While Americans awoke to attend Easter sunrise services, watching children fill baskets with eggs and sitting down to eat lunch with their families, three Christian churches and three hotels in Sri Lanka were targeted in a series of terrorist bombings. The church bombings were carried out during Easter...

When I began my role at the university a dozen years ago, I received a letter from a college president who gave me some advice. “Start your job by running as fast as you can. Then gradually pick up the speed.” Although I’m inherently ambitious, I soon realized that if I ran full bore from the time...

Some time ago, I was sitting by a fire listening to a friend give a sermon on the importance of value. One of his more peculiar qualities is the ability to speak about every other topic and travel along every other rabbit trail except the very point he set out to explain. It is similar to calling an...

(This story was originally published in print on Apr. 25, 2019). The art of dance is often seen as a gateway drug to “hook-up” culture or as a slippery slope into unwanted pregnancies. Of course, rarely will anyone admit to these reasons against dancing, but, then again, rarely will an alcoholic...

(This story was originally published in print on Apr. 25, 2019). Growing up near California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, my family and I would often venture into the Sierras on camping trips during the summer. After much preparation and packing, we drove along Highway-108, with windows rolled down...

(This story was originally published in print on Apr. 11, 2019). The main reason you will become hired after college is not the prestigious name of your college or university, but because of your internships, research and work experience while in college. I have heard this more and more recently as...

Last week, Sen. Cory Booker and Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee introduced companion bills to both houses of Congress designed to establish a national task force to address the issue of slavery reparations. In a statement to the press, Sen. Booker stated their hope was that the legislation would “finally begin...

A few weeks ago, President Donald Trump recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. This resulted in a global backlash, led by France and Germany, but quickly supported by Russia, Iran, Turkey and Syria. Professor of history and Middle Eastern studies Judith Mendelsohn-Rood, urges us to...

Tragedies such as the destruction of the Notre Dame Cathedral due to a massive fire on Monday have an interesting way of momentarily silencing the debate over objective beauty. Instead, people all over the world feel a tragic and profound loss at the hundreds of years of beauty, art and history that...

In the film “Sex and the City,” one of the main protagonists, Miranda Hobbes, said, “the only two choices for women are witch and sexy kitten,” with Carrie Bradshaw replying, “You just said a mouthful there, sister.” And indeed, she did. Thanks to the media, society views women to be one...

(This story was originally published in print on Apr. 11, 2019). Imagine if we could wave a magic wand that erased inequality around the world. This wand is so magical that it can even wipe away all discrimination from the planet. We all wake up in a discrimination-free world with, say, a million...

The sultan of Brunei has recently declared that homosexual engagements, adultery, theft and many other sins can be subjected to capital punishment and amputation. These recent laws stem from the Sharia Law, which is a legal interpretation of the Quran. In addition, Brunei has been under martial law since...