Christine Todd Whitman, the first female governor of New Jersey and a current Environmental Protection Agency administrator, came to Nicholls this past Friday for a meet and greet in the Archives room of the library.
Whitman talked to the students and faculty about current environmental issues the EPA is undertaking and her experiences as a woman in the government. The Louisiana Center for Women and Government mailed Whitman an invitation outlining the event in which she would be speaking and she responded favorably at the chance to speak to the Nicholls community.
According to Rose Harris, the director for the Louisiana Center for Women and Government, Whitman’s appearance brings honor to the community because she is the highest-level official ever to visit Nicholls.
“Whitman’s visit to Nicholls gave students and faculty the opportunity to engage in a dialogue over environmental issues with the highest ranking official in the EPA. The students and faculty were also allowed to meet someone who is in the president’s cabinet on a personal level,” Harris said.
Whitman entered the room diplomatically by greeting everyone who was present. She began by speaking about issues concerning the EPA such as the clean air act and even issues concerning the environmental damage in Iraq due to Saddam Hussein destroying the marshlands. Whitman stressed the importance of “bringing an understanding of a good strong economy and a healthy environment.”
“The actions we take will have an adverse impact on the impact. With land use planning and smart growth, we will establish a better relationship with the environment,” Whitman said.
During her lecture, Whitman also talked about the issue of a woman president of the United States in 2008. Whitman said our country is long due for a woman president, since other countries considered backwards to the United States have already had females in leading government positions. She said the United States has a selection of enormously qualified female candidates and hopes to see a woman on the ticket for 2008.
Steve Michot, department head of history and social sciences, said that having a leading member of the Bush administration take time out of her schedule to talk about important issues puts Nicholls on the map.
“When discussing environmental issues, she tried to present a balance between the opposing forces of business and development and environmental aware groups,” Mitchot said. “I also agree that it is time in 2008 to have women candidates who are qualified to run for president and believe that Whitman is well qualified to be the first female president.”
“People have talked on and off about my potential career as president; perhaps because I have done a lot of trail blazing. However if I were to run for president I would have to start years in advance to prepare for the presidential position, and I feel I am not quite there yet,” Whitman said.
Whitman has said she never saw herself as anything else but as the governor of New Jersey and her gender was never an issue. However, Whitman has admitted that by looking back she could see how the standards for women in dealing with the press were difficult.
“If you were strong you were considered embracive and if you compromised you were considered weak. There is an always-high standard for women to supply all of the answers and as women we are not often given the slack that men are given,” she said.
Whitman became involved with the EPA because the president asked her during the last year of her second term as governor of New Jersey. Whitman said it is hard to turn the president down when he asks you to serve your country. Being an EPA administrator is an important honor, as is being governor of a state, she said.
“I find women in government endlessly fascinating. I would tell any young woman who wants to achieve a high-ranking position in the government to go for it because you deserve it,” Whitman said.
Felicia Harry, instructor of mass communication, said, “I feel, because Nicholls is not a big metropolitan area and students have limited access to someone of Whitman’s stature, it is important for students and faculty to take advantage of the opportunity to meet a woman in a leadership role. I was impressed by Whitman and enjoyed hearing her presentation, which shed some light on the role of the EPA and other major issues.”
Rose Harris said that the Louisiana Center for Women and Government is committed to continuously bringing the best speakers to meet and greet both faculty and students.