Robert F. Kennedy to speak at BCU
Posted April 4, 2002

Officials at Briar Cliff university announce that Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., son of the late Robert Kennedy and nephew of the late president John F. Kennedy, will speak at the Sioux City university next month.

Kennedy will primarily address his views concerning environmental science issues. His presentation at Briar Cliff is entitled "A Contract with Our Future."

Recently lauded by Successful Meetings magazine as a man whose message supercedes his golden name, Kennedy reportedly delivers his speeches with earnestness and obvious passion.

His reputation as a resolute defender of the environment stems from a litany of successful legal actions: prosecuting governments and 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.

"He's a pioneer as an attorney in the area of municipal and government responsibility for environmental problems," says Hudson Riverkeeper John Cronin.

The speech presented by RFK, Jr., will be especially significant at the university since it started offering an environmental science major in the fall of 2000.

"Building on the Franciscan's centuries-long emphasis of respectful stewardship of the natural world, Briar Cliff developed a new major in environmental science. Although though the RFK name is attractive, BCU invited Kennedy to campus as a battle-tested defender of the environment," explained Dr. Barry McArdle, dean of student development at Briar Cliff and advisor to the lecture-concert committee.

Respect for the natural world was among the defining values of St. Francis of Assisi. As a college within the Franciscan tradition, Briar Cliff has again demonstrated this commitment by initiating an Environmental Science program.

The Environmental Science program is interdisciplinary. Although the Environmental Science majors emphasize either chemistry or biology, they also allow students to become familiar with socially relevant disciplines such as economics, political science, geography, and philosophy. The ES program at Briar Cliff also features practical application of classroom activities through internships and extended field trips to destinations such as the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Additionally, Kennedy's visit coincides with activities planned at Briar Cliff for Earth Day 2002. "For example we are having a campus-wide clean-up on April 11 in honor of Earth Day," explained senior human resources major Emily Beswick from Sioux City who is also the student head of the lecture-concert committee. Earth Day falls on April 22, but with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s visit four days earlier, Beswick says Briar Cliff can continue to heighten awareness about the environment through much of April.

"This is a good opportunity for us to build on the new major here, but also to help those in the Briar Cliff and Siouxland communities to learn more about environmental issues from an internationally-known speaker and activist," added Beswick. We hope everyone who attends will gain a greater understanding of our environment and how to maintain a better climate among the Siouxland region."

More than an eco-warrior, Kennedy is also a social-defender. During the summer of 2001 he sat in a Puerto Rican prison on trespassing charges as his most recent son, Aidan Caohman Vieques Kennedy, was born. Sentenced to thirty days for his civil disobedience, Kennedy was in Vieques protesting the U.S. Naval bombing exercises that take place there every year.

Kennedy serves as chief prosecuting attorney for the Hudson Riverkeeper and senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council. He is also a clinical professor and supervising attorney at the Environmental Litigation Clinic at Pace University School of Law in New York. Earlier in his career he served as assistant district attorney in New York City. He has worked on several political campaigns including Edward M. Kennedy's 1980 presidential campaign and Al Gore's in 2000.

Among Kennedy's published books are New York State Apprentice Falconer's Manual, and Judge Frank M Johnson, Jr., A Biography (I 977). He co-wrote his latest book, The Riverkeepers (I 997), with Hudson Riverkeeper John Cronin. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, Atlantic Monthly, The Wall Street Journal, Esquire, The Village Voice, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, Pace Environmental Law Review, and 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. He is a licensed master falconer, and as often as possible he pursues a life-long enthusiasm for white-water paddling. He has organized and led several expeditions in Latin America, including first descents on three little-known rivers in Peru, Columbia and Venezuela.

Each year the Briar Cliff lecture-concert committee is responsible for arranging for a speaker to come and speak on a topic that is concurrent with the university's mission statement. The lecture-concert committee, student government association, the Sister Muriel Ford Lectureship committee, VISION and the BCU resident hall association are sponsoring this event.

Kennedy will speak at the Stark Student Center at Briar Cliff University on April 18, 2002, at 7:30 p.m., followed by a reception. This event is free and open to the public. Any questions regarding, the event can be answered by calling Dr. Barry McArdle at (712) 279-5432.

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