Danielle N. Ripich, Ph. D., has been president of the University of New England since 2006. Under her tenure, enrollment has doubled, and UNE has added a College of Pharmacy, a College of Dental Medicine, and a College of Graduate and Professional Studies. Ripich has also overseen the university’s expansion of global education; it now has campuses in Biddeford, Portland, and Tangier, Morocco. Students can study abroad at UNE’s campus in Morocco and at campuses in Spain and France at no additional cost. Still, UNE’s greatest impact is felt back home, as it is the largest educator of healthcare professionals for Maine. “Healthcare and education are both critically important to our world and both need fresh ideas and new approaches to longstanding challenges,” she says. “Working at the University of New England allows me to positively influence both.” Along with the university’s growth, Ripich says she’s most proud of the quality education UNE provides to its students in return for their tuition. UNE’s student loan default rate is expected to be 2.5 percent, substantially lower than the national average of over 11 percent. And within six months of graduation, 92 percent of UNE students are in graduate school or working in jobs related to their area of study. “This is our most important job and we do it very well,” she says. “They leave us well prepared for the next step in life.”