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College President Arthur J. Rothkopf ’55 will talk about “Calming Your Fears: The Truth about Flying” noon-1 p.m. Friday in Interfaith Chapel, Hogg Hall.
The talk is the ninth in Lafayette’s continuing Campus Conversations series, which addresses issues related to the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the U.S. Lunch is provided free of charge.
Rothkopf will discuss air safety in the wake of the Sept. 11 hijackings of four U.S. airliners. He will draw on his experience as Deputy Secretary and General Counsel for the Department of Transportation during the first Bush administration.
The following Campus Conversation will take place noon-1 p.m. Friday, Nov. 9, in Interfaith Chapel. Laurie Caslake, assistant professor of biology, and Jeffrey Goldstein, college physician, will speak on “Calming Your Fears: The Truth about Anthrax.” The speakers will discuss the risks of anthrax infection.
Prior to becoming Lafayette’s president in July 1993, Rothkopf was Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation, the chief operating officer of a Cabinet agency with 106,000 employees and an annual budget of $35 billion. He was appointed to this position by President Bush and confirmed by the Senate. He played a major role in defining government positions on such issues as foreign investment in U.S. airlines, the future role of the U.S. merchant marine, trucking deregulation, and other matters related to aviation, highways, railroads, and maritime affairs. Prior to becoming Deputy Secretary, Rothkopf served as General Counsel of the Department (also a Senate-confirmed position), supervising a staff of more than 600 lawyers.
Before joining DOT, Rothkopf was a senior partner in the Washington law firm of Hogan & Hartson (1967-1991), specializing in tax, regulatory, and legislative representation of U.S. and foreign clients. He was director of the firm’s international operations and served for 12 years on its management committee. Hogan & Hartson is Washington’s largest law firm. He began his career as a lawyer for the U.S. Treasury Department and the Securities & Exchange Commission.
Rothkopf earned his A.B. degree from Lafayette, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and received his law degree from Harvard. Rothkopf served as a Trustee of Lafayette from 1978 through 1991.
Rothkopf is a member of the board of directors of Insurance Services Office, Inc. (a company serving the property and casualty insurance industry); Lehigh Valley Hospital; the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp.; and The Pennsylvania Society.
Rothkopf is Chair of the Board of Directors of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania, member of the Board of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, member of the Commission on Government and Public Affairs of the American Council on Education, and Chair of the Patriot League Council of Presidents.