ANN ARBOR— Experts on the special problems in lobbying
on behalf of higher education will gather on Nov. 29 at the University of Michigan as part of a continuing series of programs on the future of the research university
sponsored by the Horace H.Rackham School of Graduate Studies.

“Politics and the University: Lobbying for Higher
Education and Research” will
be presented 3-5 p.m. in the Rackham Amphitheater. The U-
M’s longtime Washington lobbyist, Tom Butts, associate vice president for government relations, will moderate a
panel discussion focusing on the significant relationships
between the University and the federal government.The program is free and open to the public.

Panelists include Robben Fleming, president emeritus of
the U-M; Cynthia Wilbanks, U-M vice president for Government Relations;Connie Cook, U-M associate
professor of education, director of the Center for Research
on Learning and Teaching and author of “Lobbying for Higher Education: How Colleges and Universities Influence

Federal Policy”; and Kevin Casey, senior director of
federal/state relations, Harvard University. They will discuss how federal funding, tax and social policies affect
teaching, student financial aid, research and public service activities of the University.

Fleming will speak on the relationship of the University and the federal government during his U-M presidency, 1968-79. Cook will discuss findings from her research on the role of institutional associations, such as the American Council on Education, in securing funding for higher education.Wilbanks will talk about her experiences as a congressional staff member as well as provide a current perspective on the interaction between the state and federal governments and funding allocations.

Casey will speak on the academic research agenda and the new ways higher education is lobbying for funding in Washington.

More information on events and programs sponsored by

the Rackham School of

Graduate Studies is available http://www.rackham.umich.edu/.