Invite Paul Loeb to Speak

Paul Loeb has lectured to enthusiastic responses at 400 colleges and universities nationwide-including Stanford, Harvard, Chicago, Columbia, Michigan, MIT, Wisconsin, and Yale. He's keynoted numerous national conferences including the American Society on Aging, National Education Association, American College Personnel Association, the Education Commission of the States, Campus Compact's Presidential Summit, the Unitarian General Assembly, the International Association of Volunteer Administrators, Engineers Without Borders, the International Association for Public Participation, Washington State Nurses Association, Patagonia Corporation's annual meeting, the American Association of Colleges & Universities, a national anti-hunger conference, the National Association of 4-H Advisors, Pyschologists for Social Responsibility, and major environmental gatherings. He's also keynoted major local and regional gatherings of health educators, civic and governmental leaders, community organizers, volunteer service providers, union shop stewards, and engaged religious groups. His January 2002 talk to the American Association of State Colleges and Universities annual provost's conference inspired the association's  American Democracy Project, now reaching 200 campuses. To contact him to speak, click here.

Loeb's campus visits combine the themes of his last two books, The Impossible Will Take a Little While and Soul of a Citizen, with his earlier study of the values of current students, Generation at the Crossroads. Drawing on these books and 35 years of exploring citizen involvement, he focuses on how ordinary citizens and students in particular can make their voices heard and actions count in a time when we're told neither matter. He talks of how people get involved in larger community issues and what stops them from getting involved; how they burn out in exhaustion or maintain their commitment for the long haul; how involvement can give them a sense of connection and purpose rare in purely personal life. Students from a wide variety of backgrounds and worldviews really seem to appreciate this encouragement, saying that his words give them a new sense of possibility, hope, and faith in their own power to act.

Loeb's campus visits also include targeted workshops: Teaching for Engagement helps faculty, administrators, and staff explore how they can teach social commitment to America's future citizens. Leadership and Responsibility helps students--and campus leaders in particular--explore the barriers to engagement and ways to help involve their peers. Some schools have put together wonderful dialogues with local community nonprofits. Loeb also leads classroom discussions on why students hesitate to act on America's most critical public issues, and how they can get past their hesitations to effectively take a stand. See workshops for more details.

Comments on Loeb's lectures follow. Here's the schedule for his lectures. Click on the left side of the page to contact him.

To hear some of Paul Loeb's live talks, via Real Audio or Windows Media Player click here.

COMMENTS ON LOEB'S TALKS

"With television, 174 radio stations, and such speakers this year as President Clinton, President Aristide, George Stephanopolous, Ken Burns and Gerry Adams, the City Club is accustomed to having the most provocative programs. Your presentation certainly fit that description...you did a magnificent job."
-- Steven Smith, Board Chair City Club Forum, City Club of Cleveland

"Paul Loeb got a standing ovation from 1200 people in closing our national conference. His presentation was inspiring! Paul gives great examples that speak to the concerns and needs of educators, and does a great job promoting the democracy of public schools."
-- Kathie Zurfluh, National Education Association, national board member

“You spoke to 6,000 people in our morning and afternoon 2005 commencement ceremonies, getting a standing ovation each time. You certainly make a difference in the lives of people.  Fort Lewis is a different and better place after your address. You left our faculty and students inspired and with renewed dedication to civic engagement.”
-President Brad Bartel, Fort Lewis College, Durango, CO

"Thank you for a great presentation. Your remarks were substantive and provocative, in a word, terrific. The audience represented almost a million students in higher education. It was wonderful that so many had read your book and thus were able to put your remarks in a broader context."
-- George Mehaffy, Vice President for Academic Leadership, American Association of State Colleges and Universities, after keynote talk to their annual Provost's conference.  [One of the participating provosts at this conference recently told me that my talk at this conference, together with my Soul of a Citizen book, inspired the association to launch an American Democracy Project that now reaches 200 campuses]
 

"Your week-long presence here has nurtured actions and attitudes that will have wide-ranging ripple effects. It is evident that you have touched many lives. Your faculty workshop on fostering student engagement was a wonderful conversation and you were the perfect person to lead it."
-- Jackie Schmidt-Posner, Haas Center for Public Service, Stanford University

"Your reassurance that today's young people are not a lost generation of forlorn Gen Xers but are peppered with comprehensible doubts, fears, energy and even activism was heartening..Your speech was deeply stirring and richly motivating."
-- Paul Kleyman, editor Aging Today, following keynote panel at 3,000-person conference, American Society on Aging.

