Former U.S. Sen. Nancy Kassebaum Baker, recently appointed by President Clinton as co-chairwoman of a campaign finance reform effort, will make several appearances on the Iowa State campus on April 2 and 3.

Kassebaum Baker is making her second visit to campus as holder of the Mary Louise Smith Endowed Chair in the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women in Politics. She was named the first holder of the Smith chair in April 1996.

The agenda for Kassebaum Baker’s visit includes speaking to several classes and making a public address at the Brunnier Art Museum at 7 p.m. on April 2, following the Catt Center’s Strong Minded Women dinner and awards ceremony.

Kassebaum Baker’s visit is of note because of her “very prestigious” appointment to co-chair the president’s commission, said Dianne Bystrom, director of Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics. Former Vice President Walter Mondale is the other chairman.

“This grass roots effort in campaign finance reform will be a great benefit to women and minorities,” Bystrom said. “It will make the political process more accessible to them.”

During her 18-year career as a Republican senator representing Kansas, Kassebaum Baker focused much of her time on improving education and health care reform, Bystrom said. She was also chair of the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee and a member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations in which she spent a lot of time working with African issues.

She was also an advocate for greater government coordination of family and children’s programs.

A goal of this campus visit is to allow Kassebaum Baker to meet as many students as possible, Bystrom said. She will meet with more than 500 students in a variety of disciplines including sociology, journalism, English and political science.

Attendance at Kassebaum Baker’s class visits are not limited to the students registered for the classes. Which classes Kassebaum Baker will be attending wasn’t immediately available.

During her visit, Kassebaum will also meet with the ISU Women’s Network, the League of Women Voters and the Story County Bull Moose Club.