Contact: Public Relations
(863) 680-4118

Janet Reno opens FSC's Florida Lecture Series

LAKELAND, Fla. (Sept. 26, 2001) - Florida Southern College will host former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno as the college begins its 2001-2002 Florida Lecture Series Thursday, Sept. 27. "A Conversation with Janet Reno" will start at 7 p.m. in Branscomb Auditorium on the FSC campus. The lecture is free and open to the public. Doors will open at 6 p.m.

"We are delighted to have Janet Reno open this year's Florida Lecture Series," said Dr. James M. Denham, FSC history professor and director of the lecture series. "Ms. Reno's experiences, accomplishments, and insights in and about Florida make her an excellent choice. She is a great Floridian!"

The country's first female U.S. attorney general, Reno was born in Miami in 1938, growing up in a remote, 21-acre family homestead not far from the Florida Everglades. Reno attended Coral Gables High School, where she starred as a state high school debating champion. After earning a degree in chemistry from Cornell University in 1960, she enrolled at Harvard Law School, graduating in 1963. In 1971, Reno was named staff director of the Judiciary Committee of the Florida House of Representatives and helped to revise the Florida court system. In 1978 she was elected Dade County District Attorney, winning re-election to that office for four consecutive terms. The Miami Herald wrote of her in 1988: "Of the qualities most important in the prosecutor of a community awash in drug profits, none rank higher than integrity. On that point, Ms. Reno is, and has always been, beyond suspicion."

Following eight years as attorney general for President Bill Clinton, Reno retired in 2001 to South Florida and continues to play an active role in Florida's governmental affairs.

About the Florida Lecture Series
The Florida Lecture Series brings speakers to the Lakeland campus who approach the issue of "Florida Life and Culture" from a wide range of disciplines, including history, public affairs, law, sociology, criminology, anthropology, literature, music and art. Its overall objective is to create an opportunity for members of the community, faculty, and student body to listen to, interact with and learn from leading scholars and specialists of the state's history and culture. All lectures are free and open to the public.

About Florida Southern College
Florida Southern is a private, four-year, co-educational liberal arts college affiliated with the United Methodist Church. The college offers more than 40 undergraduate majors and a master of business administration degree accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Located in Lakeland, Fla., the college is home to the largest, single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture in the world.

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NOTE TO REPORTERS:
We have an area in the front of Branscomb Auditorium sectioned off specifically for the media. We're not requiring credentials for the event, but ask that you please contact Robin Grafton at (863) 680-4118 or via e-mail at rgrafton@flsouthern.edu to reserve a seat.

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