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Contact: Patricia Coen (609) 258-5764
Date: January 24, 1996
Former Congresswoman Schroeder Speaks on Her Work in the Federal Government
'Emerging from 24 Years in a Federal Institution'
Princeton, N.J. -- Patricia Schroeder, the former member of Congress who this month joins the faculty of Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, will give a lecture, "Emerging from 24 Years in a Federal Institution" at the Woodrow Wilson School on Tuesday, February 4, at 4:30 p.m. in Dodds Auditorium, Robertson Hall. The public lecture will be Schroeder's first since her retirement from Congress in December.
Schroeder joins the Wilson School faculty this spring as a lecturer with the rank of professor. A well-known leader on economic problems that affect women, children, and families, Schroeder and Professor of Sociology and Public Affairs Sara McLanahan will teach "Poverty and Public Policy," a course in which they and their students will examine the conditions and causes of poverty in the United States.
First elected in 1972 as representative of the 1st Congressional District of Colorado, Schroeder served 12 consecutive terms before announcing her retirement late last year. A candid, independent voice within the Democratic Party, she was an early supporter of legalized abortion, was the lead sponsor of the 1992 Family Medical Leave Act, and was a key player in passing the 1994 Violence Against Women Act. She also wrote the National Child Protection Act, which provides information on convicted child abusers to child-care providers and youth service organizations.
Through her service on the Committee on National Security, Schroeder was also a leader on foreign and military policy and on arms control and disarmament. In this capacity, too, she was concerned with families and women. She examined the hardships faced by military families and the wives of servicemen, and her work resulted in the passage of the Military Family Act in 1985. In 1991, she persuaded the committee to vote in favor of allowing women in the military to fly combat missions.
Schroeder's talk is being sponsored by the Woodrow Wilson School.