HPU Department Of Religion And Philosophy Welcomes Toole

HIGH POINT, N.C., Aug. 20, 2009 - High Point University has hired Dr. Mark Toole as a professor in the Department of Religion and Philosophy.
 
Toole, who previously served a three-year appointment at the University of Colorado, is passionate about exploring the intersection of religious belief, practice and identity through comparative analysis.
 
Toole's primary specialty is East Asian religious ritual activity, but he is currently researching spiritual transformation through pilgrimage, Buddhist environmentalism and the construction of hybrid religious identity. He hopes to offer courses at HPU in the near future that examine topics such as Zen meditation, Pure Land devotionalism, Hindu philosophy and yoga, and religious fundamentalism and violence.
 
Toole has a Bachelor of Art degree in sociology from DePauw University and a Master of Divinity degree from Chicago Theological Seminary. He plans to complete in 2009 a doctorate in theology, philosophy, cultural theory and comparative religious studies from The University of Denver and The Iliff School of Theology.
 
At High Point University, every student receives an extraordinary education in a fun environment with caring people. HPU, located in the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina, is a liberal arts institution with 3,700 undergraduate and graduate students from 50 countries and 44 states at campuses in High Point and Winston-Salem. It is ranked by US News and World Report No. 5 among comprehensive universities in the South and No. 1 in its category among up-and-coming schools. Forbes.com ranks HPU in the top 6 percent among "America's Best Colleges." HPU was included in The Chronicle of Higher Education's "Great Colleges to Work For" 2009 listings. The university offers 68 undergraduate majors, 40 undergraduate minors and seven graduate degree programs. It is accredited by the Commission of Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and is a member of the NCAA, Division I and the Big South Conference. Visit High Point University on the Web at www.highpoint.edu.


CONTACT
Chris Dudley
Vice President for Administration
336-841-4530
cdudley@highpoint.edu