community Colleges has been working with incredibly talented people who are driven to find effective solutions to tough challenges, who care about making life better for others. There are a number of those people here today, and Maine is an infinitely better place because of them," said former Governor and Foundation for Maine's Community Colleges Chairman John McKernan. "But no one in Maine has contributed more, over a longer period of time, than Dan."

Wathen was first appointed to the Maine Superior Court by Governor James B. Longley in 1977, served four years before being appointed to Maine's highest court by Governor Joseph E. Brennan in 1981. In 1992, he was elevated to Chief Justice by Governor John R. McKernan and he retired in 2001. Since then, Wathen has served in a variety of public service roles in Maine, recently serving as chair of the independent commission to investigate the facts of the Lewiston shooting.

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The Foundation for Maine's Community Colleges is dedicated to ensuring that the state's seven community colleges have the resources they need to provide a high quality and affordable education for Maine people. More information about the foundation is available at: www.maineccfoundation.org.