Courier: April 2004

Former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno on Campus

Criminology and Criminal Justice students had a special opportunity to hear former Attorney General Janet Reno recently. Reno’s appearance, open to the community, was jointly sponsored by the department, the department of geography, and the office of Institutional Advancement. Members of the Criminal Justice Honors’ Society and the Criminal Justice Club met with Reno personally before the event. The first woman to serve as U.S. Attorney General, Janet Reno, was on campus at the end of March. Invited by the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, the Department of Geography, and the Office of Institutional Advancement, Reno spoke on “Public Service and Problem Solving” at a colloquium for the CCSU community.

Reno, one of 16 women out of 500 graduates of Harvard Law School’s class of 1960, described public service as “a wonderful calling, and far better than [earning] billable hours” in private practice. Drawing on her own experience in public service since 1971, Reno challenged her CCSU audience “to get involved, work together, listen to others, hear the nuances” and “touch lives and make a difference.” She pointed out the need for public servants from a wide variety of academic disciplines.

As the 78th Attorney General of the United States, leading the 125,000 employees of the nation’s largest law enforcement office, Reno was also the longest-serving attorney general since the Civil War; she served during both terms of former President Bill Clinton. The daughter of Florida journalists, Reno is often praised for her integrity, independence, and devotion to the laws of society. In recognition of the impression she made at CCSU, she was given a standing ovation at the conclusion of her remarks.

CCSU Courier Home