Franklin College will host its 2023 commencement ceremony at 10 a.m., Saturday, May 20 in Spurlock Center Gymnasium on campus. Seating is limited and tickets are required to attend the ceremony. The event will be live-streamed on the college website, www.FranklinCollege.edu/commencement.

Lisa E. Harris, M.D., will provide the commencement address. She is the chief executive officer of Eskenazi Health. Dr. Harris will receive an honorary doctor of humane letters from the college during the ceremony. James G. Moseley, Ph.D., retired president of Franklin College, will also receive an honorary doctor of humane letters.

Baccalaureate will be held at 4:30 p.m., Friday, May 19 in Spurlock Center Gymnasium. The Rt. Rev. Jennifer Lynn Baskerville-Burrows, an American Anglican bishop in the Episcopal Church, will provide the address and will receive an honorary doctor of divinity from the college. Baccalaureate is open to the public and no ticket is required to attend.

Lisa E. Harris, M.D., has been engaged in patient care, research and teaching for nearly 40 years at nationally recognized Eskenazi Health. She has dedicated her career to improving health care for vulnerable and underserved populations. Since 2003, Harris has served as Eskenazi Health’s chief executive officer, leading one of America’s essential health care systems that also serves as a vital training ground for the Indiana University School of Medicine.

With a deep appreciation for the social issues impacting health, Harris is intensely focused on promoting health in all its dimensions and improving access to community-based primary and mental health care. As past chair of America’s Essential Hospitals (formerly the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems), and in numerous related efforts, Harris has served as a steady advocate for equity in the opportunity of good health and health care. 

Also an active and engaged leader in the local community, Harris serves as past chair of the board of directors and current board member of the American Red Cross of Greater Indianapolis, as well as on the board of directors for Martin University, Gleaners, United Way of Central Indiana, the Regenstrief Institute, and the Phoenix Theatre; the board of governors for the Economic Club of Indiana, and the board of advisors for IUPUI.

The Lown Institute Hospitals Index has ranked Eskenazi Health as one of the nation’s top 100 health systems for social responsibility and the top ranked health system in Indiana for both social responsibility and community benefit. Recognized six times as an LGBTQ Healthcare Equality Leader in the Human Rights Campaign Healthcare Equality Index, which evaluates inclusive policies and practices related to LGBTQ patients, visitors and employees, Eskenazi Health has also been named for four consecutive years as one of Becker’s Hospital Review’s 150 Top Places to Work in Healthcare.

Bishop Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows, a native of New York City, holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture with a minor in urban studies from Smith College (1988), a master’s degree in historic preservation planning from Cornell University (1992), and a master in divinity degree from Church Divinity School of the Pacific (CDSP) in 1997. Before being elected bishop in 2016, she served in the Dioceses of Newark, Central New York, California, and Chicago. She is the first Black woman to be elected a diocesan bishop in the Episcopal Church.

Bishop Baskerville-Burrows has expertise in the areas of historic preservation of religious buildings, race and class reconciliation, food justice and health, and spiritual direction. She has contributed chapters to over half a dozen books including, Realizing Beloved Community, Gathering the NeXt Generation, What Shall We Become, and she is featured in the book, This Band of Sisterhood.

Among the many board and leadership seats she currently holds are the boards of Partners for Sacred Places, Indiana Landmarks, Bexley-Seabury Seminary, and the House of Bishops Theology Committee. Having been mentored throughout her vocation in the church, Bishop Baskerville-Burrows is often a coach to new bishops and serves on the faculty of the Episcopal College for Bishops.

She is an accomplished distance runner and triathlete and a passionate chef and baker. She and her husband, Harrison Burrows, are parents to Timothy.

James “Jay” G. Moseley, Ph.D., served as Franklin College’s 15^th president from 2002-2015. Prior to joining the college on July 1, 2002, he served as vice president, dean of the college and professor of religion at Transylvania University in Lexington, Ky., beginning in 1991. He held faculty and administrative positions at New College in Sarasota, Fla., from 1973 to 1986 and at Chapman College in Orange, Calif., from 1986 to 1991.

Moseley holds a doctorate and a master’s degree from the University of Chicago Divinity School. His bachelor’s degree is from Stanford University. He is the author of three books and numerous scholarly articles about religion in American life and culture.

During his tenure at Franklin College, Dr. Moseley participated in the Harvard Seminar for New Presidents, was a member of the NCAA Division III Presidents Council, served as president of the Economic Club of Indiana and served on the executive committee of the Independent Colleges of Indiana. Locally, he served on the board of Spirit & Place and WFYI public radio for several years.

Moseley also held memberships in the American Academy of Religion, American Studies Association, Organization of American Historians, American Society of Church History, National Collegiate Honors Council, American Conference of Academic Deans, Association of American Colleges and Universities and the American Association for Higher Education.

Moseley and his wife Candace, a former high school Latin teacher, are loyal supporters of the Franklin Fund as well as other college initiatives and are members of the Franklin College Scholar’s Society. They enjoy spending time with their two adult children and their families. The Moseleys currently reside in North Carolina.

For more information, contact the Franklin College Office of Communications at (317) 738-8185.

POSTED Apr 21, 2023