Paul Loeb, author of "Soul of a Citizen: Living with Conviction in Challenging Times," will present three lectures at UNC Pembroke Wednesday, Oct. 31.

The public is welcome to hear Paul Loeb at 6:30 p.m., Oct. 31, in the University Annex. The event is free.

Part motivational speaker, part new age citizen-philosopher and full-time optimist, Loeb's book was the selected reading for first-year students in 2012.

"I'm so excited to have the author of our common read appear on campus," said First Year Program Director Beth Froeba. "Our advisory committee selected 'Soul of a Citizen' for Freshman Seminar, the course every first-year student takes.

"Paul Loeb's message is that all of us have the ability to make a difference in our communities," Froeba added.

Freshman Quicia Simmons just started reading the book and declared it "good so far."

"We discussed it on the (class) blog," said Simmons, who is taking an online version of Freshman Seminar. "We compared it with the movie "'Paying it Forward.'"

Froeba is also using it in her Freshman Seminar class to teach study skills.

"I've asked my students to take notes on chapter two to build their note-taking skills," she said.

UNCP's Office for Community and Civic Engagement is sponsor for the three lectures, beginning in University Center Annex at 11 a.m. for students, 3:30 p.m. for faculty, and at 6:30 p.m. for the general public. The event is free and open to the public.

Loeb's message resonates with college students and the issues that swirl around their generation. Loeb examines students' concepts of social, political and environmental responsibility, what matters in their lives, and how they view themselves in relation to a larger human community.

Loeb has traveled to hundreds of college campuses to talk with students about their beliefs and choices. The result was "Generation at the Crossroads: Apathy and Action on the American Campus" (1994).

The author then looked at how citizens in general can learn to get involved in their communities and keep on being involved through the course of a lifetime, resulting in his acclaimed "Soul of a Citizen" (1999).

His newest book on political hope is "The Impossible Will Take a Little While," which was named a top three political book of fall 2004 by the History Channel and the American Book Association. It won the Nautilus Award for best social change book of the year.

For more information on the Paul Loeb lecture, contact the CCE office at (910) 521-6163.