"Without doubt, your talks were one of the most outstanding series of events that I have experienced during my 15 years at this university."
-- John Clark, Philosophy Professor, Loyola of New Orleans

"Almost a thousand people had a chance to see you. Their enthusiasm is best represented by the standing ovation and excellent Q & A session which followed your addresss."
-- Bill Chaloupka, Professor of Political Science, Univ of Montana.

“Your keynote received a standing ovation. So many people were inspired by it. Thank you for reminding us to keep on and to step up and advocate.”
—Holly Denniston, program chair, Association for Volunteer Administration, 1,000-person international conference

"Your passion and voice added so much to our conference."
-- Jim Kielsmeier, President, National Youth Leadership Council

“Paul Loeb got a standing ovation keynoting our Engineers Without Borders-USA International Conference.  He helped our engineers become ‘agents of change,’ challenging them to become greater activists in building a more sustainable world.”--Dianne Shanks, Deputy Executive Director, EWB-USA

"Your presentation was wonderful. You provided excellent insight into the students with whom we work. Others commented on your thorough interviews and engaging style. Thank you for giving us information which can only improve our work."
-- Maureen Keefe, Featured Speakers Committee, American College Personnel Association/NASPA joint conference.

 "Paul Loeb is the only lecturer we've had in my five years who received a standing ovation from an audience of over 600 students, faculty and community members. This was a result of his ability to connect passionately with people, and particularly students, in a way that engages them in a conversation about civic commitment and activism that is meaningful to them.”
--Dr. Olivia Collins, Coordinator, Lou Douglas Public Issues Lecture Series, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS

"It is difficult to find a speaker to address a new aspect of environmental issues. We were extremely pleased with your talk. Filled with anecdotal material and insight into the generation next in line for leadership roles in all aspects of society, your presentation was of great interest to our audience."
-- Michael Dunn, assistant to the President, Patagonia Corporation, following keynote talk to their all-company meeting.
 

"Thank you for inspiring us. You are an amazing role model for our students."
-- Anna Maria Cobo, Assistant Dean/ Director of the Intercultural Center, Swarthmore College

"Your keynote presentation was great. Your vision for what America can become and sense of how to cure current social ills offered each of us an opportunity to examine our own commitments and connect education with community efforts."
-- Terry Pickeral, Center for Learning & Citizenship, Education Commission of the States
[Audience included a dozen state superintendents of education plus college presidents and service-learning coordinators]

"We could not have picked a better, more appropriate speaker for this difficult time than you."
-- Margaret Hogan, service-learning coordinator, Maricopa Community Colleges, Phoenix, AZ  [I spoke there the first week after Sept 11]
 

"Your talk informed, energized, and motivated.  Participants said your presentation was fantastic, a breath of fresh air in Kansas." 

--Tawny Stottlemire, Executive Director, Kansas Association of Community Action Programs

"In this politically conservative state...I was amazed that the small group question and answer session following your lecture lasted for three hours... Clearly the students were very stirred by your message."
-- Marjorie Wheeler, Honors College Coordinator, Univ of Southern Mississippi

"Your thoughtful, articulate and lively commencement speech brought distinction and significance to our graduation ceremonies. All our students and their families thoroughly enjoyed your presentation, as did I."
-- Faith Gabelnick, President, Pacific University, Forest Grove, Oregon

"Your eloquent and passionate words inspired us with greater dedication to our work, and greater belief in our power as individuals to make a difference. Many of our volunteers commented that it was the impact of your words and actions that first led them to advocacy work. Thank you for lending your time and expertise to our conference, and to our mutual goal of ending hunger and poverty."
-- Lynn McMullen, Results hunger action group. [Other speakers included Jonathan Kozol, Marian Wright Edelman, and Frances Moore Lappe]

"Your work is a wonderful resource [to] challenge the negative stereotype of young adults as slackers, self-indulgent, lacking in conviction and unconcerned about the important social issues of the day. Your talk, addressed to over 2,000 participants from 509 congregations, was interrupted by thunderous applause more than a dozen times, and encouraged us all."
-- Donna DiSciullo, Young Adult Ministries, following keynote to Unitarian General Assembly

“Thanks for a great talk at our Clean Water conference! I’ve heard nothing but kudos. One typical response said it was the best, most unique conference the participant had ever been to in his 30 years of working for government! Your keynote address had a lot to do with that.”—Karen Sands, Watershed Planning Manager Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewage District

