Governor Patrick to Address Annual Meeting

Governor Deval Patrick will address the 124th Annual Meeting of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) on Friday, December 4, 2009. The announcement was made by Jacob Ludes, III, the association’s Executive Director/CEO.  Governor Patrick will also receive the Charles W. Eliot Award, the premier education award in the six-state New England region. 

Governor Patrick will address attendees at a noon luncheon in the Grand Ballroom of the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel. The Governor has been an eloquent proponent of education reform including high quality early childhood education. He created the Readiness Project which has forged a vision and developed a strategic plan for education in the Commonwealth. Under the Governor’s leadership, Massachusetts has a newly created Executive Office of Education and a Secretary of Education working to provide a seamless path of progress from kindergarten through university.

The Governor’s education roots are embedded in Massachusetts at Milton Academy, Harvard University and Harvard Law School. In his statement Ludes noted that, “Governor Patrick’s plan ties the success and growth of the Commonwealth to continued improvements in the education system. His comments will add power and perspective to the theme of the 124th Annual Meeting, Education: The Economic Stimulus.”

“Education has been the largest and most stable economic stimulus in the New England region,” Ludes said. “Governor Patrick understands that and is committed to efforts that will advance Massachusetts and New England's position as the leader in both the national and international education communities.”

Recent recipients of the Eliot Award have included Senator Edward Kennedy, author Jonathan Kozol, Senator Chris Dodd, Professor Linda Darling-Hammond, Senator Jim Jeffords, author and humanitarian Greg Mortenson, and Professor David Berliner. Governor Patrick will become the first governor to be so honored.

Registration information and details about the NEASC’s 124th Annual Meeting can be found on the Annual Meeting webpages.