Iran Expert to Deliver NDNU Commencement Address

Abbas Milani, Ph.D., an internationally recognized authority on Iranian cultural, political and security issues, will address over 400 graduates at Commencement at Koret Field on Saturday, May 5 at 10 a.m.

Dr. Milani is the Hamid and Christina Moghadam Director of Iranian Studies at Stanford University. In addition, he is a research fellow and co-director of the Iran Democracy Project at the Hoover Institution. Dr. Milani was a professor of history and political science at Notre Dame de Namur University and served as chair of the department from 1997 – 2004. He also served as a research fellow at the Institute of International Studies at UC Berkeley.

Dr. Milani came to the San Francisco Bay Area from Iran as a teenager, and earned his BA in political science and economics from the University of California, Berkeley and his Ph.D. in political science from the University of Hawaii. He returned to Iran in 1975 to serve as an assistant professor of political science at the National University of Iran and was jailed for one year as a political prisoner by the Pahlavi regime. After the revolution, he served as a research fellow with the Iranian Center for Social Justice in Tehran, was a professor at Tehran University and finished his career in Iran as a member of the Board of Directors for the Center for International Studies at Tehran University.

The author of many books, Dr. Milani’s most recent books include "The Shah" (2011), "Myth of the Great Satan: A New Look at America’s Relations With Iran" (2010) and "Road to Democracy in Iran" (2008). Dr. Milani’s articles have been published in journals, magazines and newspapers. He has been interviewed for national and international radio and television programs. He has also translated numerous books and articles into Persian and English.

Koret Field is located on the Notre Dame de Namur University campus at 1500 Ralston Avenue in Belmont.