"Thank you for being part of the Critical Patriotism forum at our national meeting. In this time of heightened national anxiety and attempts to limit dissent, you helped open up important areas for inquiry and critique. You gave people hope that their individual and collective acts not only can make a difference-but are essential to a robust democracy."
-- Caryn McTighe Musil, Vice President, Diversity, Democracy, and Global Initiatives, Association of American Colleges and Universities

"Paul Loeb is a dynamic speaker whose stories engage students in thinking about social activism and civic involvement. He is passionate and provocative and relishes opportunities to listen to students. His day-long visit was all the more successful because so many in his various sessions had actually read Soul of a Citizen."
-- Tom Flynn, President, Millikin University, after talk to 1200-person convocation and to capstone courses, where every senior was reading Soul of a Citizen

"Paul's positive and challenging keynote address reminded us of how feelings of social frustration and hopelessness can be redirected into experiences of success. In this difficult time, his message set a very encouraging tone for our annual conference."
-- Ron Snyder, Washington State Public Health Association

"Paul Loeb's presentation to the UCO faculty and staff on Teaching for Engagement was informative, engaging and inspiring. His interaction with students effectively underscored the university's commitment to civic education. Since he came, I have had innumerable requests for his Soul of a Citizen book. Paul provided our campus with a focused and spirited beginning to our academic year and our heightened involvement in the AASCU's national American Democracy Project."
-- Don Betz, Provost, University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond OK

"The response from both faculty and students has been extremely positive. We reached over 700 individuals at our various events and were particularly pleased with the overnight retreat, whose success we attribute to your skillful direction."
-- James Breeden, Dean of the Tucker Foundation, Dartmouth College, Hanover NH

"Your keynote presentation focused our attention on important reasons for student apathy and what can be done to overcome it....about 450 people attended...There is no doubt that the success of the conference was in large part due to your presence."
-- Barry Steiner, Professor of Political Science, Cal State Long Beach, Long Beach CA

"Thank you for your outstanding keynote presentation at our Neighborhood Improvement retreat. You were one of the highlights. Everyone was especially appreciative of your warm and gracious manner, the breadth and depth of your knowledge and experience, and the opportunity to read your wonderful book, Soul of a Citizen."
-- Alvertha Penny, Program Officer, William & Flora Hewlett Foundation

"A superb job...Your sincere, down to earth presentation of the thoughts, desires, and fears of the X generation (their customers) was absolutely on target...You did some real educating for an audience that was yearning to learn."
-- Elizabeth Goulding, National Association of College Stores, after keynote talk to 2,200 college bookstore managers

"Outstanding...Loeb's enthusiasm and knowledge of his topic excited our students and provoked a great deal of thoughtful comment.
-- Stephen Biles, Associate Director, Memorial Union Center, Texas A&M University

"Thank you for offering our students such rich exposure to the topic of citizen involvement in bringing about social change. I've talked with as many students as possible from all over the political spectrum about their reactions to your lecture and workshops. Every one seemed energized. It was as if you reaffirmed their hope that they were not powerless, that they could make a difference. You gave students a greater sense of both their power to make change happen and their moral obligation to do so. You told them to believe in themselves and in principles of justice. Your message has never been more needed than it is today."
-- Tim Russell, Chair, Social & Behavioral Sciences, Sullivan County Community College, Loch Sheldrake, NY

"You raised important questions. Students who heard you left with a far greater sense of how to act on their beliefs."
-- Aris Fokas, Assistant Chaplain, Franklin & Marshall College

"Thank you for your visit. Your message of community involvement touched the minds and hearts of so many people on campus-students, faculty, administrators, and staff. You spoke in two large undergraduate classes and one graduate seminar, met with faculty and student leaders and representatives of local nonprofits, led a discussion with the Year of Community Service Committee and gave a major lecture in conjunction with our awards ceremony. We're now working to help our students leave knowing they can make a difference in the world."
-- Manny London, Associate Provost for enrollment and retention, SUNY Stony Brook, Stony Brook NY

"A dynamic presence. We reached 500 students in four different sessions. Encountering Mr Loeb in these various forums was a particularly rich learning experience. Even at this late date, [six months later], faculty and students are still talking about Mr Loeb's time with us. The director of faculty development wants to bring him back for a week-long visit."
-- Michael Shea, Professor of English, Southern Connecticut State University

"Your lecture drew 400 students from a population of 1000. Not even General Westmoreland, following the end of the Vietnam war, drew such a large crowd...Few speakers have the gift for lifting us from the pessimism and cynicism which surround serious global issues. We owe a debt of gratitude to you for waking us up.
-- Rick Hinterthuer, Biology Professor, North Arkansas Community College, Harrison AR

