GRANTHAM, Pa. (March 21, 2006) – John DiIulio, scholar, author and former assistant to President George W. Bush, will present “What Would Franklin Do?: God, Government and Faith-Based Public Policies” on April 11 at 7 p.m. in Hostetter Chapel on the Grantham campus of Messiah College. DiIulio will discuss the interplay between faith and public life, especially noting recent policy proposals and emerging grassroots efforts. The lecture is part of Messiah College’s annual lecture series on religion and society. Admission is free and open to the public.

John DiIulio was named “one of the most influential social entrepreneurs in America” by President George W. Bush in 2001 when DiIulio was appointed to lead the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.  DiIulio’s extensive understanding of faith and public policy were forged during tenures in the academic world at both Princeton and Harvard Universities, while serving social organizations in development of various community-based programs and while researching, writing and editing more than a dozen books.

DiIulio is currently the Frederic Fox Leadership Professor of Politics, Religion and Civil Society, director of the Robert A. Fox Leadership Program and director of the Program for Research on Religion and Urban Society at the University of Pennsylvania. A native Philadelphian, DiIulio completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Pennsylvania before going on to earn his doctorate at Princeton University.

DiIulio has been recognized with the American Political Science Association’s Leonard D. White Award and the Association of Public Policy Analysis and Management’s David N. Kershaw Award. Other notable accomplishments include acting as chief consultant for the PBS production, “God and the Inner-City,” providing the Aaron Wildavsy Public Policy Lecture at the University of California, Berkeley and serving tenures with both the Brookings Institution and the Manhattan Institute. 

Messiah College, a private Christian college of the liberal and applied arts and sciences, enrolls more than 2,900 undergraduate students in 50 majors. Established in 1909, the primary campus is located in Grantham, Pa., near the state capital of Harrisburg. A satellite campus affiliated with Temple University is located in Philadelphia.