Judge Greg Mathis, who hosts a nationally syndicated,
reality based television court show, will be the commencement
speaker for Eastern Michigan's commencement ceremony, Sunday,
Dec. 20, at the university's Convocation Center.
The EMU Board of Regents approved the commencement speaker
at its Oct. 20 meeting.
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HERE COMES THE JUDGE: Judge Greg Mathis,
pictured here with EMU President Susan Martin,
will
be the commencement speaker at the Dec. 20
ceremony in the Convocation Center. Mathis, who
received his bachelor's degree from EMU in 1983,
hosts a nationally-syndicated, reality-based
television
court show. |
Mathis, 49, is well known for his early struggles to overcome
adversity. A Detroit native, he dropped out of school and
was in and out of jail before promising his dying mother
that he would change his ways.
At age 18, he earned his GED and, with the help of a close
family friend, enrolled in Eastern Michigan University.
While at EMU, Mathis developed an interest in politics
and public administration, and was active in Alpha Phi
Alpha fraternity.
He earned his bachelor's degree in public administration
from EMU in 1983 and a law degree from the University of
Detroit in 1987.
In 1995, he was elected a Superior Court judge for Michigan's
36th District, making him the youngest person in the state
to hold the post. Mathis' show," Judge Mathis," debuted
in 1999.
A play, "Been there, Done that," based on his life, toured
22 cities in the U.S. in 2002, and "Inner City Miracle," a
memoir, was published by Ballantine Books in 2002.
Mathis and his wife, Linda Reese Mathis (a 1985 EMU graduate),
live in Beverly Hills, Calif., and have four children.
