EUGENE–The University of Oregon today (Nov. 28) opened a new center honoring Oregon’s late Sen. Wayne Morse that is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge surrounding critical issues facing society.

The Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics is an independent center at the UO dedicated to interdisciplinary research, discussion, publication and teaching on critical topics in the fields of law and politics.

The center expands upon the Wayne Morse Chair of Law and Politics that was established in 1981 as a living memorial to Oregon’s late United States senator and former dean of the UO School of Law. The Morse Chair brings distinguished scholars and social activists to the UO who are selected "on the basis of qualities and achievements exemplified in the life of Wayne L. Morse: courage, integrity, independence, teaching ability, statesmanship, scholarship, and contributions to the enhancement of law, representative government and world peace."

"The Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics will build upon this legacy with a greater number of opportunities for attracting visiting scholars and public figures, conducting scholarly research and providing compelling curriculum for our students," says center director Margaret Hallock. "We see the center as providing the campus and broader community with opportunities to explore important issues that face society today."

In addition to programs, the center also is awarding student scholarships. This year, three law students received $10,000 scholarships that were awarded on the basis of scholastic merit and a demonstrated interest in public service in the tradition of Sen. Morse.

The center will be located at the William W. Knight Law Center. The UO established the center following a gift from the late Elmer Conklin, a retired court reporter who met Morse in 1938 when he was arbitrating a labor grievance. The two developed a close friendship that lasted until Morse’s death in 1974.

Planned center activities include:

• Hosting visiting scholars and public figures who will rotate between the School of Law and other disciplines teaching classes and participating in conferences and public events;

• Providing support for student internships and projects, experimental courses, and fellowships for law students;

• Publishing a series based on the center’s scholarly activities that is designed to address both the scholarly community as well as the public, including policy makers and interested citizens;

• Reaching out to the broader community through publications, speeches, symposia and special events.

The 1999-2000 Morse Chair hosted a full set of activities around its theme "The Rich, the Poor and American Politics," and Frances Fox Piven, Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Political Science at the City University of New York Graduate School, was the occupant of the chair. Activities included lectures, seven courses in political science and anthropology, a film series, a public radio-civic journalism project and a major two-day conference on "Work, Welfare and Politics" that was cosponsored by the UO’s Center for the Study of Women in Society and the Labor Education and Research Center.

In 2000-2001, the Morse Center will explore the theme of "Labor in a Global Economy" and will host two Morse chair holders, William Gould and Dana Frank. Gould, a Stanford University law professor and former chair of the National Labor Relations Board, will visit the UO School of Law Feb. 28—March 2, 2001. His public lecture will focus on international labor standards and labor law for a global economy. Frank, professor of American studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz, will be a visiting professor at the UO Department of History during spring quarter. In conjunction with her visit, the center has commissioned six projects, including two new classes, research, a special exhibit of the Morse Collection at the UO Knight Library, and a forum on labor history.

In 2000-2003, the Morse Center also will sponsor a series of events and speakers relating to the theme of "Race, Class and the Criminal Justice System." The first of these, a panel program entitled "No Way Out? A Forum on Mandatory Minimum Sentencing," was held in October.

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