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May 13, 2002

Former Secretary of Labor, Robert Reich, to speak at Grinnell College Commencement

GRINNELL, Iowa - The former Secretary of Labor and current professor of economics at Brandeis University, Robert B. Reich, will be the guest speaker at the 2002 Grinnell College commencement ceremonies on the central campus lawn on Monday, May 20, at 10 a.m. In case of inclement weather, the ceremony will be held in the College's Darby Gymnasium on Eighth Avenue.

Reich, the 22nd secretary of labor, currently serves as professor of social and economic policy at Brandeis University's Heller Graduate School. Reich is currently a democratic gubernatorial candidate in the state of Massachusetts.

An internationally recognized authority on economic and workforce development issues, Reich has been an outspoken and committed advocate for working people and their families throughout his career.

Considered, by some, as the most effective labor secretary in recent years, Reich was instrumental in helping initiate workplace reforms. Among the initiatives undertaken while he was secretary of labor, were the Family and Medical Leave Act, the first minimum wage increase since 1989, the Retirement Protection Act of 1994, and national campaigns to abolish sweatshops in the United States and to eradicate illegal child labor around the world.

Reich, who graduated from Dartmouth College in 1968, received his M.A. as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, and earned a J.D. from Yale Law School in 1973.

Reich is the co-founder and former chairman of The American Prospect, a member of the board of directors of the Cambridge Community foundation, and a member of the board of the Economic Policy Institute. The author of eight books, including "The Work of Nations," considered one of the most influential books on workforce issues, and, most recently, "The Future of Success," he has written more than 200 articles on the global economy, workforce development, and the changing nature of work.