Former Congresswoman to Serve as Gates-Ferry Distinguished Visiting Lecturer

Hackettstown, N.J. –  Former Congresswoman Elizabeth Holtzman will serve as Centenary College’s Gates-Ferry Distinguished Visiting Lecturer for the Spring semester at 7:30 p.m. April 16, 2013, and April 23, 2013, at the Sitnik Theater at the David and Carol Lackland Center at Centenary College.  The first talk is entitled “Lessons of Watergate: 40 Years Later” and the second discussion will focus on “Women in Politics.” These presentations are free and open to the public.  The April 23rd event will include a free reception in the Sitnik Lobby at 6:30 p.m.

“Lessons of Watergate: 40 Years Later” focuses on President Richard M. Nixon’s actions leading up to his impeachment proceedings and his resignation.  New laws were passed to prevent a recurrence, including campaign finance reform and limitations on presidential wiretapping.  The discussion will also cover more recent Presidential abuses of power and how they have been handled.

“Women in Politics” covers the many advances in women’s rights that have taken place since 1972, though many problems still remain, such as pay equity; the absence of adequate provisions for working mothers, including child care and parental leave; high death rates of women during childbirth; the restriction of abortion rights; the prevalence of sexual assault; the difficulty of getting women elected to office; and the demeaning depictions of women in the media.  The discussion will examine what can be done to make a difference for women now and the role that women in politics can play.

“The Centenary community is very fortunate to have Ms. Holtzman provide us with her insight and expertise on women in politics and the Watergate scandal,” says
Dr. James Patterson, Provost and Chief Academic Officer at Centenary College.  “Her background in the political arena is extremely extensive, so those who attend will have the opportunity to benefit from her insight.”
 
Elizabeth Holtzman is a leader in the women’s movement and a distinguished public servant.  The youngest woman executive elected to Congress, she served for eight years as a United States Representative and won national attention for her role on the House Judiciary committee during Watergate.  She chaired the Immigration and Refugees Subcommittee and dealt directly with many foreign governments – including Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam – over refugee issues.

Holtzman was subsequently elected District Attorney of Kings County (Brooklyn, N.Y.).  As District Attorney, she argued successfully before the United States Supreme Court, and pioneered new strategies for the prosecution of rape and environmental crimes.  She led the effort to overturn laws allowing blacks to be removed from juries. 

Holtzman was also the only woman ever elected Comptroller of New York City.  She was responsible for the management of $50 billion in the city’s five pension funds and the issuance of more than $20 billion in city debt.  She invested the city’s public funds in building thousands of units of affordable housing.  A bill that she authored as Comptroller, which holds gun manufacturers for the injuries caused by illegal guns, was signed into law 12 years later by Mayor Bloomberg. 

She was appointed by President Clinton to the Nazi and Japanese Imperial War Criminal Records interagency Working Group, which oversaw the declassification of the United States government’s secret Nazi war crimes files.  She was also appointed by New York State Bar Association President Mark H. Alcott to the Special Committee on the Civil Rights Agenda.

Holtzman has written many op-ed pieces and has appeared on TV and in movies, including two Academy Award-winning documentaries, “Hotel Terminus” on Gestapo Chief Klaus Barbie and “Women – for America, for the World” on nuclear disarmament.  She has also authored three books.  Her most recent book is entitled “Cheating Justice.”
Holtzman practices law in New York City where she is co-chair of the government relations practice group at Herrick, Feinstein LLP.

Please register online at www.centenarycollege.edu/gatesferry2013.

ABOUT THE GATES-FERRY DISTINGUISHED VISITING LECTURESHIP

The Gates-Ferry Distinguished Visiting Lectureship at Centenary College recognizes the dedication to the College of Joseph R. Ferry, Trustee from 1948 to 1976 and treasurer of the Board of Trustees for 20 years.  It was established to set high standards and goals for students and faculty alike, and to enrich the quality of life on the Centenary campus.

ABOUT CENTENARY COLLEGE

Founded in 1867 by the Newark Conference of the United Methodist Church, Centenary College’s academic program integrates a solid liberal arts foundation with a strong career orientation. This mix is designed to provide an educational experience that prepares students to succeed in the increasingly global and interdependent world.

Centenary College’s main campus is located in Hackettstown, N.J., with its equestrian facility in Washington Township (Morris County).  The Centenary College School of Professional Studies offers degree programs in three locations: Hackettstown, Parsippany and Edison, and at corporate sites throughout New Jersey.  The School of International Programs recruits international students for study at Centenary and Centenary students for study abroad.
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