College plans 102nd commencement exercises
FOR RELEASE: Saturday, April 29, 2000
Huntington, Ind. " Huntington College will hold its 102nd commencement exercises on Saturday, May 13, 2000. The Christian liberal arts college anticipates graduating a record class of 180, including both bachelor's and master's degree recipients. In addition, three honorary degrees will be awarded. A baccalaureate service for graduates and their families will begin at 10:30 a.m. in the Merillat Centre for the Arts. Communication professor Christopher Leland will present the baccalaureate address, The Jeremiah Challenge: Trusting, Praying, Seeking, and Finding What God has Planned for You. (Click here for photos.)
Commencement exercises will begin at 3:00 p.m. on the Front Campus, weather permitting. The 2000 commencement address will be presented by Robert A. Seiple, United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom. Huntington College Radio will carry a live broadcast of Commencement.
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About our Speakers
Dr. Christopher Leland serves as associate professor of communication at Huntington College. Leland joined the Huntington College faculty in 1996 and has been instrumental in strengthening programs in speech and debate. He previously served on the communication faculty at Wichita State University. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma, M.A. from the University of Arkansas, and B.A. from Ripon College.
Dr. Leland brings a great deal of professional communication experience to his classroom teaching at Huntington College. He serves as a speechwriter for the National Governors' Association, and works as a professional political consultant to local, regional, and national political campaigns.
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As a workshop and seminar leader, Dr. Leland makes presentations for major corporations on various topics which include: Team Building Through Communication, Speaking For Success, and Communicating the Corporate Image. Corporate clients have included Johnson and Johnson, Hershey Chocolate, Wal-Mart Incorporated, Koch Industries and Coopers and Lybrand.
Most recently, Dr. Leland co-authored The Electronic Election: Perspectives on the 1996 Presidential Election, which was released in November. He also co-authored the soon-to-be-released book, The Rhetorical Clinton, with Dr. Stephen Smith, Clinton's former Chief of Staff as Governor of Arkansas.
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. Robert A. Seiple came to the State Department in August 1998 as Principal Advisor to the President and Special Representative to the Secretary of State for International Religious Freedom. In May 1999, he was named the first U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom. This position, created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, is charged with promoting religious freedom worldwide, promoting reconciliation in those areas where conflict has been implemented along religious lines, and making sure that this issue is woven into the fabric of U.S. foreign policy.
Mr. Seiple previously served 11 years as President of World Vision, Inc., the largest privately funded relief and development agency in the world. In that capacity, he increased the annual income base of the organization from $145 million to over $350 million per year. Additionally, Seiple has guided the organization towards and expanded involvement in advocacy in the worldwide struggle against poverty and hunger. He founded the Institute for Global Engagement, a strategic think tank within the organization for global advocacy.
Seiple holds an AB degree in American Literature from Brown University. From 1966-1969, he served in the US Marine Corps, attaining the rank of Captain. He flew 300 combat missions in Vietnam and was awarded five battle stars, the Navy Commendation Award, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and 28 air medals.
Before joining World Vision, Seiple had a distinguished career in higher education. He returned to his alma mater in 1971, serving in a variety of administrative positions, including Vice President for Development. In the early 1980s, Seiple served as President of Eastern College and Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Seiple was named Churchman of the Year in 1994 by Religious Heritage America, an interfaith, non-profit organization. Seiple has also been awarded the Brown University Independent Award, an honorary Doctorate of Public Service by Gordon College, and the U.S. Secretary of State's Distinguished Public Service Award.
