RELEASE NO. 133 for immediate release
CONTACT: Marcy Dubroff (717) 291-3981 [email protected]
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Two Leaders Dedicated to Serving America's Youth To Share Honors at Franklin & Marshall Graduation
LANCASTER, Pa. -- Two leaders whose lives are dedicated to helping young people will receive honorary degrees from Franklin & Marshall College at its May 9 Commencement ceremonies.
Dr. Alan I. Leshner, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and a 1965 F&M graduate, and Dr. David L. Warren, president of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU), will both speak.
"Alan Leshner and David Warren are very special individuals who have devoted lifetimes of service to the public, with emphasis on improving the lives of young people," said Richard Kneedler, college president. "Their dedication should be a model for all who care about the future of our youth."
More than 400 students are expected to receive their degrees at the 10 a.m. ceremony.
Leshner, who will receive an honorary doctorate of science, has been a leader in research to fight drug addiction and abuse. A psychology major at F&M with a master's and Ph.D. in psychology from Rutgers University, Leshner became deputy director of the National Institute of Mental Health in 1988 and director of NIDA in 1994. He is a former professor of psychology at Bucknell University.
The institute is one of the scientific arms of the National Institutes of Health and supports more than 85 percent of the world's research on the health aspects of drug abuse and addiction.
"Dr. Leshner is a national and world leader in combating drug addiction and abuse, a problem that robs far too many of our young people of their families, a sense of security, and the chance to learn and grow to their full potential," said Kneedler. Leshner's son, Michael, is a member of F&M's class of 1999. Leshner serves on the F&M Alumni Board.
NAICU president since 1993, Warren is a leader of efforts to ensure affordable higher education and a longtime advocate of the national community service movement. He will receive an honorary doctor of laws degree.
"David Warren's work on behalf of students is one of the great untold stories of higher education today," said Kneedler. "When Congress was considering a plan to reduce federal student aid in 1995, Dr. Warren spearheaded The Alliance to Save Student Aid, a coalition of 36 higher education organizations.
"The coalition convinced Congress not only to restore $20 billion in aid to students in 1995 but to add important new parental tax savings in 1997. Many of the students who will graduate May 9 have directly benefited from Dr. Warren's outstanding work, as will students attending F&M and other colleges and universities in the future," Kneedler said.
This spring, Warren has once again been the driving force behind a similar alliance--this time to dramatically increase the federal funding for need-based student aid programs.
A former president of Ohio Wesleyan University, Warren also is a founding member of Campus Compact, a national group supporting community service on college campuses. Franklin & Marshall is a member of Campus Compact. In 1998, 80 percent of its students voluntarily contributed 54,000 hours of service to the Lancaster community.
Warren has held leadership posts at Yale and Antioch universities and was chief administrative officer for the city of New Haven, Conn. After graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Washington State University with an English degree, he earned master's degrees in divinity and urban studies from Yale, and a Ph.D. in higher education from the University of Michigan.
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