Washington, D.C.
October 16-18, 1996

Redefining Higher Education

Luncheon Session: Exploring the Issues of the Network Service Provider

Introduction

Fred Heath, Dean and Director of University Libraries
Texas A&M University

Welcome to our luncheon session. This session will examine the critical choice issues being made by network service providers as they try to manage the onslaught of new information technologies. Our presenters will address the development of campus-wide information policies and recent incidents that may help all of us consider how best to approach these potentially contentious issues.

We will hear first from Jill Lesser, the Deputy Director of Law and Public Policy at America Online. Prior to joining America Online (AOL), Ms. Lesser was the Deputy Director of Public Policy and Director of the Civic Media Project for People for the American Way, which is a civil liberties organization.

Ms. Lesser was the organization's chief spokeswoman on all telecommunications policy issues, and her responsibilities included organizing and managing coalitions to promote public interests, telecommunications policies, drafting legislation, and testimony for House and Senate Committee hearings and lobbying Congress.

She received a B.A. Degree in Political Science from the University of Michigan and a J.D. Degree from Boston University School of Law.

Our next speaker will be Francis Groen. As you know, Francis is director of libraries at McGill University, a position she assumed in June of this year. Prior to that, she held appointments at Stanford and at the University of Pittsburgh, and served as president of the Medical Library Association in 1990. This year, she also received the Outstanding Academic Librarian Award from the Canadian Association of College and University Libraries.

And lastly, I will walk you through some efforts Texas A&M has made to establish our information policy at the local level.