Eboo Patel to Deliver Commencement Address
From the Wake Forest News Service:
“Eboo Patel, a leading voice for interfaith cooperation and the founder and president of Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC), will deliver Wake Forest University’s commencement address on Monday, May 16.
‘Eboo Patel is recognized around the world for bridging divisions among people of different faiths,’ said Wake Forest University President Nathan O. Hatch. ‘At a time when so much global conflict is rooted in religious difference and the need for interfaith cooperation is so great, I am pleased he will be Wake Forest’s commencement speaker.’
Patel, who served on President Barack Obama’s inaugural Faith Council, is the author of ‘Acts of Faith,’ ‘Sacred Ground,’ and the forthcoming ‘Interfaith Leadership’. He is a regular contributor to the public conversation around religion in America and a frequent speaker on the topic of religious pluralism. He holds a doctorate in the sociology of religion from Oxford University, where he studied on a Rhodes scholarship. For more than 15 years, Patel has worked with governments, social sector organizations, and college and university campuses to help realize a future where religion is a bridge of cooperation rather than a barrier of division.
He regularly contributes to the Washington Post, USA Today, Huffington Post, NPR and CNN….
Also joining Wake Forest for the commencement weekend will be Baccalaureate speaker: The Reverend Dr. M. Craig Barnes, president and professor of pastoral ministry at Princeton Theological Seminary.
‘Rev. Barnes’ ministry, writing and academic leadership reflect his thoughtful and widely informed approach to religious ministry and theological formation that is well suited to changing times,’ Hatch said. ‘He has superbly led large urban congregations and is a wonderful communicator, deeply human and hopeful in his approach and his words.'”