The Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, founder and president of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, will provide the address for the combined commencement ceremony for DePaul University's School of Education, School for New Learning and School of Computer Science, Telecommunications and Information Systems. Graduation will be held at 10 a.m. June 10 at Navy Pier, Festival Hall A, 600 N. Grand Ave. Jackson also will receive an honorary degree from the School for New Learning at the ceremony.

     Jackson, who was dispatched this week by President Bill Clinton to the African nation of Sierra Leone to help negotiate peace, has established himself as an outspoken advocate for numerous empowerment issues. During the past 30 years, he has played a pivotal role in movements addressing such issues as peace, civil rights, gender equality, and economic and social justice.

     A presidential candidate in 1984 and 1988, Jackson has acted many times as an international diplomat in sensitive situations. In 1984, he secured the release of captured Navy Lieutenant Robert Goodman from Syria, and negotiated the release of 48 Cuban and Cuban-American prisoners. He also was the first American to bring hostages out of Iraq in 1990.

     Jackson also is known for his commitment to youth and education. He has visited thousands of high schools, colleges, universities and correctional facilities encouraging excellence, inspiring hope and challenging young people to stay in school and away from drugs.

     A moving force for change from an early age, Jackson began his activism as a student leader in early sit-ins and continued as an organizer for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference as an assistant to the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. He founded People United to Save Humanity (PUSH) in 1971 to help people of color through economic and educational empowerment. In 1984, he founded the National Rainbow Coalition, a national social justice organization.

     A renowned orator and Baptist minister, Jackson has received numerous honors including the prestigious NAACP Spingarn Award, and being included for the past ten years on the Gallup List of Ten Most Respected Americans. Jackson currently hosts the CNN show "Both Sides With Jesse Jackson." He co-authored, with his son Jesse Jr., the book "Legal Lynching: Racism, Injustice, and the Death Penalty," published by Marlowe & Company.

     This joint commencement is one of five graduation ceremonies for students from DePaul's eight schools and colleges that will be held June 10 and 11. Other speakers are anti-death penalty activist Sister Helen Prejean, CSJ, broadcast journalist Bill Kurtis ,U.S. Commerce Secretary William Daley and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson.