Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters

Senator Jeanne Shaheen

U.S. Senator, Democrat – New Hampshire

For her dedication to the state of New Hampshire, for her leadership and service to its citizens, and for being a champion of access to quality education at all levels, Colby-Sawyer is proud to recognize Senator Jeanne Shaheen with an honorary degree.

Senator Shaheen is the first woman elected both Governor and U.S. Senator in American history. She completed three terms in the New Hampshire Senate before winning her first of three terms as Governor in 1996. After serving as director of Harvard University’s Institute of Politics at the Kennedy School of Government, she was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2008, where she is a member of the Senate Committees on Armed Services, Foreign Relations, Appropriations, and Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

Known for her fiscal responsibility and common-sense leadership, Senator Shaheen is dedicated to enhancing the lives of the middle class. Her work to make higher education accessible and affordable aligns with Colby-Sawyer’s mission to prepare students for their professions and lives of ongoing learning so that that they can thrive in, and make a positive impact upon, a dynamic, diverse and interdependent world. An educator who taught high school in Mississippi and New Hampshire, she has made improving K-12 and higher education a priority throughout her career. As Governor, she worked to strengthen New Hampshire schools and fought to expand kindergarten access, making it possible for more than 25,000 additional children to realize a strong start to their education. In the Senate, she works to make college more affordable, invest in STEM education and to strengthen job training programs. Senator Shaheen has fought to increase the maximum Pell Grant to help low-income students attend college and to curb climbing student debt.

Senator Shaheen holds an undergraduate degree in English from Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania and a master's degree in political science from the University of Mississippi. She resides in Madbury with her husband, Bill. They have three daughters and seven grandchildren.