Presidential advisor gives leadership talk

For Constance Horner, it's been a long road from the offices of The Daily Pennsylvanian. Horner -- one of the four members of the DP's first class of female staffers in 1960 -- graduated from the newsroom to serve under former President George Bush as assistant to the president and director of presidential personnel. In addition to advising Bush on some 3,500 presidential appointments, Horner was Bush's deputy secretary of Human and Health Services. She also served on both of President Reagan's administrations. Yesterday at the former Phi Gamma Delta house, Horner provided students with advice on a successful political career as part of the Fox Leadership Program. Horner, a 1964 alumna, preceded her advice on effective leadership by stating that, "the mixture of passion, purpose, luck, circumstances and preparation which yields an individual to be able to lead a person or group are indecipherable." "I lay no claim to precision," she continued. Horner emphasized the importance of a broad education as a means of preparation for a successful career in public service. She admitted that she contradicts modern culture in saying that "reading matters more than direct experience." Internships and jobs provide a limited experience in a limited setting and people should find the limits and possibilities of human nature, Horner argued. Moreover, she advised audience members, "Don't just network with great jobs. Network with great minds." She listed the question of life and the issue of property as two tasks that this generation would likely have to tackle. She said today's youth will need a solid scientific grounding, as well as a moral tradition to create laws. "If you understand what the other person has in mind on a deep level, then you can reach a good decision," she said. Horner attributed her successful career to the extensive reading she did while she was a housewife. When she first entered politics, a senator questioned Horner's preparation for public service by citing her biography, which said she was a teacher and long-time housewife. "Just because I'm at home, doesn't mean I'm brain-dead," Horner rebutted. College sophomore Erin Kennedy said, "A lot of times women can either do one or the other. I like how she balanced having a career and being a housewife."