May 15, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 81 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E601]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 IN HONOR OF ZORICA PANTIC, OUTGOING PRESIDENT OF ONE OF BOSTON'S TOP 
            UNIVERSITIES--WENTWORTH INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. STEPHEN F. LYNCH

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 15, 2019

  Mr. LYNCH. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of Zorica Pantic, the 
first woman president of Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston 
and first woman engineer to lead an institution of technology in higher 
education in the United States.
  President Pantic is leaving her position at Wentworth at the end of 
May, following a 14-year-tenure that can only be described as 
transformative and historic in scope. Dr. Pantic's contributions to 
this 115-year-old institution have earned her respect far and wide. 
Just recently, while saluting Dr. Pantic during his keynote remarks at 
Wentworth's graduation on April 28, 2019, Charlie Baker, the esteemed 
Governor of Massachusetts, characterized President Pantic as, ``a gift 
to Wentworth and blessing to Massachusetts.''
  Born in Serbia, Dr. Pantic first became interested in electrical 
engineering as a young girl, while watching her father work on 
repairing a radio. She went on to earn her B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. 
degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Nis, Serbia, 
and became the founding dean of the College of Engineering at the 
University of Texas at San Antonio; director of the School of 
Engineering at San Francisco State University; a Fulbright fellow at 
the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; and an associate 
professor at the University of Nis.
  As Wentworth's President, she has a been an important role model and 
tireless advocate for traditionally underrepresented students, 
particularly young women wishing to pursue a college education and 
career in the STEM arenas. Under her leadership, Wentworth has 
introduced its first seven graduate programs, becoming a master's 
degree-granting institution and achieving ``university'' status in 
2017. Dr. Pantic has overseen the introduction of 10 new undergraduate 
programs (seven in engineering), a $300 million investment in state-of-
the-art facilities, and a 20 percent enrollment increase on the 
school's campus.
  During her presidency, Wentworth has enhanced its experiential-
learning educational model by implementing EPIC Learning (Externally-
collaborative, Project-based, Interdisciplinary Culture for Learning), 
and is focusing on innovation and entrepreneurship. The Institute 
continues to earn annual recognition in the top national and regional 
college rankings.
  Applauding her ``energetic, entrepreneurial, and ambitious leadership 
style,'' the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, 
District 1, in 2017 honored Dr. Pantic with its Chief Executive 
Leadership Award. That same year, Dr. Pantic was inducted into the 
National Academy of Construction. In January 2018, Governor Baker 
appointed her to serve on the Massachusetts Cybersecurity Strategy 
Council. And more recently, the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce 
honored her as one of its Pinnacle Award winners for 2019.
  President Pantic has served on various boards and professional 
organizations, including the board of directors for the World 
Association for Cooperative Education, the American Association for 
Presidents of Independent Universities and Colleges, the New England 
Association for Schools and Colleges, the Massachusetts Workforce 
Investment Board, and the Presidents Council for the NCAA Division III.
  Madam Speaker, Zorica is known for her love of students and for 
helping to guide and serve thousands of young women and men who have 
attended Wentworth since she became president in 2005. She is the proud 
mother of one son, Daniel Tanner, who graduated from Wentworth and is 
busy building his own career.
  Madam Speaker, it is my distinct honor to thank Zorica Pantic for her 
incredible leadership over these past 14 years at one of Boston's 
oldest and most venerable educational institutions, and to salute her 
for her many contributions to higher education in the United States.

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