FORMER U.S. SEN. AND CONNECTICUT GOV. LOWELL WEICKER
TO TEACH AT U.VA. IN SPRING SEMESTER

	CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Jan. 21 -- Former U.S. Sen. and
Connecticut Gov. Lowell P. Weicker Jr., who considered an
independent run for the presidency last year, is a visiting
professor at the University of Virginia this semester.
	Weicker, a 1958 graduate of the U.Va. School of Law, will
teach a course there, "Contemporary Problems in Constitutional Law,"
and a University Seminar for first- and second year undergraduates
titled "Politics: A High or Low Calling?"
	Weicker served in the U.S. Senate as a Republican from
Connecticut for 18 years and was elected governor as an independent
in 1991, serving through 1995.
	His constitutional law course will focus on such
contemporary issues as racial imbalances, separation of church and
state, checks and balances, term limits and censorship. His
undergraduate seminar will focus on what he describes as "a paucity
of leadership as evidenced by the agendas and candidacies of today's
politicians."  The seminar "is intended to encourage public service
and hard-nosed decision-making," Weicker said, and will emphasize "a
return to the politics of accountability rather than electability at
any cost."
	In 1973, Weicker was appointed to the Senate Watergate
Committee and became known as a Republican legislator who was
willing to set aside party loyalty on difficult issues.  His
independent stands earned him the 1988 Wayne Morse Political
Integrity Award. 
	As chairman and later ranking Republican member of the
Senate Appropriations Committee subcommittee that funded health and
education programs, he built congressional support for the National
Institute of Health and maintained federal funding for a range of
significant health incentives, including primary health care and
family planning, as well as the care and
treatment of people with AIDS.
	Weicker also sponsored laws to protect the rights of the
disabled and was one of the principal authors of the Americans with
Disabilities Act.  As governor, Weicker helped restructure
Connecticut's tax system, reduce spending and impose tough hand gun
laws. He began his political career in 1962, when he was elected as
a member of Connecticut's House of Representatives.  He was elected
to Congress from Connecticut's 4th District in 1968.  He was
subsequently elected a member of the U.S. Senate in 1970, 1976, and
1982 and served there until January 1989. 
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January 20, 1997
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