Strossen, a professor of law at New York Law School and the ACLU’s president since 1991, will speak on the topic Protecting Civil Liberties and National Security: How to Strike the Balance.

Editors and reporters, please note that Strossen is available for telephone interviews during the first two weeks of March. To arrange an interview please telephone Doug Hubley, of the Bates Office of College Relations, at the number above or e-mail. A color photo is available for downloading. A full press release will be issued shortly.

Twice named one of “The 100 Most Influential Lawyers in America” by the National Law Journal, Strossen has practiced and written extensively in the fields of constitutional law, civil liberties and international human rights. The ACLU’s first woman president, she was elected to the position in 1991.

In 1975 Strossen graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School, where she was an editor of the Harvard Law Review. She practiced law in New York and in her home town, Minneapolis, before becoming a law professor.

Strossen writes prolifically for legal and mainstream readerships. Her book Defending Pornography: Free Speech, Sex and the Fight for Women’s Rights (Scribner, 1995) was named a “notable book” by The New York Times and was republished in 2000 by the NYU Press with a new author’s introduction.

Strossen, who makes some 200 public presentations annually, has spoken at more than 500 campuses and in many foreign countries.

This event is free and open to the public.

Dinwoodie will discuss key state and federal legislation on women’s reproductive freedom, separation of church and state, equality for lesbians and gay men and the protection of citizens’ private medical and financial information. She also will discuss strategies for influencing elected officials through letters, lobbying and the media.