KSU president receives Howard Washington Thurman Award
The Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel recently presented Kennesaw State…
Georgia (Dec 13, 2005) — KSU president receives Howard Washington Thurman Award
Karen Kennedy
Abstract
Contact: Frances Weyand‚ Director of University Relations‚ 770−423−6203 or fweyand@kennesaw.edu
The Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel recently presented
Kennesaw State University President Betty L. Siegel with its Howard Washington Thurman
Ecumenical Award. This award is given to honor individuals who have made significant
contributions to humanity in interfaith‚ interdenominational and interracial spiritual
and ethical development.
Howard Thurman‚ a 1923 graduate of Morehouse College‚ was a pastor‚ poet‚ critic and
educator. Through his many books‚ articles‚ sermons and counsel‚ Thurman reached a
wide variety of audiences and continues to do so today. In 1953‚ Life magazine identified
Thurman as one of the twelve greatest preachers of the century. The younger generation
of Civil Rights movement leaders—Martin Luther King Jr.‚ Whitney Young‚ Vernon Jordan
and James Farmer to name a few—regularly sought his pastoral guidance and political
counsel.
Siegel received the award in a formal ceremony at the Martin Luther King Jr. International
Chapel Nov. 17. During the same program‚ a portrait of Rosa Parks was unveiled for
hanging in the International Hall of Honor in the chapel. Members of Parks’ family
attended the program.
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Kennesaw State University is a comprehensive‚ residential institution with a growing
student population of 18‚500 from 132 countries. The third largest state university
out of 35 institutions in the University System of Georgia‚ KSU offers more than 55
undergraduate and graduate degree programs.
A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers more than 150 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its more than 41,000 students. With 11 colleges on two metro Atlanta campuses, Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia and the second-largest university in the state. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the region and from 126 countries across the globe. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 6 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.