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U.S. REP. LEE HAMILTON TO JOIN IU UPON RETIREMENT FROM CONGRESS;
HEADING NEW 'CENTER ON CONGRESS'
INDIANAPOLIS -- Indiana University President Myles Brand announced today (Aug. 28) that U.S. Rep. Lee Hamilton (D-Ind.), upon his retirement from Congress next January, will join the IU Bloomington campus to direct the newly created Center on Congress.
Brand explained that the center will be dedicated to improving the public's understanding of Congress and will also study legitimate criticisms of Congress and areas in need of reform.
"I am very pleased to join Indiana University today in announcing the establishment of the Center on Congress," Rep. Hamilton said. "Congress is an institution of immense importance to this country and to the lives of its citizens. Many of the public's comments and complaints about Congress are right on the mark. But too often what I hear shows an insufficient understanding of the role, nature and importance of Congress in our remarkably diverse and complex country.
"Improving public understanding of Congress is a large task. There are several fine groups around the country working on related, but not identical tasks. I believe that if the center targets the right audiences, produces absolutely top-notch materials, and uses a variety of ways to reach people, it can make a significant contribution to the public's understanding of Congress."
"We are honored that Rep. Hamilton will join us at Indiana University to continue what already has been an accomplished and universally respected career," Brand said. "His knowledge of the U.S. Congress and his guidance in the creation of an interdisciplinary center will provide, to the benefit of all, an invaluable repository of information and insight into this country's political process."
Hamilton, who received a doctor of jurisprudence degree from the IU School of Law-Bloomington in 1956, was welcomed back to his alma mater by John Walda, president of the Trustees of IU.
"I can think of no one better suited to direct the Center on Congress than Lee Hamilton, one of the most respected voices in our nation's capital," Walda said. "In more than 30 years of service to his state and nation, he has developed a reservoir of respect based on his reputation as a thoughtful legislator, an independent thinker and a leader of unquestioned personal integrity. We are extremely fortunate that he has agreed to accept this challenge."
To be housed in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA), the new center will be interdisciplinary in scope, encompassing several academic areas including the School of Education and its Center for Excellence in Education, the departments of history and political science in the College of Arts and Sciences, and SPEA. The center will report to the Office of the Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate School.
The Center on Congress initially will gather current and historical data and will conduct research that illustrates the image of Congress in the eyes of the nation's constituents. It will then explore a variety of projects designed to clarify, correct and illuminate the public's perceptions. Possible activities might include Web site interaction, television productions, syndicated columns and educational outreach to middle school and high school students in Indiana and beyond.
Under Hamilton's leadership, the center will be advised by a board of directors and an Academic Advisory Council.
Hamilton will retire in January after 34 years of service in the U.S. Congress. He announced last spring that he would donate his papers, memoranda, correspondence and speeches accumulated throughout that time to IU's Lilly Library in Bloomington.
Hamilton is currently the ranking Democratic member of the House Committee on International Relations. He is also former chairman of several committees, including the Joint Economic Committee, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
For more information on the new Center on Congress at Indiana University, visit its Web site at http://congress.indiana.edu
(DeAnna Hines, Public Affairs and Government Relations, 812-855-0850, djhines@indiana.edu)