The Catt Center was honored to host two former members of Congress – Vicky Hartzler of Missouri and David Skaggs of Colorado – for a visit to Iowa State University on Feb. 19-21 through a collaboration with Congress to Campus.
Congress to Campus is the flagship program of the Association of Former Members of Congress, a bipartisan organization of current and former United States senators and representatives, that provides college students the opportunity to talk with former members of Congress about bipartisan cooperation, civil discourse, and public service.
“I am pleased that we could bring the Congress to Campus program to Iowa State,” said Catt Center director Karen M. Kedrowski. “Representatives Hartzler and Skaggs were wonderful role models of public service.”
The three-day visit began the evening of Feb. 19 with the 2025 Mary Louise Smith Chair in Women and Politics, a dialogue with Hartzler and Skaggs moderated by Kedrowski about their time in Congress and the importance of bipartisanship to the political process.
The conversation began with Hartzler and Skaggs fielding questions from Kedrowski about their initial decision to run for office and what has made them proud in their public service careers. Kedrowski also asked them to share their insights on the value of bipartisanship and examples of when they reached across the aisle to a member of the other party, as well as what everyone can do to bridge political differences in today’s political climate. Hartzler and Skaggs then took a number of questions from members of the audience.
“Our students need examples of bipartisan cooperation and a first-hand glimpse of what Congress is like, and our guests delivered,” Kedrowski said.
A recording of the event is available on the Lectures Program website.
On Thursday, the former representatives visited several Iowa State classes to speak with students about bipartisanship and careers in public service, including PHIL 2300 : Moral Theory and Practice with Dr. Travis Butler, POLS/WGS 3850: Women in Politics with Dr. Carrie Ann Johnson and POLS 3100: State and Local Government with Dr. Kelly B. Shaw. Hartzler and Skaggs also met informally with a group of the center’s Legacy of Heroines scholars and interns for lunch and with members of the Political Science Club for dinner.
Their final day on campus began with visits to two more classes – POLS 1110: Introduction to American Government with Dr. Susan Laehn and HIST 3010: The Historian’s Toolbox with Dr. Amy Rutenberg. Hartzler and Skaggs were also interviewed by Delaney Graef, a Catt Center intern working on a Cyclone Civics project examining people’s understanding of the term “civics.” For the final appearance of their visit, Hartzler and Skaggs participated in a virtual Ready to Run® Iowa session, where they shared some of their experiences in their state legislatures and in Congress and addressed the importance of bipartisanship to the legislative process.
“It was an honor and a pleasure to spend time with these two wonderful public servants. They both really enjoyed interacting with our students and encouraging them to be active citizens,” Kedrowski said.
