Robert Kennedy Jr to Present at Southern Miss Forum Oct 4 (with photo)

[Newsguy]

Hattiesburg – An internationally renowned environmental activist and scion of arguably America’s most famous political family will be the featured speaker at the University of Southern Mississippi’s fall 2006 University Forum.Robert Kennedy Jr., the son of the late U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy and nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy, will present his lecture “Our Environmental Destiny” at Southern Miss Wednesday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. at Bennett Auditorium. The event is sponsored by the Southern Miss Honors College, College of Arts and Letters and the College of Science and Technology; the Southern Miss Department of Political Science and the Hattiesburg Clinic Lecture Series in the Sciences.“This is an absolutely incredible opportunity for our students,” said Dr. David R. Davies, associate dean of the College of Arts and Letters and coordinator for University Forum. “Kennedy's advocacy for environmental causes is so important for our students to understand. We're absolutely delighted to have him.”A graduate of Harvard University and the University of Virginia School of Law, Kennedy is senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, chief prosecuting attorney for the Hudson Riverkeeper and president of Waterkeeper Alliance. He is also a clinical professor and supervising attorney at Pace University School of Law’s Environmental Litigation Clinic and is co-host of “Ring of Fire” on Air America Radio. Previously, he served as assistant district attorney in New York City. He has worked on a variety of environmental issues, and has assisted several indigenous tribes in Latin America and Canada in negotiating treaties protecting their traditional homelands. Kennedy is credited with leading the fight to protect New York City's water supply, and The New York City watershed agreement, which he negotiated on behalf of environmentalists and New York City watershed consumers, is considered an international model in stakeholder consensus negotiations and sustainable development.Kennedy was named one of Time magazine's “Heroes for the Planet” for assisting Riverkeeper in its effort to restore the Hudson River. That project led to the creation of more than 125 Waterkeeper organizations around the world. We are honored that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has accepted our invitation to visit the Southern Miss campus,” said Dr. Ken Panton, dean of the Southern Miss Honors College. “Mr. Kennedy is an accomplished attorney who has used his skills to support the environmentalist movement in the United States, and he believes we will suffer from more Katrina-like hurricanes if we do not curb global warming, so this is an appropriate time for him to visit Mississippi. Kennedy is also a widely published author, his works including the New York Times bestseller “Crimes Against Nature” (2004), “The Riverkeepers” (1997) and “Judge Frank M. Johnson Jr.: A Biography” (1977). His award-winning articles have appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, the Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Rolling Stone, Atlantic Monthly, Esquire, The Nation, Outside magazine, the Village Voice and many other publications. His works have been included in anthologies of America’s best crime writing, best political writing and best science writing. “Having the opportunity to hear someone with Mr. Kennedy’s experience in, and commitment to, environmental policy is of tremendous value to our students in political science and in international development,” said Dr. Denise von Herrmann, chair of the Southern Miss Department of Political Science. “Whether they agree or disagree with his position, Mr. Kennedy’s work as an environmental litigator, activist and spokesperson is a model for all those involved in the public policy arena, and we are delighted to have been able to co-sponsor his visit.”For more information on this event, contact the Southern Miss Honors College at 601.266.4533.Robert Kennedy Jr.

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