INDIANAPOLIS—Dr. Eboo Patel, internationally recognized philanthropy leader, will visit Indianapolis October 21-22 as a Lake Distinguished Visitor, a program of the Lake Institute on Faith & Giving at the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University.

Patel is founder and executive director of Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC), a Chicago-based international nonprofit working to build mutual respect and deeper faith among religiously diverse young people by empowering them to work together to serve others.

IFYC gathers young people of all faith backgrounds to create dialogue and to work on projects ranging from local housing construction to international exchanges. Patel is the author of Acts of Faith: The Story of an American Muslim, the Struggle for the Soul of a Generation. He writes The Faith Divide, a featured blog on religion for The Washington Post and serves on the Religious Advisory Committee for the Council on Foreign Relations.

During his visit to Indianapolis, Patel will facilitate conversation during two gatherings of Indianapolis young people. On the afternoon of Tuesday, October 21, he will speak with students from Indianapolis-area universities. Later that evening, Patel will hold a conversation with a hand-selected group of more than 100 high-school students from Indianapolis. Both audiences will include students representing various faiths and youth religious groups, including Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. Patel will engage both groups in discussion about opportunities and challenges specific to Indianapolis.

Patel holds a doctorate in the sociology of religion from Oxford University, where he studied on a Rhodes scholarship. He has written for the Chicago Tribune and National Public Radio and serves on several national boards and advisory committees including the Aga Khan Foundation USA, Duke University's Islamic Studies Center, the Chicago History Museum, and YMCA of the USA.

Patel was selected as one of five "Future Policy Leaders" to be featured in Harvard’s Kennedy School Review in Spring 2008. He delivered the keynote speech at the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize Forum and the commencement address at Augsburg College in 2007. He has also spoken at the Clinton Global Initiative, Compassion Forum, the TED Conference, and at universities around the world. Patel is an Ashoka Fellow, part of a select group of social entrepreneurs whose ideas are changing the world, and was named by Islamica Magazine as one of ten young Muslim visionaries shaping Islam in America.

Patel also will speak to a broad range of business and civic leaders, clergy and other faith community representatives during his visit at an interfaith breakfast and formal luncheon on Tuesday.

Media are invited to attend and cover all events. Please contact Josh Sprunger at 317- 278-8932 or for additional information.

About the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University
The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, a part of the Indiana University School of Liberal Arts at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, is a leading academic center dedicated to increasing the understanding of philanthropy and improving its practice worldwide through research, teaching, public service and public affairs programs in philanthropy, fundraising, and management of nonprofit organizations.

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