J. Robert Kerrey is President of New School University in New York City.  Prior to his appointment in January 2001, he served as United States Senator from Nebraska.

Senator Kerrey was born in Lincoln, NE on August 27, 1943.  He graduated from Lincoln’s Northeast High School in 1961 and graduated from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln with a degree in Pharmacy in 1966.

He volunteered for service in the U.S. Navy as a Navy Seal in 1966 and was wounded in action in Vietnam in 1969.  He was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1970.

In 1982, Robert Kerrey was elected Governor of Nebraska. As Governor, he inherited a three percent deficit and was faced with a deep recession and significant loss of federal subsidies.  By 1987, when he left the Governor’s office, he had balanced the budget and turned the deficit into a seven percent surplus.

Governor Kerrey was a staunch advocate of increased investment in Nebraska’s schools and a consistent supporter of Head Start and early childhood education.   He helped the University of Nebraska to develop closer ties to the state’s public school system. Among his many initiatives working with the University of Nebraska were programs to improve science and math education and expand on-line instruction.

He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1988, and then reelected to the Senate in November 1994.

Senator Kerrey has served on many congressionally chartered commissions including the National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare, the Bipartisan Commission on Entitlement and Tax Reform (where he served as Chair), and the National Commission on Restructuring the Internal Revenue Service (where he served as Co-Chairman).   He was Co-Chairman of the Congressional Web-based Education Commission and Co-Chairman of the National Reconnaissance Office.

The findings and final report of the Bipartisan Commission on Entitlement and Tax Reform, released in January 1995, are often cited by economic experts and national leaders as the definitive analysis of the nation’s entitlement system and a turning point in the debate on entitlement reform.

In addition, he was a member of the Senate Finance Committee, and the Senate Agricultural Committee. He served on the Senate Appropriations Committee from 1989-1996 and he was Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence from 1995-1999.

During his 17 years in politics, Kerrey has become a recognized advocate of fiscal responsibility, educational technology, health care and entitlement reform, and a strong farm economy.  Particularly in the area of education, Kerrey has been a promoter of improving educational opportunities for Nebraska’s youth.  He has fought to increase and improve investments in Title 1 funds, particularly in the areas of math and science.

In 1996, he launched CLASS (Communications Learning and Assessment in a Student-centered System project), which has developed a fully accredited, interactive high school distance learning curriculum on the Internet.  He has also been a consistent supporter of Head Start and early childhood education programs.

Senator Kerrey is perhaps best known for his persistent eadership in reforming Medicare and health care, and remains committed to universal health care eligibility for all Americans.

Prior to his entering public service, Kerrey built a chain of highly successful restaurants and health clubs that now employs more than 900 people.

Kerrey is married to Sarah Paley and has two children by a previous marriage