Former Attorney General Janet Reno and Former Assistant Secretary of Defense Frank R. Gaffney Jr. to Speak at William Paterson University’s Distinguished Lecturer Series

Janet Reno, the first woman attorney general of the U.S., and Frank R. Gaffney Jr., a former assistant secretary of defense during the Reagan administration, will discuss “The Patriot Act: Liberty versus Security” on December 3 as part of William Paterson University’s Distinguished Lecturer Series.

Tickets are available at the Shea Center Box Office on November 29. For ticket availability, and to purchase single tickets, please call the box office at 973-720-2371 between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.; prices are $32 standard; $30 for senior citizens, William Paterson faculty, staff and alumni; $10 for William Paterson students; and $14 for students from other schools. All lectures begin at 8 p.m. in Shea Center on campus; parking is free.

After graduating from Harvard with a law degree, one of only 16 women in her class of 500, Reno had a varied career in her home state of Florida, starting in a law firm. She was appointed staff director of the Judiciary Committee of the Florida House of Representatives in 1971, and in 1978 was appointed state attorney for Dade County, Florida. In 1993, President Clinton appointed her attorney general of the U.S. She was instrumental in enforcing policies on crime, race relations, immigration and corruption. Reno also pushed for reforms that would provide assistance to troubled youths and fought to implement civil rights laws.

In 1999, she announced plans to improve Internet security by encouraging companies and federal agencies to work together. She also set a record as the longest serving attorney general in the country’s history and was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, New York. In 2002, she launched an unsuccessful campaign for the Democratic candidate for governor of Florida against former Florida Governor Bill McBride.

In 1987, Gaffney was nominated by President Reagan to become the assistant secretary of defense for international security policy. He held this senior position for seven months, during which time he was also the chairman of the prestigious High Level Group, NATO’s senior politico-military committee. Gaffney also represented the secretary of defense in important negotiations and ministerial meetings with the Soviet Union.

Gaffney, a columnist for the Washington Times, has had his articles published in newspapers including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Washington Post, and the New York Times. He is also founder and president of the Center for Security Policy in Washington, D.C., a not-for-profit, non-partisan educational corporation, which has been recognized for its timely and informed analyses of foreign and defense policy matters. William Paterson’s Distinguished Lecturer Series is presented by the William Paterson University Foundation, the Student Government Association and the Student Activities Programming Board. Distinguished Partners include: Automatic Data Processing Inc.; Mercedes-Benz USA LLC; and The Record/Herald News. Benefactors include: BAE Systems-CNI; Castrol Consumer North America; CIT; Interchange Bank; Nicholas Martini Foundation; Pfizer; PSE&G; Roche; and the William Paterson University Alumni Association. Patrons include: Aventis Pharmaceuticals; Becton Dickinson and Co.; ITT Avionics; and Strykler Orthopedics. Sponsors include: AAA-NJ Automobile Club; Bograds; Bristol-Myers Squibb; CNA; Commerce Bank; Commerce and Industry Association; Melvin and Carole Cohen; Conocophillips Bayway Refinery; Barbara and Robert Evans; Gerber & Samson, Attorneys; Hunziker, Jones, Caserta, Romer & Champion, P.A.; Bruce Leeb & Company; McBride Enterprises, Inc.; Edward and Paulette Meier; North Fork Bank; The Opper Group; Passaic County Educational Council; Leon and Paula Rosenblum; Daryl and Stephen Roth; State Farm Insurance Companies; Toshiba America Consumer Products, Inc.; United Water New Jersey; United Yarn Products Company, Inc.; Valley National Bank; Verizon; Wakefern; Washington Mutual; Willowbrook Management; and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals.

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For Further Information, contact:
Mary Beth Zeman, Director, Public Relations 973-720-2966