Peabody senator to be honored

PEABODY – Peabody Senator Fred Berry will be recognized this evening at a formal reception in Boston for his hard work and dedication to higher education.The New England Board of Higher Education will honor Berry with this year’s State Merit Award, which is given to a single individual from each of the New England States. Recipients are chosen based on their significant contributions to improving higher education opportunities for the region’s students.Education has been of great importance throughout Berry’s career. In the past, he secured funding for the Second Degree Nursing Program at Salem State College, as well as over $100 million for construction of a new library. He also advocated $24.2 million for new construction at North Shore Community College’s Danvers Campus. More recently, he led the charge to create a commission to look into the feasibility of state colleges becoming state universities.Berry is also the founder and president of F.B. Charities, Inc., which awards college scholarships to 8th grade students through its Robert F. Kennedy Scholarship.”I am honored and thankful to be recognized by the New England Board of Higher Education,” Berry said. “To be acknowledged alongside such prestigious individuals in higher education is a true privilege.”Other honorees include the Honorable George J. Mitchell, President Obama’s Special Envoy for Middle East Peace, who will be the recipient of the Governor Walter R. Peterson Award for Leadership.