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Charter Trustee Mary Burke Partridge P'94 presented  Christine Todd Whitman for Doctor of Laws:

"At a time when the threat posed by terrorism preoccupies government and dominates the headlines, it is easy to lose sight of another threat to our nation's, and indeed the world's, well-being: that of environmental degradation.  Beyond voicing alarm, measures must be taken, and the task of balancing environmental concerns with economic interests is daunting.  You have taken on that task and brought to it the courage of your convictions, the hallmark of your career in public life.

Elected in 1993 as New Jersey's 50th Governor, and the first woman to hold that office, you quickly surprised the cynics by making good on your campaign promises.  Reelected in 1997, you continued to press for solutions to the Garden State's problems, not the least of which were environmental.  You backed plans and led efforts to clean up thousands of toxic waste sites and landfills, to reduce water pollution, and to safeguard the state's shoreline.  In addition, you put together, and won voter approval, for a $1.4 billion bond issue to permanently preserve a million acres of land.  As a consequence, by the time you left office, the state's air, water, and waterways had become significantly cleaner, and its land was assured of greater protection from unrestrained growth.

Last year, you departed for Washington when President Bush appointed you administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.  Convinced that we can have economic growth without sacrificing the environment, you have sought to strike that delicate balance within Washington's own often-hostile environment, with its powerful, competing interests.  Already, progress has been made with regard to new rules on wetlands protection and pesticide and emissions reduction.  Also, we in New York State particularly note the steps you have taken toward a cleaner Hudson River.  As you pursue your battle for our nation's ecological protection, we are confident that, based on your track record, the courage of your convictions will continue to sustain you.

Christine Todd Whitman, acting on the authority of the Board of Trustees, I am very pleased to confer on you the degree of Doctor of Laws of Hamilton College, admitting you to all its rights and privileges.  In token whereof, we present you with this diploma and invest you with this hood."

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