Findlay, Ohio, May 4, 2001 — Paul Loeb, author of "Soul of a Citizen: Living with Conviction in a Cynical Time" will be the speaker at The University of Findlay’s spring commencement exercises Sunday, May 13, at 2 p.m. in the Ralph and Gladys Koehler Fitness and Recreation Complex.

"Soul of a Citizen" is based on 30 years of studying the psychology of social involvement. In the book, Loeb describes how ordinary citizens can make their voices heard and their actions count in a time when they are often told that neither matters. The book examines what leads some people to get involved in larger community issues while others feel overwhelmed or uncertain and how involvement can give back a sense of connection and purpose.

Loeb is an associated scholar at Seattle’s Center for Ethical Leadership. He is also the author of "Generation at the Crossroads," "Apathy and Action on the American Campus," "Nuclear Culture" and "Hope in Hard Times." He has lectured at more than 200 colleges and universities across the country and has been the keynote speaker at numerous conferences, including the National Education Association, American Society on Aging, a national conference on Race and Ethnicity in Higher Education and the Unitarian General Assembly. Loeb comments regularly on social involvement for The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Psychology Today, Christian Science Monitor and International Herald Tribune. He has been interviewed on CNN, National Public Radio, PBS, C-SPAN, NBC and the BBC.

At commencement exercises, The University of Findlay will award 734 graduate and undergraduate degrees.

A total of 189 graduate degrees will be awarded. These include 93 master of business administration degrees, 54 master of arts in education degrees, 23 master of TESOL (teaching English to speakers of other languages) and bilingual education degrees and 19 master of science in environmental management degrees.

A total of 545 undergraduate degrees will be conferred, including 359 bachelor of science degrees, 85 bachelor of arts degrees, 30 bachelor of science in business management degrees, six bachelor of science in environmental management degrees and 65 associate of arts degrees.