March 10, 2009
SPA Celebrates 75th Anniversary of FDR Speech
(Photos by Jeff Watts)
The mood was joyous, as 250 faculty, staff, and students toasted the School of Public Affairs’ 75th anniversary during a reception, March 3, in the Katzen Arts Center.
On the same date, 75 years ago, President Franklin D. Roosevelt pledged his support for the new school that would hold its first classes in an old row house near the White House.
“American [University] is yet young. But you have a great future—a great opportunity for initiative, for constructive thinking, for practical idealism, and for national service,” said Roosevelt, at the 1934 inauguration of AU’s sixth chancellor, Joseph M.M. Gray.
SPA will host its 75th anniversary conference, “What Do We Expect From Our Government?” March 26–27. Panelists, including professors, elected officials, and distinguished alumni, will explore a variety of issues facing the new administration, including immigration, climate change, and terrorism.
