Political Quotes

“I rise today to offer a sense-of-the- Senate resolution commemorating the bicentennial of Bowdoin College. I am pleased to join my colleague from Maine and fellow alumnus of the college, Senator Cohen, in honoring the students, faculty, staff and alumni of this esteemed institution of higher learning. From its founding in 1794 as the first college in the territory that would later become the State of Maine, to its present status as one of the finest liberal arts colleges in the United States, Bowdoin College has had an important role in educating the young people of Maine and the rest of the Nation. Bowdoin College first began classes in 1802 with one building and eight students. The college now educates approximately 1,430 students from across the national and several foreign countries on a campus that houses more than 50 buildings. In his 1802 convocation speech at the opening of the college, Bowdoin's first president, the Reverend Joseph McKeen, stated that ``literary institutions are founded and endowed for the common good and not for the private advantage of those who resort to them for education.'' I am proud that the college remains committed to that philosophy today, as indicated by the large number of Bowdoin alumni who choose careers in public service, medicine, and teaching. Bowdoin's alumni have contributed to the advancement of the Nation in a number of areas.…”