FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 2, 2006
Contact: Anika Mitchell Perkins
(662) 329-7124

Congressman Wicker to speak at MUW graduation

COLUMBUS, Miss. – U.S. Congressman Roger F. Wicker will address the graduating class of Mississippi University for Women on Saturday, May 6.

Wicker will speak at both services, which will be held in Rent Auditorium, Whitfield Hall.

Conferring of degrees for the College of Arts and Sciences and College of Education and Human Sciences will be at 9 a.m. The ceremony for the College of Business, College of Nursing and Speech Language Pathology and Culinary Arts Institute will start at 11:30 a.m.

A native of Pontotoc, Wicker has served Mississippi’s First Congressional District since 1995. He was re-elected to a sixth term in 2004. Prior to going to Congress, he was elected to two terms in the Mississippi State Senate, serving from 1987-1994.

His colleagues in Washington have recognized his leadership abilities. He serves as a member of the leadership team in the House as deputy majority whip. In 2001, Wicker was elected to the Republican Policy Committee, which is the policy-making arm of the majority party in the House. He was re-elected to that position in 2005.

The congressman landed a seat on the powerful Appropriations Committee in 1995, and he continues to serve on the panel. He is a member of three Appropriations subcommittees, including Labor, Health and Human Services and Education; Defense; and Foreign Operations. In 2003, he assumed additional legislative duties when he was named to the Budget Committee. He also was elected chairman of the Tennessee Valley Authority Congressional Caucus.

Wicker has been a strong supporter of health care research activities from his position on the Labor, HHS and Education Subcommittee. His efforts to fight heart disease were recognized by the American Heart Association, which presented him with its 1998 National Public Service Award. He was honored for developing an initiative to fund new, state-based disease prevention strategies and information activities. His work is helping educate more Americans about heart disease risk factors and how to reduce those risks.

He also has been active in support of cancer research programs at the National Cancer Institute, diabetes research, and he has been recognized twice as a champion of polio eradication for his work on efforts to wipe out polio worldwide.

The legislator has been an advocate for economic development, supporting programs such as the Appalachian Regional Commission and Economic Development Administration. In 1999, the National Association of Manufacturers for supporting policies, which “recognizes manufacturing’s pivotal role in the U.S. economy,” honored him. He received NAM’s Award for Manufacturing Excellence in 2003 for support of pro-growth, pro-manufacturing initiatives in the Congress.

He served on active duty in the U.S. Air Force and then served in the Air Force Reserve. Wicker retired from the Reserve in 2004 with the rank lieutenant colonel.

His community involvement includes being a member of the Community Development Foundation and the Lions Club, where he has served as vice president.

Wicker is married to the former Gayle Long of Tupelo and they have three children.