ST. MARY'S CITY, Md. (Sept. 1, 2008)—The St. Mary's College of Maryland (SMCM) Center for the Study of Democracy will host Maryland Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin on campus, Friday, Sept. 5. The senator will speak to students and community members from 10:50 a.m. to 11:25 a.m. in St. Mary's Hall. His topic is "National Issues Facing America at Home and Abroad."
The talk, which is open to the public, will be followed by a 15-minute question and answer period.
"I am excited to have Sen. Cardin here discussing national policy issues," said Michael Cain, acting director of the Center for the Study of Democracy. "He has strong foreign policy experience from his work on the Helsinki Commission, and he has a long-standing commitment to the environment and the Chesapeake Bay. It will be interesting to see what he sees as the main policy goals for the next President and Congress."
In 1987, Cardin, a native of Baltimore, was elected to represent Maryland's 3rd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. As a member of the House, he introduced the Master Teacher Act in 2004 to help put the best teachers in the lowest performing schools. He is also a strong advocate for increasing Pell Grant funding and improving access to student loans. On January 4, 2007, Cardin was sworn in as a Member of the U.S. Senate to represent the people of Maryland. The senator is a champion of issues involving improving access to and quality of health care, Social Security, retirement savings, trade and human rights.