March 18, 2010
For Immediate Release
By Joan C. McKinney, news and publications coordinator
Campbellsville University will learn about major international human rights issues when Dr. Joseph Grieboski, founder and chair of the board of directors of the Institute on Religion and Public Policy in Washington, D.C., speaks at the Kentucky Heartland Institute on Public Policy event Tuesday, April 6 at 5 p.m. in the Banquet Hall of the Badgett Academic Support Center (former Student Union Building) at 110 University Drive, Campbellsville, Ky.
“Joe Grieboski’s leadership has made the Institute on Religion and Public Policy (IRPP) a major player in the area of international human rights and religious liberty issues,” John Chowning, vice president for church and external relations and executive assistant to the president at CU, said.
“Under Joe’s leadership, the Institute has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize on a couple of occasions, and he brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the topics of human rights, religious liberty and plight of the persecuted church around the globe.”
Chowning said, “It has been an honor for me to serve on the Institute’s Board of Advisors for several years, and we are very grateful for the opportunity to host Joe to speak in a KHIPP forum and chapel service.
“Unfortunately, the violations of basic human rights and religious liberty are much too prevalent in today’s world.”
Griesboski will also be the university’s chapel speaker at 10 a.m. Wednesday, April 7 in Ransdell Chapel at 401 N. Hoskins Ave., Campbellsville. He will speak on the “Plight of the Persecuted Church” in the world.
The public is invited to hear Grieboski’s addresses on both April 6 and 7.
Grieboski’s guiding principle for the Institute is that religious freedom is not simply a church-state issue, but involves the engagement of every segment of society to secure freedom of belief for each person.
As a religious freedom and human rights expert, he has testified before the United States Congress, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and many other legislative and international bodies.
Grieboski has traveled to Kosovo, China, South Sudan, Darfur and countless other areas to investigate the status of religious freedom.
He serves as the founder and secretary-general of the Interparliamentary Conference on Human Rights and Religious Freedom; editorial board member of the China Law and Religion Monitor; board member of the Committee for a Responsible Defense; and as a member of the Panel of Experts on International Religious Freedom of the United Kingdom’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
He has lectured for the Close Up Foundation; the National Youth Leadership Forum on Defense, Intelligence, and Diplomacy; and the Washington Semester Program on Peace and Conflict Resolution at American University.
Grieboski has also served as a faculty member of the Boston University Institute on Religion and World Affairs (IRWA) Seminar “Religion and Democracy.”
Before founding the Institute, Grieboski worked as director of the International Religious Liberty Program of the Center for Jewish and Christian Values.
He holds a bachelor of science degree in foreign service and a master’s in national security studies from Georgetown University.
The Institute on Religion and Public Policy has received two nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize. Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Washington, DC, the Institute recognizes that religious freedom is more than just a church-state issue. As such, the Institute engages every segment of society to protect humankind’s most basic fundamental right: freedom of religion and belief. The Institute’s programs reflect this multi-faceted approach, in national security, corporate social responsibility, interfaith dialogue and media engagement.
Campbellsville University is a private, comprehensive institution located in South Central Kentucky. Founded in 1906, Campbellsville University is affiliated with the Kentucky Baptist Convention and has an enrollment of 3,006 students who represent 97 Kentucky counties, 30 states and 37 foreign nations. Listed in U.S.News & World Report’s 2010 “America’s Best Colleges,” CU is ranked 23rd in “Best Baccalaureate Colleges” in the South, tied for fifth in “most international students” and fourth in “up-and-coming” schools in baccalaureate colleges in the South. CU has been ranked 17 consecutive years with U.S.News & World Report. The university has also been named to America’s Best Christian Colleges® and to G.I. Jobs magazine as a Military Friendly School. Campbellsville University is located 82 miles southwest of Lexington, Ky., and 80 miles southeast of Louisville, Ky. Dr. Michael V. Carter is in his 11th year as president.