FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MARSHALL, TEXAS - Wiley University enthusiastically announces Dr. Marla Frederick, John Lord O’Brian Professor of Divinity and the 18th Dean of Harvard Divinity School, will provide the Commencement Address at the 2024 Exercises on Saturday, May 4, 2024, at 8:00 am.
Dr. Frederick is the first woman to hold this position in the Harvard Divinity School’s 207-year history. Prior to this appointment, she served as the Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Religion and Culture at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology from 2019-2023. She returned to Harvard after having served there as a professor of Religion and African American studies in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences from 2003 to 2019. A graduate of Spelman College with a BA in English, Dr. Frederick earned her Ph.D. in cultural anthropology at Duke University. She continued her work as a post-doctoral fellow at Princeton University’s Center for the Study of Religion and at the Interdenominational Theological Center’s Office of Black Women in Church and Society.
Wiley University will begin honoring graduates on Friday, May 3, 2024, with the Baccalaureate Service at 6:00 pm in the Julius S. Scott, Sr. Chapel - and engage in the Commencement Exercise on May 4, 2024, at 8:00 am at the Wiley-Pemberton Athletic Complex.
“Commencement is the culmination of years of hard work by our graduates. They each have a unique story regarding their journey to degree completion, which we honor during our celebrations. Additionally, we are thrilled that they have entrusted the faculty and staff to guide them in their academic journey during their time at Wiley University. Commencement marks our trust that they will Go Forth Inspired.” - Dr. Herman J. Felton, Jr., 17th WIley University President and CEO.
As the graduates of the Wiley University class of 2024 seek to make their mark on the world, Dr. Frederick is an inspiring beacon of light, having had an extensive career and scholarship that will truly inspire. Professor Frederick's scholarship includes authoring and/or co-authoring four books and several articles, including, Between Sundays: Black Women and Everyday Struggles of Faith, and Colored Television: American Religion Gone Global - ethnographic studies that examine issues at the intersections of race, religion, activism and media. In 2007 she co-authored a book entitled Local Democracy Under Siege: Activism, Public Interests and Private Politics, which won the Best Book Award for the Society for the Anthropology of North America. Her co-authored text, Televised Redemption: Black Religious Media and Racial Empowerment (NYU Press 2016), examines how Black Christians, Muslims, and Hebrew Israelites use media for the “redemption” of the race. Dr. Frederick’s ongoing research interests include the study of religion and media, religion and race, and the sustainability of Black institutions in a ‘post-racial’ world. She is currently curating, alongside five co-editors, an encyclopedia of the histories of Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
As a teacher, scholar, advocate, leader, and prolific speaker, Dr. Frederick has actively contributed to the academic landscape and invited us to consider the dream. We look forward to hearing Dr. Frederick inspire our graduates with her insight, wisdom, and commitment to student success, which she has gained through her journey as a teacher, scholar, advocate, leader, and prolific speaker.
Commencement exercises are open to the public.
For more information about Wiley University and our 2024 Commencement Exercises, contact Assistant Vice President of Public Relations and Marketing Marlee Archer at communications@wileyc.edu. For detailed information on attending commencement, campus parking and maps, and all related events, visit: https://www.wileyc.edu/academics/wiley-university-commencement
About Wiley University
Wiley University, founded in 1873 and formerly known as Wiley College, is a premier liberal institution, affiliated with the United Methodist Church, with an intentional focus on social good and leadership.
