Allison Oster
Senior Public Relations Specialist
(626) 815-4518
Mission Outreach Expert Recognized with Honorary Doctorate
December 15, 2005
AZUSA, Calif. –
Azusa Pacific University will award Carolyn Koons, APU’s executive director of the Institute for Outreach Ministries (IOM), an honorary doctorate at the 2005 winter commencement ceremony, taking place Dec. 17 at 10 a.m. She is also serving as the keynote speaker for the event.
Koons, a member of the APU faculty and staff since 1962, has coordinated more than 250,000 high school and college students on missions trips throughout the world. Each year, IOM sponsors Mexico Outreach, which sends nearly 9,000 young people, from high schools, churches, and APU to Mexico for a week of service projects and ministry.
“Carolyn Koons has provided extraordinary leadership for more than 40 years,” said Terry Franson, Ph.D., APU senior vice president for student life and dean of students. “Her gifts have reached people not only Mexico, but around the world. She is a wonderful example of APU’s commitment to developing disciples and scholars.”
The awarding of honorary degrees is one of higher education’s most significant accolades. APU awards these degrees on a very selective basis, honoring men and women who are the finest examples of the motto, mission, and core values of the university.
Koons has also authored several books including: Tony: Our Journey Together, a bestseller depicting the adoption of her son; Beyond Betrayal, detailing her personal journey to Christ; Unstuck: Risking Change in Adult Life Passages, a perspective on the joys and trials of adult life; and co-author of Single Adult Passages: Uncharted Territory, a Christian education resource on embracing single hood. In addition, she speaks regularly in a variety of settings and has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, the Focus on the Family radio broadcast, and has been featured in several magazines, including Today’s Christian Woman, Guideposts, and Family Life Today.
Featured in TIME magazine and ranked as one of the nation’s best by U.S.News & World Report and The Princeton Review, Azusa Pacific is a comprehensive, Christian, evangelical university, committed to God First and known for excellence in higher education. Azusa Pacific’s main campus lies just 26 miles northeast of Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley, while its seven Southern California regional centers bring convenience and extend quality programming. The university offers more than 50 areas of undergraduate study, 22 master’s degrees, and 6 doctorates to a total student population of more than 8,100. For more information, call (800) 825-5278 or visit www.apu.edu.
