August 31, 2006
Durbin to speak at SIUC on Friday
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- U.S. Sen. Richard J. Durbin will present a lecture later this week at the Southern Illinois University School of Law.
Durbin's appearance is set for 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., Friday, Sept. 1, in the Hiram H. Lesar Law Building Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.
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Media Advisory
Reporters and photographers are welcome to attend the lecture. Sen. Durbin will be available to meet with members of the media after the event.
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Durbin, D-Springfield, will talk about his experience in receiving a legal education, and how it helped in furthering his career. He will also discuss his work on the Senate Judiciary Committee and national policy issues, said Jay T. Curtis, a third-year law student and president of Law School Democrats. The event will also include a question-and-answer session.
"It's important for the law school and law students to have someone of his stature come and talk about what a legal education can do for someone who wants to go into public service," said Curtis.
The event is part of the organization's Law and Politics Speaker Series, where individuals will discuss law and public policy issues, said Sheila J. Simon, a clinical assistant professor at the law school and the group's faculty sponsor.
"Students should more often see themselves as policy makers, and Dick Durbin will help us with that," she said.
As assistant minority leader in the U.S. Senate, Durbin, 61, holds the second highest Democratic leadership post. He has served in the U.S. Senate since January 1997 following a 14-year career in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Durbin earned his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 1969.
Developing citizen-leaders with global perspectives is among the goals of Southern at 150: Building Excellence Through Commitment, the blueprint for the development of the University by the time it celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2019.