One of America’s most influential journalists, Juan Williams will share his perspective on race, culture and politics when he presents the keynote address during Wittenberg University’s 162nd Commencement exercises, Saturday, May 12.

The top selection of the 426-member class of 2007, Williams, who will receive an honorary doctorate of humane letters, brings a unique and informed voice as an analyst of current events. During his 21- year career as an editorial writer, op-ed columnist and White House correspondent for The Washington Post, Williams won several journalism awards for his writing and investigative reporting.

In constant contact with American political leaders, Williams has also enjoyed inside access to Washington politics. In 2000, NPR selected Williams to host its afternoon talk show, Talk of The Nation, and in two years he brought the show's ratings to record heights. He currently serves as senior correspondent for NPR's Morning Edition and as host of America's Black Forum, a nationally syndicated weekly news program.

In addition, Williams has authored six books, including the 2006 release of Enough - The Phony Leaders, Dead-End Movements and Culture of Failure That Are Undermining Black America - and What We Can Do About It, which created a national furor and ignited debate with his analysis of black leadership in the United States. Other books include the nonfiction bestseller Eyes on the Prize: America's Civil Rights Years, 1954-1965 and the critically acclaimed biography Thurgood Marshall: American Revolutionary, which Time magazine described as a "magisterial" work of American history. The book was reissued in 2004 with a new epilogue for the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court's historic Brown vs. Board of Education decision.

The recipient of an Emmy Award for television documentary writing, Williams received acclaim for a series of documentaries including Politics -The New Black Power and A. Phillip Randolph: For Jobs and Freedom. In addition, numerous national publications, including Fortune, The Atlantic Monthly, Ebony, GQ and The New Republic, have featured his writing. Williams has also appeared on ABC's Nightline, PBS' Washington Week in Review and The Oprah Winfrey Show, among other television programs.

This will be the second time Williams has addressed the Wittenberg community. In 1993, he presented the Wittenberg Series-sponsored Martin Luther King Commemorative Convocation address in Weaver Chapel.