May 2005

ALUMNI NEWS

Judy Meritz, SPA/BA'73, Larry Muenz, SPA/BA'73, Ann Calvaresi Barr, SPA/MPA'84, and Congressman James McGovern, CAS/BA’81, SPA/MPA’84

Alumni Meet SPA Members of Congress at Annual Capitol Hill Reception

Nearly 50 AU alumni attended the School of Public Affairs’ annual Congressional Reception at the Capitol earlier this month. Held in the Senate’s Mansfield room, the popular alumni event drew nine-year veteran Massachusetts Democratic representative James McGovern, CAS/BA ’81, SPA/MPA ’84, and Washington, D.C., Senator Paul Strauss, SPA/BA ’86, WCL/JD ’93.

Once alumni filled the room mingling and catching up, SPA Dean William LeoGrande offered some welcoming remarks and announced the latest SPA highlights. LeoGrande pointed out that as SPA celebrates its 70th anniversary its reputation has grown on many fronts. Graduate applications have doubled in the last two years; incoming students are coming to AU with record-high SAT and GPA scores; and AU
students were awarded more prestigious Presidential Management Fellowship spots – 42 – than any other university across the country. “SPA’s alumni participation in annual giving is 22 percent overall - higher than any other school or college at AU,” added LeoGrande.

Dean LeoGrande reconnects with Karen Bune, CAS/BA '76, SPA/MS '78

Following LeoGrande’s remarks, Professor Jim Thurber, director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies moderated a brief but lively panel discussion, "The Imperial Presidency vs. the Imperiled Congress: Is Congress the Broken Branch?" featuring SPA alumnus Fred Turner, SPA/BA ’93, SPA/MA ’95, chief of staff for Congressman Alcee Hastings, and SPA associate professor Walter Oleszek, senior specialist, Congressional Research Service.

This year's Congressional Reception on Capitol Hill marks the fifth year the event has been held. Past speakers have included Ken Bentsen, SPA/MPA '85 (R-TX), Connie Morella, CAS/MA' 67 (D-MD), and Don Manzullo, SPA/BA '67 (R-IL).

-Melissa Reichley

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