Dr. Eric Greitens, social entrepreneur and founder of The Mission Continues, will speak to more than 650 doctoral students at Walden University's academic residency on Thursday, Dec. 29 , in San Diego. Dr. Greitens was welcomed as the plenary speaker at Walden's academic residency in Dallas last year and at several virtual residencies this year.

Whether documenting the plight of children devastated by war, serving his country as a United States Navy SEAL, winning boxing championships, or inspiring wounded and disabled veterans to embark on a new mission of public service, Dr. Greitens embraces every challenge with courage, strength, and compassion. As a Rhodes and Truman scholar, Draper Richards Fellow, and a White House Fellow, he lives a life committed to public service.

During his service as a Navy SEAL officer, Dr. Greitens has been deployed four times.  After returning from Iraq, he donated his combat pay to found The Mission Continues, a nonprofit organization that helps empower wounded and disabled veterans to embark on new lives as citizen leaders when they return to the United States.

Dr. Greitens' humanitarian efforts have led him to volunteer all over the world in affected populations, which taught him the power that people have to create hope through service. His award-winning book of photographs and essays, Strength & Compassion, documents his experiences and has earned recognition as ForeWord magazine's Photography Book of the Year and was the grand-prize winner of the 2009 New York Book Festival.

Dr. Greitens' second book, The Heart & the Fist: The Education of a Humanitarian, the Making of a Navy SEAL, was released in April of 2011, and quickly became a New York Times best seller.  The Heart and the Fist relates his story of leadership and service as both a humanitarian and a warrior. In a life lived at the raw edges of the human experience, Dr. Greitens has seen what can be accomplished when compassion and courage come together in meaningful service. 

Academic residencies at Walden, an accredited online university, support students' academic and professional goals by connecting them with individual faculty mentors, student support staff and hundreds of peers. During residencies, students from select doctoral and master's programs have the opportunity to conceptualize and develop research that contributes to positive social change.

Walden's plenary sessions are an integral part of the residencies and are led by speakers from around the world who share an array of experiences and viewpoints with the hope of inspiring debate and lively conversation. These sessions are intended to provide Walden students and faculty and staff members with the opportunity to hear perspectives on a variety of topics that are meaningful and relevant to their lives as scholars and practitioners.

Visit www.WaldenU.edu/perspectives for an archive of past Walden speakers.

About Walden University
For more than 40 years, Walden University has supported working professionals in achieving their academic goals and making a greater impact in their professions and their communities. Today, more than 46,500 students from all 50 states and more than 120 countries are pursuing their bachelor's, master's or doctoral degrees online at Walden. The university provides students with an engaging educational experience that connects them with expert faculty and peers around the world. Walden is the flagship online university in the Laureate International Universities network—a global network of more than 55 campus-based and online universities in 28 countries.

Walden offers more than 60 degree programs with more than 300 specializations and concentrations. Areas of study include health sciences, counseling, human services, management, psychology, education, public health, nursing, public administration and information technology. For more information, visit www.WaldenU.edu. Walden University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association, www.ncahlc.org.

Walden University

Walden University

For more than 40 years, Walden University has supported working professionals in achieving their academic goals and making a greater impact in their professions and their communities. Today, more than 50,000 students from all 50 states and more than 150 countries are pursuing their bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degrees online at Walden. The university provides students with an engaging educational experience that connects them with expert faculty and peers around the world. Walden is the flagship online university in the Laureate International Universities network—a global network of more than 75 campus-based and online universities in 29 countries. Walden offers more than 80 degree programs with more than 370 specializations and concentrations. Areas of study include health sciences, counseling, human services, management, psychology, social work, education, public health, nursing, public administration and information technology. For more information, visit www.WaldenU.edu. Walden University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association, www.ncahlc.org.

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