News
Founder Of Skeptics Society Dr. Michael Shermer To Keynote Whittier College 105th Commencement Cermony
May 5 , 2008 Press Release
Dr. Michael Shermer—noted science historian, monthly columnist for Scientific American, Skeptics Society founder, and frequent guest on such shows as "The Colbert Report," "Larry King Live," and "20/20"—will give the keynote speech at Whittier College's 105th Commencement Ceremony on Friday, May 23, at 9a.m. During the event, at which approximately 370 undergraduate and graduate students are expected to receive their degrees, Shermer will also receive his own honorary degree from Whittier: a doctorate of humane letters (D.H.L.).
Dr. Michael Shermer is the founding publisher of Skeptic magazine, the executive director of the Skeptics Society, a monthly columnist for Scientific American, the host of the Skeptics Distinguished Science Lecture Series at Caltech, and adjunct professor of economics at Claremont Graduate University.
Shermer is the author of several books encompassing topics such as the "fuzzy land" between science and pseudoscience, the origins of religion, superstition, and why people believe in God, and Holocaust denial and pseudohistory, among others. His latest text, The Mind of the Market, explores evolutionary economics.
Since his creation of the Skeptics Society, Skeptic magazine, and the Skeptics Distinguished Science Lecture Series at Caltech, Shermer has appeared on such shows as "The Colbert Report," "20/20," "Dateline," "Charlie Rose," "Larry King Live," "Tom Snyder," "Donahue," "Oprah," "Leeza," "Unsolved Mysteries," and other shows as a skeptic of weird and extraordinary claims, as well as interviews in countless documentaries aired on PBS, A&E, Discovery, The History Channel, The Science Channel, and The Learning Channel. Shermer was the co-host and co-producer of the 13-hour Family Channel television series, "Exploring the Unknown."
Shermer earned a B.A. in psychology from Pepperdine University, an M.A. in experimental psychology from California State University, Fullerton, and a Ph.D. in the history of science from Claremont Graduate University. For 20 years, he was a college professor, teaching courses on psychology, evolution, and the history of science at Occidental College, California State University Los Angeles, and Glendale College.
Founded by Quakers in 1887, Whittier College is an independent, four-year college offering a traditional liberal arts program integrated with both professional and pre-professional courses of study. With an emphasis on diversity, community, and curricular innovation, the College's primary mission is to endow students with the education, skills, and values appropriate for global leadership and service. Whittier College is a designated Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).
Whittier Law School, which is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools, is located on a separate campus in Orange County.
