Timothy Shriver, Special Olympics Chief,
To Speak at Mason’s Graduation

By Alex Pender (June 8, 2006)

Mr. Timothy Shriver, Chairman of Special Olympics Inc., will be Mason’s commencement speaker on Thursday, June 15, at Constitution Hall. The Special Olympics is an international non-profit organization devoted to helping adults and children with disabilities to become physically fit, productive, and respected members of society through sports and competition. The organization currently serves more then 2.25 million individuals with disabilities in more then 150 countries.

In the nine years that Mr. Shriver has been at the forefront of the Special Olympics organization he has attained ambitious growth within the program.  He has worked with several world leaders, including current President Bush and former President Bill Clinton, pushing issues related to intellectual disabilities.  Right now, Shriver is working with Chinese leaders to launch the 2007 Special Olympics World Games which will be held in Shanghai.

Mr. Shriver has also been a part of the movement to shape the Special Olympics, including new programs, cross-cultural research, health initiatives, educational development and family support.  In addition, Shriver has also been on the frontier of Hollywood to raise money and awareness for these athletes with disabilities.  Also, he has worked to get more legislative attention and government support for issues of concern to the Special Olympics community, testifying in front of Congress every year since 2001. 

Even before joining the Special Olympics, Shriver had been a part of national movements speaking about issues such as substance abuse, violence, dropout rates and teen pregnancy.  Through his educational background he has raised awareness through various films, co-producing DreamWorks’ Amistad and executive producing The Ringer. He has also produced or co-produced various shows on ABC, TNT, and NBC networks and made broadcasting appearances on The Today Show, CNN, MTV, and Nickelodeon’s World Difference.

Mr. Shriver received his undergraduate degree from Yale University, a Master’s in Religion and Religious Education from Catholic University, and a Doctorate in Education from the University of Connecticut.  He has written several opinion editorials which have been published in The New York Times and The Washington Post.

Currently, Mr. Shriver is on the Board of Education Commission of the States’ Compact for Learning and Citizenship, the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center at the University of North Carolina and the American Association on Mental Retardation and continues to strive for a world without bias, prejudice or false preconceptions.