Four Distinguished Guests To Be Recognized With Honorary
Degrees During Wittenberg Commencement, May 16
May 7, 2009
Springfield, Ohio — From a world-renowned journalist to global humanitarians and social justice advocates, four distinguished guests will soon join the Wittenberg family during the university's treasured Commencement ceremony, Saturday, May 16. Richard "Rick" Stengel, managing editor of TIME magazine, Bishop Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), The Rev. Canon Dr. Michael Bourdeaux, founder of the Keston Institute, and David E. Behring, president of the Wheelchair Foundation, will each be recognized with honorary degrees at the afternoon event.
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Richard Stengel |
One of the nation's leading journalists, Stengel, who will also present the keynote address to the 420 graduating seniors, has consistently brought perspective, depth, passion and energy to the world's largest weekly newsmagazine and all of his professional pursuits. The 16th managing editor in the history of TIME since its founding in 1923 by Henry R. Luce and Briton Hadden, Stengel oversees the award-winning newsmagazine with 25 million readers worldwide, as well as TIME.com, which draws 6 million unique visitors a month. In addition, Stengel, a 1977 magna cum laude graduate of Princeton University and author of several books, including a collaborative work with Nelson Mandela, also manages TIME's other brand extensions, TIME Style & Design and TIME For Kids, and is a frequent television commentator on CNN and MSNBC.
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Bishop Mark S. Hanson |
Elected in 2001 as the presiding bishop of ELCA by the Churchwide Assembly, Hanson has served as stalwart advocate for social justice throughout his nearly 40 years in the ministry. Having served as pastor of three Minnesota congregations and as vice chair of the ELCA Conference of Bishops, among other leadership positions in his career, Hanson concurrently serves as president of the Lutheran World Federation, where he has the opportunity to speak with Lutherans throughout the world about the social, economic, and political injustices that the people of God are called to confront. Additionally, Hanson is a member of the executive council of the National Council of Churches USA and served as the keynote speaker for the Wittenberg Series-sponsored Opening Convocation for the 2007-08 academic year.
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David E. Behring |
Committed to delivering hope, mobility and independence around the globe, the Wheelchair Foundation has changed hundreds of thousands of lives thanks to Behring's foresight, energy and leadership. Formerly the president and CEO of Great Bear Construction, president of the Seattle Seahawks, executive vice president of Blackhawk Corporation and president of the Blackhawk Automotive Museum, a Smithsonian affiliate, Behring has advanced his father's vision for the foundation in unprecedented ways since taking the helm in 2003. To date, more than 748,000 wheelchairs have been delivered to children, teens and adults who need one but cannot afford one in more than 140 countries. Behring's and the foundation's goal is to distribute 1 million wheelchairs in the next five years as well as further awareness that a wheelchair is no longer an unaffordable item for delivery in developing countries the world over.
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Rev. Dr. Canon Michael Bourdeaux |
For more than four decades, Bourdeaux has promoted religious rights for people of all faith traditions and served as an advocate for those suffering persecution for their faith, first in countries dominated by communism, then wherever else those rights have been threatened or violated. In 1969, Bourdeaux founded the Centre for the Study of Religion and Communism, now known as the Keston Institute, which collects and preserves documentation of religious suppression, and supports research by scholars and human rights activists about the conditions of persecution. As president of Keston Institute, Bourdeaux has made countless contributions to the understanding of issues of politics and religion in the 20th and 21st centuries. Author of multiple books and recipient of the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion, among other prestigious awards, he was designated Honorary Canon of Rochester Cathedral in 1990 and earned a Lambeth Doctorate in Divinity in 1996.
Stengel, Hanson, Behring and Bourdeaux will each receive an honorary doctor of humane letters during Wittenberg's Commencement exercises. For more information on the university's Commencement activities, log on to www.wittenberg.edu.
Written By: Ryan Maurer
074-09
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