Former Sen. Feingold to serve as distinguished visitor at Stanford's Haas Center

By Joy Leighton

Russell Feingold said he wants to pursue the question of how the United States handles its national security challenges. (Photo: Courtesy of Russell Feingold)

Russell D. Feingold, former Democratic senator from Wisconsin, will spend winter quarter at Stanford as the first Mimi and Peter E. Haas Distinguished Visitor at the Haas Center for Public Service. During his residency, Feingold will engage undergraduate and graduate students in a weekly discussion on current political issues, serve as a mentor to students and exchange ideas with faculty. He also hopes to deepen the Haas Center's relationship with its community partners in effort to bridge theory with practice.

Feingold, who represented Wisconsin for 18 years in the U.S. Senate and currently is a visiting professor at Marquette University Law School, also will deliver two major public lectures on campus in February.

"Sen. Feingold's lifelong commitment to protecting the democratic process for all citizens makes him the ideal inaugural Distinguished Visitor," said Provost John Etchemendy. "I am very excited to have him join and contribute to our intellectual community."

Endowed by Mimi and Peter E. Haas, the Distinguished Visitor program will honor individuals whose lives and careers have had significant public impact. The Haas Center will invite these visitors to exchange ideas with Stanford students and faculty.

"I am pleased to be named the inaugural Mimi and Peter E. Haas Distinguished Visitor at Stanford University," Feingold said. "Stanford's faculty and student body are a wonderful resource, and I very much look forward to taking advantage of the opportunity to explore in more depth the issues that have been my focus in the past few years."

Feingold said he is particularly interested in pursuing the question of how the nation confronts its national security challenges and hopes to engage the university community in addressing the "disturbing expansion of corporate influence on our political process."

Respected by colleagues on both sides of the congressional aisle, Feingold's political career and legislative record exemplify the core values of the Distinguished Visitor program.

In addition to weekly seminars, Feingold will deliver two public lectures. "While America Sleeps: A Wake-Up Call for the Post-9/11 Era" will be the topic for the Haas Center's Distinguished Visitor Lecture on Public Service and Citizenship on Feb. 8, 2012.

For the 2011-12 Wesson Lectures – sponsored by the Bowen H. McCoy Family Center for Ethics and Society – on Feb. 27 and 28, Feingold will discuss "Corporate Power and Citizens United: How the Supreme Court Created a New System of Political Corruption."

"Sen. Feingold is nationally recognized for his contributions as a public servant," said Thomas Schnaubelt, executive director of the Haas Center. "We believe he will be an inspiration to our students, add perspective and value to the work of our faculty and contribute to the cultivation of a new generation of civic leaders, particularly in public policy and politics."

Feingold was selected as the inaugural visitor in part because of his continuing efforts to make the U.S. government more transparent and accountable to its voters. His efforts included his collaboration with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) on campaign finance reform. Recently honored with the Roosevelt Institute's 2011 Four Freedoms Award, Feingold continues to work toward greater parity between wealthy interest groups and local citizens. His forthcoming book, While America Sleeps, focuses on the role of American citizens in global politics after Sept. 11, 2001.

A native of Janesville, Wis., Feingold received his bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He attended Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar and then earned his JD degree from Harvard University. After practicing law in Madison, Feingold served in the Wisconsin State Senate for 10 years before becoming a U.S. senator.

Established in 1985, the Haas Center for Public Service promotes a more just and sustainable world through service, scholarship and community partnerships. The center supports and inspires students and faculty to bridge academic study and research with service to seek solutions to society's most urgent problems. Students and faculty work in local, national and global communities.

Joy Leighton is communications director for the Haas Center for Public Service.

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