University announcements
1. Former Congressman James Langevin to serve as visiting scholar at URI
By Tony LaRoche
Langevin
retired this month after more than 20 years representing Rhode Island’s 2nd Congressional
District in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he was a senior member of
House Committees on Armed Services and Homeland Security. The one-year
appointment, which begins Jan. 23, continues Langevin’s long commitment to the
state and the University while in Congress.
“I was proud to represent the University in the 2nd Congressional District all these years and am excited about this opportunity to continue to serve Rhode Islanders through my work with the state’s public research university,” said Langevin.
“As a member of Congress, I’ve enjoyed working with URI leadership to support
higher education, science and research, including programs to strengthen the
nation’s cybersecurity. I look forward to engaging with faculty and students
this spring on new initiatives.”
“I am so pleased that URI has the opportunity to host Congressman Langevin as a visiting scholar this year,” URI President Marc Parlange said.
“His remarkable career
and his dedication to initiatives that have bolstered the work we do here and
improved the lives of all Rhode Islanders is truly impressive and our community
is fortunate to have his insight and expertise on campus.”
Each semester
during his appointment, Langevin will host a symposium on a topic related to
national security or U.S. civics and democracy, lending his expertise in both
areas to attract national and international experts. He also will maintain an
office on campus and attend select events, interacting regularly with URI
students, faculty, and staff.
“I am excited
to welcome Congressman Langevin to the College of Arts and Sciences,” said Dean
Jen Riley. “I’m looking forward to the programming he will lead in conjunction
with our faculty in cybersecurity, international studies and diplomacy, and
international relations. I know our students will benefit greatly from the
experiences and knowledge he will share with us.”
Langevin’s
appointment at URI coincides with a similar announcement at Brown University,
where he will serve as senior fellow in the Watson Institute for International
and Public Affairs, starting this spring. He will also run a study group, hold
office hours, and host a public event during his time at Watson.
First elected in 2000, Langevin this month wrapped up 11 terms as a U.S. representative, ending a robust tenure during which he was a leading voice on such issues as cybersecurity, health-care reform, the environment, and advocacy for people with disabilities.
The first quadriplegic to serve in Congress, he was the
first wheelchair user to serve as speaker pro tempore and first presided over
the U.S. House on the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
As a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, where he served his entire tenure in Congress, Langevin was chair of the Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee, later to be called the Cyber, Innovative Technologies and Information Systems Subcommittee, a post he held starting in 2011.
As an expert
on national security, Langevin helped shape the focus of the Department of
Defense, paving the way for a heightened emphasis on harnessing emerging
technologies.
In 2003, he was a founding member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, serving on numerous subcommittees throughout his time in Washington. An expert in cybersecurity policy, he founded and co-chaired the House Cybersecurity Caucus and served on the CSIS Commission on Cybersecurity for the 44th presidency.
Langevin most recently was appointed and served
on the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, created by Congress to develop an
overarching strategy to protect the country against cyberattacks of significant
consequence.
Langevin previously served as a state representative in the
General Assembly from 1988 to 1994, and as Rhode Island’s secretary of state
from 1995 to 2001. Along with bachelor’s degrees in political science and
public administration from Rhode Island College, Langevin holds a master’s
degree in public administration from the Kennedy School at Harvard University.
During Langevin’s tenure in the House, URI achieved national
recognition in cybersecurity education and other national security areas.
In 2011, Langevin commissioned the University’s Cybersecurity Symposium to raise awareness of the need to prepare students and workers for technology-based jobs. A year later, URI was named a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education—the nation’s premier academic certification for cybersecurity education—by the National Security Agency and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
And in 2021, URI was added
to the National Science Foundation’s CyberCorps: Scholarship for Service
program, which helps train the nation’s future cybersecurity workforce. In
2008, the Department of Homeland Security designated URI as a co-leader of a
new Center of Excellence for Explosives Detection, Mitigation, and Response.
2. Longtime Congressman James Langevin to serve as senior fellow at
Brown’s Watson Institute
Brown University
James Langevin, who retired in January from a public service career in Congress after representing Rhode Island’s second district in the U.S. House of Representatives for 11 terms, has been appointed a senior fellow at Brown University’s Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs.
Langevin, a cybersecurity expert who is the founder and former chair of the House Cybersecurity Caucus, will lead an undergraduate study group, "Surveying the Cyber Threat Landscape and Protecting the United States Against Cyberattacks of Significant Consequence," in Spring 2023.
The five-week
study group will examine the current threat landscape, how federal and state
governments are structured to respond to threats, what policies can strengthen
the nation’s cyber ecosystem, what public-private partnerships could address
critical infrastructure systems, and how to engage internationally to
strengthen cybersecurity. In addition to leading the study group, Langevin will
hold office hours and at least one special event in the spring semester.
“All of us at Watson feel deeply honored to have Congressman Langevin join our academic community as a senior fellow,” Watson Institute Director Edward Steinfeld said.
“Throughout his 22 years in Congress, Jim Langevin has
demonstrated exceptional leadership in policy areas ranging from health care
and the environment to current challenges surrounding cybersecurity. What a
privilege for us all to have the opportunity to learn from such an exemplary
civil servant and policy leader.”
Langevin, a
native Rhode Islander, said that he hopes to give Brown students unique
insights into his more than three decades of governing experience.
“I’ve learned in my [academic] training and in government experience that public policymaking is not always easy or quick, and sometimes the government moves too slowly,” Langevin said.
“Three main elements — having a problem, having a solution and
having a window of opportunity to enact a policy — must be present; while they
don’t always line up quickly or easily, when they do, [you] must be ready to
push your initiative across the finish line.”
Born in Providence, Langevin earned a bachelor’s degree from Rhode Island College and a master’s degree in public affairs from Harvard University. At just 22, he was elected to the Ocean State’s constitutional convention and became its secretary.
Two years later, he was elected to the Rhode Island General Assembly and later became Rhode Island’s secretary of state. In 2001, Langevin became the first quadriplegic member of the U.S. House of Representatives; he served Rhode Island’s second congressional district for 11 terms before retiring in early January 2023.
Langevin said
he now lives full time in Rhode Island. In addition to serving as a senior
fellow at Watson, Langevin will be a visiting scholar in the political science
department at the University of Rhode Island for the Spring 2023 and Fall 2023
semesters.
More
information is available on the Watson Institute’s website.
This story
was adapted from a Watson Institute story written by Nancy Kirsch.
