Marquette to honor U.S. Rep. Petri and William Ryan Drew

U.S. Rep. Thomas Petri and William Ryan Drew will be honored by the Marquette University Les Aspin Center for Government at a noon luncheon Monday, April 20, in the Alumni Memorial Union ballroom, 1442 W. Wisconsin Ave. Tickets are $100 per person. For registration details contact Marquette University Special Events at (414) 288-7431.

Petri will receive the Les Aspin Distinguished Public Service Award in honor of his career in public service and his commitment to higher education. Representing Wisconsin’s 6th Congressional district since 1979, Petri is serving in his 15th consecutive term. As a senior member of the House Education and Labor Committee, Petri has helped make college more accessible for lower and middle-class families.

“Congressman Petri is an example of a true public servant representing the people of Wisconsin for more than three decades. While his accomplishments are many, the leadership he provided in the creation of Direct Loans in the mid 1990s helped make higher education accessible for many students for whom college might otherwise have seemed out of reach. He is an advocate for the people of central Wisconsin and for students across our nation,” said Rev. Tim O’Brien, director of the Les Aspin Center for Government.     

The Les Aspin Distinguished Public Service Award recognizes an individual from Wisconsin who, like the late Les Aspin, has epitomized public service in the state and whose efforts have influenced national policy. Former winners include former Wisconsin Governors Patrick J. Lucey and Tommy Thompson, and Archbishop Rembert G. Weakland O.S.B. 

Drew will receive the Les Aspin Founders Award. After graduation from Marquette Law School in 1966, Drew served as an elected and appointed official of Milwaukee city and county governments, including Director of Administration for Milwaukee County and Milwaukee Commissioner of City Development. Since 1998 he has served as the executive director of the Milwaukee County Research Park and is the Vice Chairman of the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC). Drew has been a member of the Aspin Center National Board of Visitors since it was founded in 1995.

Bill Drew was among our earliest supporters and has provided invaluable counsel through his participation on the Center’s National Board of Visitors. We are honored to recognize the support and dedication he has provided to the Les Aspin Center for more than 20 years,” said Father O’Brien.   

The Les Aspin Founders Award is presented to individuals or organizations that have played an instrumental role in the work of the Les Aspin Center for Government and whose contributions have directly furthered the mission of the center. Former recipients include Congressman Jerry Kleczka, the Honorable and Mrs. David A. Straz, Jr., Robert and Jackie Lewis, and Northwestern Mutual. 

About the Les Aspin Center for Government

The Les Aspin Center for Government offers educational internships and training at the local, federal and international levels of government. At the D.C. program, students live in an academic community just blocks from the Capitol. They serve as interns in congressional offices, the White House, and a variety of other governmental agencies and departments. In addition to attending classes at the center, students visit government agencies to gain key insiders' perspectives on American democracy. The center is named in honor of the late Les Aspin, a former faculty member of Marquette, member of Congress and secretary of defense from 1993-94.

The Kleczka Internship Program is the Les Aspin Center for Government’s local initiative. The program provides internships for academically talented students, particularly those with financial need, who wish to work in public service at the state and local levels.

The Africa Program brings government leaders from Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, Uganda and Tanzania to the Les Aspin Center for Government to learn the principles of democracy and how to put them into action in their respective countries. Participants are immersed in a six-week learning experience at the Aspin Center in Washington, D.C., and on the Marquette campus in Milwaukee.