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PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
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Princeton, New Jersey 08544
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Justin Harmon (609) 258-3601
Date: April 15, 1997
First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton To Give Keynote Address at Symposium on Early Childhood Education
Session is First Joint Conference with New Jersey Legislature
Princeton, N.J. -- First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton will give the keynote address April 25 at the first annual Symposium on New Jersey Issues, a joint effort between the New Jersey Legislature and the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs that will give lawmakers an opportunity to discuss topics of current interest with scholars and practitioners.
The first symposium will address the subject of early childhood education and will feature a panel discussion led by Princeton Professor of Sociology and Public Affairs Sara McLanahan, director of the newly formed Bendheim-Thoman Center for Research on Child Wellbeing. McLanahan is well-known for her research on single-parent families and women's economic dependency.
The morning session of the symposium, including the First Lady's address, will be held in McCosh 50. The afternoon sessions will be in the lower level of Robertson Hall in the Woodrow Wilson School. Members of the media planning to attend should be in place by 9:30 a.m.
In the morning session, Woodrow Wilson School Dean Michael Rothschild will welcome visitors and discuss the role of symposium and the Bendheim-Thoman Center. New Jersey Senate President Donald T. DiFrancesco and Assembly Speaker Jack Collins will offer remarks, and Princeton University President Harold T. Shapiro will introduce the First Lady. Speakers on the panel that will follow include William Steven Barnett, of Rutgers University, and Dr. Barry Zuckerman, of Boston University and the Boston Medical Center.
In the afternoon workshops, legislators will lead discussions on four topics: cost, financing and facilities, program quality and evaluation, professional development, and agency coordination and partnerships.
The Symposium on New Jersey Issues was announced on Oct. 3, 1997, during a commemorative session of the state Legislature held on the Princeton campus. The Woodrow Wilson School sponsors the symposium in consultation with the New Jersey Legislature and the Princeton University Office of Community and State Affairs.
The Bendheim-Thoman Center for Research on Child Wellbeing has been established to study a broad range of children's issues, including education, healthcare, income sufficiency and family/community resources. The Center's long-term goal is to identify economically efficient, politically feasible policies that address children's needs in each of these areas.
The Center is named for Robert Bendheim, Class of 1937, and Lynn Bendheim Thoman, Class of 1976, whose previous gifts to the University include an endowed chair currently held by Professor of Economics and Public Affairs Alan B. Krueger.
Attendance at the event is by invitation only. A simulcast will be available in Dodds Auditorium, Robertson Hall, during the morning session.
FOR THE MEDIA: The First Lady is expected to speak at approximately 10:30 a.m. Members of the media who wish to attend the event MUST contact the Office of Communications and Publications by 4 p.m. April 23. Information on credentials and press accommodations will be available only to those who call the office in advance.