Contact: Russ White, University Relations, (517) 432-0923, whiterus@msu.edu

2/16/2005

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State University College of Law will present “Children and the First Amendment,” a one-day conference for academics, attorneys, social workers and public policy makers, on Feb. 25, at the Law College Building on MSU’s East Lansing campus.

The symposium will focus on the free expression rights of children and of others toward children, as well as the media’s potential negative effects on children. The event is hosted by MSU law professor Kevin Wall Saunders, author of “Saving Our Children from the First Amendment,” and will feature presentations by experts from the University of Chicago, Roger Williams University, George Washington University, New York University, Drake University, University of Arkansas and MSU.

Conference speaker Amitai Etzioni, director of the Institute for Communitarian Policy Studies at George Washington University, also will speak at 5 p.m. Feb. 24 at the law college. Etzioni will reflect on his book, “From Empire to Community: A New Approach to International Relations,” in which he shares his vision of a new global authority that is strong enough to manage strife among nations and cultures. A book signing will follow at 6 p.m.

MSU College of Law was founded as the Detroit College of Law in 1891. The law college affiliated with MSU in 1995 and moved to MSU’s East Lansing campus in 1997. The move enabled the college to build state-of-the-art facilities and to provide the benefits of a Big Ten campus.

MSU College of Law strengthened its affiliation with MSU in 2004, becoming more closely aligned academically. The association between the two schools has led to a comprehensive interdisciplinary legal education program at the law college. Today, the college is one of only two private law schools to be affiliated with a research university.