The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences holds in highest regard intellectual pursuit in the cause of public service. Today we honor you, Rosa L. DeLauro, as an alumna who has used her Columbia education in the service of the people of your home state of Connecticut and of the American people as a whole.

The daughter of parents both active in civic affairs, you came to Columbia’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences to study Political Science. After earning your masters degree, you embarked on a career of political activism culminating in your election to Congress in Connecticut’s 3rd District in 1990.

Your career has been distinguished by a strong and ongoing interest in health care, education, and women’s issues. You have worked to provide funding for a safe food supply, for a healthy agricultural economy, and for the Food and Drug Administration to regulate thousands of products we use every day. You have collaborated with a bipartisan group of legislators to lower the rising costs of prescription drugs. You have also spearheaded initiatives in Washington and Connecticut to meet the challenges facing parents and children, supporting legislation that would make child care more affordable, and have worked to improve public education by reducing class size and modernizing public schools. You have written legislation that would guarantee men and women equal pay for equal work. A leading voice in Congress for increasing critical cancer research, you have also authored legislation, which enjoys bipartisan support, to ensure longer hospital stays for women undergoing breast cancer surgery.

Since coming to Congress, you have built a solid reputation for constituent service and hard work. In 1998, 2000 and 2002, you were recognized as one of the House of Representatives’ top "workhorses" by Washingtonian magazine, and you have been hailed in the national press as a "hero for working families."

In recognition of your exceptional career, and for being a model of what a Columbia graduate student can accomplish, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences is delighted to present you, Rosa L. DeLauro, with the Dean’s Award for Distinguished Achievement.