KU News Release

Two former congressmen to spend Nov. 11-13 on KU campus

LAWRENCE — The Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas will host former U.S. Reps. Ken Hechler, D-W.Va., and Dan Miller, R-Fla, from Nov. 11 to Nov. 13 as part of the Congress to Campus program.

Congress to Campus is a national program that places former congressional leaders on college campuses to visit with students, lecture in classrooms, meet with the community and provide insight into Congress and the lives of elected officials.

“The former congressmen will share their candid insights about serving in Congress and address the importance of public service,” said Barbara Ballard, associate director of the Dole Institute.

Hechler and Miller will speak at the Pizza and Politics event at 12:20 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 13, at the Malott Room in the Kansas Union. They will tell stories about their careers and give tips for working in politics. Pizza and Politics is free and open to the public.

Hechler served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1959 to 1977 and was secretary of state for West Virginia from 1985 to 2001. He is the author of “The Bridge At Remagen: The Amazing Story of March 7, 1945 — The Day the Rhine River was Crossed” and “Holding the Line.” A World War II Army veteran, Hechler also will deliver the keynote address at A Tribute to Veterans at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 11, at the Dole Institute.

Miller, a college professor and businessman, served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1993 to 2003. After leaving Congress, he returned to academia. In 2003, he was a fellow at the Institute of Politics at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He is currently teaching at the University of South Florida and is developing the Manasota Institute of Public Policy and Leadership at the Sarasota Campus of USF.

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