Maine Maritime Academy President William J. Brennan announced today that U.S. Senator for Maine, Susan Collins, will be the college’s 2017 Commencement speaker on Saturday, May 6 in Castine. Senator Collins has served in the United States Senate since 1997 and currently ranks fifteenth in Senate seniority.

“It will be a great honor to welcome Senator Collins to deliver the send-off for the Class of 2017,” said Brennan, in a news release. “She has always been a champion of education for the State of Maine and she understands the significance of our students’ accomplishments, as well as the promise of their careers.” 

Collins chairs the Senate Aging Committee and the Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development Appropriations Subcommittee. She also serves on the Intelligence Committee and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. 

Ten years ago, Senator Collins delivered the Commencement address at Maine Maritime Academy and received an honorary degree from the college at that time. 

Maine Maritime Academy is a co-educational, public college on the coast of Maine offering 22 programs of study in engineering, management, science, and transportation. The college serves approximately 950 undergraduate and graduate students in career-oriented degree programs. Year over year, the job placement rate for MMA graduates exceeds 90 percent within 90 days of graduation. The college is consistently recognized for providing a high-value education by organizations such as the Brookings Institution, U.S. News and World Report, and Money Magazine, which ranked MMA the number-one Best Public College in America in 2014 and 2015. For more information, visit mainemaritime.edu.