Summer 2001
Cohen Donates Defense Department Papers
William Cohen, former Secretary of Defense in the Clinton administraton, has donated the papers from his four years in the Pentagon to the University of Maine.
The papers from Cohen's four years in the Clinton cabinet will be added to those from his 24 years in Congress, which were donated to UMaine when Cohen left the U.S. Senate in 1996. They are housed at Fogler Library, the state's largest library and its designated research library.
"This latest donation by Secretary Cohen underscores his commitment to the University and to the people of Maine," UMaine President Peter Hoff says. "The secretary has had a long relationship with UMaine, one he intends to continue after he concludes his distinguished public career. And by sending his Defense Department papers to this, the state's flagship university, Secretary Cohen is reiterating symbolically his belief that his public papers should remain in the public domain."
An archivist at Fogler Library recently completed two years of work cataloging materials and developing a plan for making Cohen's papers accessible to the public. A new archivist will continue the project, working with the papers from Cohen's years as secretary of defense.
"The donation of Secretary Cohen's papers enriches the already impressive collection of Cohen papers and other records maintained at the University," says Elaine Albright, UMaine's dean of cultural affairs and libraries. "Secretary Cohen is ensuring that these important historic documents will be broadly available here in Maine for study and scrutiny by scholars from around the world."
The donation of the new materials adds another layer to Cohen's deep relationship with the University, which dates to his days teaching business law until his 1972 election to Congress. Concurrent with the 1996 donation of Cohen's congressional papers, UMaine established the William S. Cohen Center for International Policy and Commerce. The Center works to develop educational and outreach programming related to international policy and global commerce. It has hosted two lectures, one delivered by Cohen in 1998 and one by Madeleine Albright in 1999.
"The Cohen Center is central to the University's efforts to help improve the state's position and success in the global economy," says Eric Brucker, dean of the College of Business, Public Policy, and Health, within which the Cohen Center is located.
