By Lezlee Gutierrez, Student Reporter
The Students’ Association Congress is planning ahead this year to welcome Donald Miller, New York Times’ best-selling author, next semester during Summit.
SA gave more than $2,000 to bring Miller to campus, and some are calling the event the “SA Wednesday” of Summit.
“We are very excited about this fall,” said Dr. Brady Bryce, director of Ministry Events. “We try hard to bring the speakers the ACU community really want to hear from and we are definitely thankful to have him on our campus due to generous on-campus sponsorships.”
Miller will visit campus Sept. 23, where he will meet with faculty in the Adams Center of Teaching and Learning, followed by a speech in Moody Coliseum. He also will meet with the public for a reading from his newest book, Million Miles in a Thousand Years, in the McCaleb Conference Room before departing from Abilene.
Miller’s book, Searching for God Knows What, was chosen as the book for the 2009 Freshman Common Reading program. The book is about how the Gospel of Jesus explains the human personality.
“This visit will provide the opportunity for students at our campus to be exposed to one of the leading authors of our time,” said Dr. Charles Mattis, dean of the First Year Program.
Miller’s book is the follow-up to Blue Like Jazz, a collection of essays reflecting Miller’s non-religious thoughts on Christian spirituality. Miller also teamed up with Steve Taylor and Ben Pearson to write the screenplay for the film version of Blue Like Jazz, which will be shot in Portland, Ore.
Miller will be on a book tour for his next publication, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, during his Abilene stop at ACU next fall. This new book is scheduled for release in early September and aligns with the Summit dates, Sept. 20-23.
Miller’s visit to ACU was made possible by the many sponsors that worked with the SA Congress, including the Center for Youth and Family Ministry, the First Year Program and the College of Biblical Studies.
“This event is very special and quite expensive,” Bryce said. “There are several members of SA graduating this May who will not get credit for the visionary work they have done this semester that will pay off next semester.”
