Congressman Brian Higgins to talk to students on Monday

U.S. Representative Brian Higgins at the grand opening of the SUNY Fredonia Technology Incubator. He will speak on campus about Afghanistan on Monday, Feb. 22 at 3 p.m.

U.S. Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-27th District) will speak at SUNY Fredonia to discuss his recent trip to Afghanistan, in addition to other prominent issues. His talk, “A Look at Afghanistan, and Nation Building at Home,” will take place at 3 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 22, in the Horizon Room of the Williams Center.

The presentation, though targeted mainly to students, is open to the full campus community. SUNY Fredonia Vice President for University Advancement David M. Tiffany will give the opening remarks and introduce Congressman Higgins.

With deep interest in U.S. Foreign policy, Higgins has traveled through some of the most explosive regions in the world. He has met with leaders to promote peace in Northern Ireland, the Middle East, South Asia and Africa, including Darfur, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

Higgins has served as a Member of Congress since 2005, representing New York’s 27th Congressional District, which includes much of Erie and all of Chautauqua County. He is a strong advocate for forward progress on economic development projects in Western New York, including SUNY Fredonia’s new Technology Incubator, for which he helped secure much-needed federal funds for the project’s launch. He also fights for national issues that are important to Western New Yorkers, including making college more affordable for working families and pushing for increased levels of funding to support cancer research and treatments.

Recently, Higgins was named to the Ways and Means Committee, the House of Representatives’ chief economic development committee. He served as a member of the New York State Assembly from 1999 to 2004, and prior to that as a member of the Buffalo Common Council. He was named “Buffalo’s Best Councilmember” in a 1993 Buffalo News survey.

He is a former instructor of history and economics at Buffalo State College, where he completed his undergraduate and graduate degrees in political science and history, respectively. He also earned an advanced degree in public policy and administration from Harvard University.