Political scientists to honor Richard Fenno

Twenty-eight political scientists -- all of them former students of Fenno -- will examine the Republican leadership in Congress and related issues critical to the legislative branch of government. Most of the participants hold positions at major universities throughout the United States. They will contribute to separate panels on the conference's theme, "Studying Congress."

The 1997 Cutler Lecture will mark the start of the conference at 2 p.m. Friday, October 24, in Lander Auditorium. Five panelists will hold a roundtable discussion on Republican leadership in Congress. Admission is free and open to all. Two formal sessions on Saturday will be closed to the public. The conference is sponsored by the University's Department of Political Science.

In his 40 years on the University faculty, Fenno has written more than a dozen books about Congress and the American system of government. His 1978 book, "Home Style: House members in Their Districts," won the American Political Science Association's Woodrow Wilson Prize for the best book in political science. Fenno was also the first winner of the D.B. Hardeman Prize, given by the Lyndon B. Johnson Library for the best book on the United States Congress in the 20th Century. The Political Science Association's Legislative Studies section now annually awards the Richard Fenno Prize for the most highly regarded book on this subject.

He is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society. He is also one of only three people at the University to currently hold the title of Distinguished University Professor.