"Your style of presentation involves the audience, draws them into the discussion....you were outstanding in your attempts to help them see the bigger picture of community action...[They] left the auditorium that evening with a purpose..."
-- Elaine Spaull, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs, Rochester Institute Of Technology, Rochester NY

"Your keynote at our state-wide student leadership conference drew an overwhelmingly enthusiastic response, critical to the success of our program. Students said you were informative and passionate, motivating them to be better leaders and listeners. They left with a renewed sense of energy and enthusiasm."
-- Barbara Brown Herman, Assoc. Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX

"Thank you for your inspiring keynote. Your work is very important to all of us and we look forward to having you speak again at future conferences."
-- Laura Rossi, coordinator for national conference of environmental and social justice canvassers and canvass directors.

“Thank you so much for coming to Lakeside School. It was clear from the packed auditorium how eager the Lakeside community was to hear your candid and informative remarks about citizen responsibility and empowerment. You reminded us of the powerful impact that one person’s actions can have and of the value of civic involvement—an important message for our students. It was a great talk and very inspirational to our students, who would have willingly questioned you into the evening.”--Bernie Noe, Head of School, Lakeside School [I got a standing ovation at this alma mater of Bill Gates and Paul Allen]

"You spoke to 1500 people at our opening convocation, and the responses have been terrific. You set the tone for the entire year. We're now considering your book as a common reading." -- Gwendolyn Scheffel, lecture coordinator, Wittenberg University, Springfield, OH

"With compassion and respect, Paul Loeb illustrates that these dilemmas are profoundly personal ones, which reach into each of our daily lives."
-- Lucinda Merriam, Waging Peace group, Harvard University

“Thank you so much for your fine keynote speech at our national conference. Our attendees were universally satisfied and inspired.”—Anne Anderson, coordinator Psychologists for Social Responsibility
 

"Your involvement in the workshop was simply tremendous. You challenged us to think in new ways. You inspired us to act for the issues we believe in. You showed us how to recognize and remove the barriers to our own involvement. You made it seem doable for us to go out and begin working to improve the state of the earth." -- Abram Kaplan, director, Environmental Studies, Denison University, Granville, OH, after week-long intensive workshop.

"Thank you for keynoting our Urban Initiatives conference, "Making Our Lives Count." You were an inspiration, encouraging the audience to share ideas and work on making civic engagement a part of their lives. We are all the wiser for your contributions."
-- Chancellor Nancy Zimpher, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee

And finally, a brief story. I was keynoting the Washington State Bar Association's Access to Justice conference, when the woman introducing me described coming home one afternoon to find her son’s friends hanging out in her living room “playing poker and drinking malt-based beverages.” They were college seniors, home on vacation from Yale, Carleton, Pitzer, Macalester, University of Washington, Seattle University, and University of Portland. She decided to drop my name to see if they knew my work, and got the following response:  

"Every one of them recognized Paul's name.  Two-thirds had either read a book or article that he had authored.  Half of them had heard him speak, including one of my sons. I was able to elicit the following accolades: 
*       'Pretty cool dude.'
*       'He gets it.' (This came from my son, and he said in that way like ‘He gets it, Mom, and you don't.’  I'm trying not to be bitter.)
*       'He's the man.'
 Please welcome our keynote speaker, Paul 'the man' Loeb."

[I'm still not quite sure what it means to be "the man," but am delighted my books and talks are stirring students' souls.]

RESIDENCIES, CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS

Paul Loeb's college visits usually encompass a one-day residency including several classroom visits or workshops and a campus-wide presentation. Two-day or extended residencies are also available.  Paul is also delighted to visit individual classes, talking about the barriers to involvement and how to get past them, as well as public issues in the news.

TEACHING FOR ENGAGEMENT: A discussion aimed at faculty and staff, exploring how to teach social commitment to America’s future citizens. A great opportunity to work with your faculty development and service learning networks, and for participants to reflect on their mission as educators.  

LEADERSHIP AND RESPONSIBILITY: Ways student government members and leaders of campus organizations can support greater student involvement and awareness. Loeb also does special workshops for campus newspaper staffers.

COMMUNITY SERVICE AND CHANGE: Ways participants in service projects can balance their desires to help in concrete, one-on-one ways, while addressing root social structures that cause problems like hunger, illiteracy, and homelessness.

THE IMPOSSIBLE WILL TAKE A LITTLE WHILE: How to keep on in the difficult work of change, forging an effective public voice and drawing in new participants. How to avoid burnout and sustain engaged commitment.