Findlay, Ohio, Nov. 30, 2001 — Gary Harpst, founder and CEO of Six Disciplines Corporation, will be the speaker at The University of Findlay’s fall commencement exercises Saturday, Dec. 8, at 2 p.m. in the Ralph and Gladys Koehler Fitness and Recreation Complex. Harpst and the late Rev. James H. Nye will each be awarded honorary doctorate degrees.

Gary Harpst is being awarded an honorary doctor of entrepreneurial business development degree.

He is the founder and CEO of Six Disciplines Corporation, a next generation business that blends communications, training, consulting and the Internet in innovative ways to help businesses achieve new levels of excellence.

A co-founder of Solomon Software, now part of Microsoft Great Plain Business Solutions, and its CEO for more than 20 years, Harpst learned what it takes to build an organization of excellence. Under his leadership, Solomon grew to more than 400 employees and sold more than 60,000 installations of its Solomon Software products to more than 400 industries in more than 100 countries. Solomon products won numerous industry awards, including the PC Magazine/Price Waterhouse Editor’s Choice, the Top Windows Accounting Software ranking from CTS and the Top 100 Account Software Products award from Accounting Today.

Throughout his career, Harpst has sought to integrate his business life with his faith. He believes that sound business practices and a strong faith complement each other in terms of building organizations that have a positive impact on the people and communities in which they operate. He is a long-time student of how high-performance organizations develop and maintain their culture.

Harpst earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees from The Ohio State University. In addition to his professional pursuits, he is a member of the Findlay YMCA board of trustees and the Liberty Benton School board. He is secretary-treasurer for TLB Foundation, an organization dedicated to helping people come into a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ. For more than 20 years, he has taught Biblical principles for everyday living at his church.

Numerous times, Harpst has been named one of Accounting Today magazine’s “Top 100 Influential People in Accounting.”

Harpst and his wife, Rhonda, have three children, James, Anna and Jordan. They live near Findlay.

The Rev. James H. Nye is being honored posthumously with an honorary doctor of humane letters degree. At the time of his death on Dec. 27, 2000, he was pastor of the McComb First Presbyterian Church and president and curator of the DeWald-Funk House Museum.

A native of Ellwood City, Pa., Rev. Nye graduated from Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pa., where he received a bachelor’s degree in drama and religion. He taught Bible and speech for Geneva College for several years.

Nye was also a graduate of the Reformed Presbyterian Seminary in Pittsburgh, Pa., and the Oberlin Graduate School of Theology in Oberlin, Ohio. He taught classes for 12 years at Winebrenner Theological Seminary, starting in 1959. Nye also studied at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and the Hamma School of Theology in Springfield, Ohio. He was an ordained minister with the Churches of God for 43 years.

From 1972 until the time of his death, Nye was pastor of the McComb First Presbyterian Church. He was moderator of the Enon Valley Presbyterian Church and, in the late 1970s, was on the worship committee and candidates committee of the Maumee Valley Presbytery.

In addition to supporting his wife, the late Dr. Jean Nye, with her activities as a professor and assistant vice president at UF, Nye was involved in the renovation of Ritz Auditorium. He was also a member of the committee for the renovation of Old Main. Rev. Nye established the Dr. Jean C. Nye Music Scholarship after his wife’s death, and a Spanish scholarship is being established from the couple’s estate.

Nye was a member of the Hancock County Preservation Society and Findlay Downtown Design Review Board. He was president and curator of DeWald-Funk House Museum, where he trained docents. He served several years as president and was immediate past president of the Hancock Historical Guild, where he was also a curator.

An avid collector of antiques, Nye was instrumental in conducting the Festival of Early Arts and Crafts in McComb. He also worked on the preservation of the Henry Clay House in Lexington, Ky.

Nye was preceded in death by his wife, Dr. Jean Nye, who passed away on Feb. 29, 2000.

At commencement exercises, The University of Findlay will award 382 graduate and undergraduate degrees.

A total of 202 graduate degrees will be awarded. These include 88 master of business administration degrees, 72 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, safety and health management degrees.

A total of 180 undergraduate degrees will be conferred, including 103 bachelor of science degrees, 34 bachelor of arts degrees, 22 bachelor of science in business management degrees, two bachelor of science in environmental management degrees and 19 associate of arts degrees.