Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to Visit Guilford as Bryan Distinguished Visiting Professor
On March 20, Guilford will welcome Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. as a Bryan Distinguished Visiting Professor in the Arts, Humanities and Public Affairs. He will present at public lecture that evening at 8 p.m. in Dana Auditorium. Doors will open at 7:15 p.m.; seating is limited and will be on a first-come, first-served basis.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a nationally known attorney, environmental activist, university professor and author. He serves as chief prosecuting attorney for the Hudson Riverkeeper Program; as senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council; and as a clinical professor and supervising attorney at the Environmental Litigation Clinic at Pace University School of Law in New York. He is regarded as a pioneer in the area of municipal and government responsibility for environmental problems.
Kennedy's reputation as a resolute defender of the environment stems from a litany of legal actions which include the prosecution of governmental agencies and industrial companies for polluting the Hudson River and Long Island Sound, winning settlements for the Hudson Riverkeeper, arguing cases to expand citizen access to the shoreline, and suing sewage treatment plants to force compliance with the Clean Water Act.
Kennedy is credited with leading the fight to protect New York City's water supply. The New York City watershed agreement, which he negotiated of behalf of environmentalists across the state, is regarded as an international model in stakeholder consensus negotiations and sustainable development. On the national front, he was instrumental in helping defeat several anti-environmental bills during the 104th Congress. He has also worked to tackle environmental issues across the Americas and has assisted several indigenous tribes in Latin America and Canada in successfully negotiating treaties protecting traditional homelands.
Although Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is known as an activist for environmental protection everywhere, he considers fighting pollution in the Hudson River a priority. In an interview with the Natural Resources Defense Council, Kennedy avowed that he would continue to fight pollution in the Hudson River, despite the many governmental barriers that have been erected to discourage the works of citizens who wish to hold polluting agencies accountable. Kennedy stated, "The Hudson is my backyard, and the primary obligation of anyone in the environmental community is to clean his or her own backyard first. Global reform starts with local reform."
Earlier in his career, Kennedy served as assistant district attorney in New York City. He has worked on several presidential campaigns, including those of Edward M. Kennedy in 1980 and Al Gore in 2000.
Kennedy is the author of numerous articles and three books, including Judge Frank M. Johnson, Jr., A Biography (1977), the New York State Apprentice Falconer's Manual, and his latest book, The Riverkeepers (1997), co-written with John Cronin. His articles have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Atlantic Monthly, The Boston Globe, and The Washington Post, among other publications.
Kennedy is a graduate of Harvard University. He studied at the London School of Economics and received his law degree from the University of Virginia Law School. Following graduation he attended Pace University School of Law, where he was awarded a master's degree in environmental law.
March 20, 2003