Eureka College Commencement Features Well-Known Keynote Speaker and Honorary Doctorate Recipient
Dee Brown, CEO, will deliver the keynote address and Dr. Nader G. Vakili will receive an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters at the spring commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 11, 10:30 a.m. at Eureka College.
Dee Brown is a renowned entrepreneur, producer, director, writer, and philanthropist, best known as the Founder and CEO of The P3 Group, Inc., the nation’s largest African American-owned public-private partnership real estate development firm.
With a bachelor’s degree from the University of Memphis and an MBA from Bethel University, Brown’s career spans over three decades in real estate sales, development, and management. He is a respected figure in various professional circles, holding memberships in esteemed organizations such as Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., and serving on the board of directors for the U.S. Minority Contractor’s Association.
He shares expertise as a writer for Forbes.com and Entrepreneur.com. He heads Self Made Entertainment, Inc., and hosts popular podcasts and television shows, including the WTVP/PBS talk show Self Made with Dee Brown CEO. Accolades include being named Entrepreneur of the Year for Tennessee and receiving the Congressional Black Caucus Presidential Corporate Philanthropy Award.
Dr. Vakili is a scientist and artist born in Iran in 1927 into a prominent family of Azerbaijani and Gilaki ancestry. He first was introduced to Americans when at age 19 he began boxing with American soldiers at the American base near Tehran. At the age of 21, he traveled to the United States of America for higher education, beginning with Eureka College.
“Eureka,” he reminisced in his October 2023 visit to the college, “was my trampoline,” because it taught him enough English and acclimated him sufficiently to American culture that he was able to succeed. In 1950, Nader was told he had to leave the college because of his foreign student status.
He did not let this obstacle stop him from pursuing his educational goals. Following his time at Eureka College, he completed bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees in biological sciences. Dr. Vakili spent most of his career as a geneticist and plant pathologist working for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)/Agricultural Research Services (ARS) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Vietnam, Puerto Rico, and Iowa.
Dr. Vakili is also a successful sculpture artist. He began sculpting in wood as a way of expressing his thoughts and emotions.
Upon learning about Dr. Vakili’s inspiring story, President Wright and the Faculty Senate at Eureka College felt that the past wrong of being told to leave the college needed to be acknowledged and reparations made to honor his resiliency. Dr. Vakili’s Honorary Doctorate is an acknowledgement of his exemplary career and welcomes him home where his journey in the United State began many decades ago.
About Eureka College
Located on nearly 70 wooded acres in Eureka, Illinois, and chartered in 1855, Eureka College cultivates excellence in learning, service and leadership while providing students uniquely personalized educational opportunities.
Eureka College holds the unique distinction of being the first college in Illinois and among the first in the nation to admit men and women on an equal basis. The College, originally founded by abolitionist members of Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), is the smallest of only 24 colleges and universities to ever award a bachelor’s degree to a future President of the United States.
