Statement from Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll on Confirmation of John D. Keenan as New President of Salem State University
Below is a statement by Mayor Kim Driscoll of Salem following today’s confirmation by the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education of John D. Keenan as the new president of Salem State University.
“I am very pleased to extend my congratulations to John and offer my best wishes for success in this new role, and I very much look forward to working alongside him to continue the positive and collaborative relationship that exists between the City and Salem State.
“With John, SSU, its students, and its faculty will have an advocate and champion, a proven leader who is able to leverage resources at a time when funding for public higher education is so important and so in doubt. The university is on the cusp of significant change – from a long-awaited relocation plan for Horace Mann Lab School to South Campus to a new science building on North Campus and a renewed commitment to Salem Public Schools – there are no shortage of opportunities for our community and SSU to continue our strong partnership.
“As the Mayor of Salem, the Chair of the Salem School Committee, and an alumna of Salem State University, I could not be more pleased with the Board’s selection. John knows the university’s neighbors – residents and businesses alike – and the myriad local officials that interact with the university on a daily basis. He knows firsthand all of our challenges and all of our goals. He understands and has pushed for investments in STEM and health science education that will directly connect to the local workforce needs pipeline that we have here in Salem, which is rapidly becoming the health care hub of the North Shore. He has sat with families who, quite literally, live next door to SSU, to hear their concerns and strived to maintain a positive relationship between them and the university. He has been around the table as the university and community leaders have hammered our disagreements around capital projects, parking policies, and neighborhood impacts, and he has been part of efforts to build better and positive collaborations between SSU and the City.
“I have known John for years and I have known Salem State for decades. As someone who has been on the ground working with John both in his time as a legislator and as a Vice President at SSU, and with Salem State as an institutional stakeholder in our community, I cannot think of a better, more qualified, more prepared individual to serve as SSU’s next President than John Keenan.”