Ursinus Commencement Ceremony Scheduled for Friday

According to Ursinus College, the school plans to graduate some 410 seniors at its 140th Commencement Ceremony on Friday, May 10, at 10 a.m. on the college's front lawn. The public is welcome to attend

No tickets are necessary for the tented ceremony, and seating is on a ‘first-come’ basis. During the two-hour commencement ceremony, traffic on Main Street in front of the college will be detoured. The road will reopen when the ceremony concludes.

An honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters will be awarded to philosopher and author Samuel Keen, who is a 1953 graduate of the College, and is the speaker at the Commencement ceremony. An honorary Doctor of Divinity degree will be awarded to Msgr. Michael Doyle, who is the speaker at the Baccalaureate service.

The Baccalaureate service will be held in Bomberger Auditorium Thursday, May 9, at 6 p.m.Tickets are issued to families and are required for admission into Bomberger, where a limited number of seats are available. Additional seating for a simulcast viewing of the ceremony will be available in Olin Auditorium for overflow seating and guests without tickets.

Theater major Alexander Blake Wersted of Hopedale, Mass. is the Class of 2013 Valedictorian. Salutatorians are English/Media and Communication Studies major Rosemary Clark of Secane, Pa., and Biology major Liora Rachel Mor of Chesire, Conn. Kristin Cichowski of Sellersville, Pa., is the student speaker.

More information can be found on the Ursinus commencement web page.

Samuel Keen

Samuel McMurray Keen is a noted American author, professor and philosopher who is best known for his exploration of questions regarding love, life, religion, and being a male in contemporary society.

Born in Scranton, Pa., he was graduated from Ursinus in 1953 with a B.A. in history. He also earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Theology from Harvard Divinity School, and both a master’s degree and Ph.D. in philosophy and religion from Princeton University.

Keen’s career spans teaching, writing, lecturing, consulting and conducting workshops at more than 200 corporations, colleges and institutions. He has been a lecturer in Religion at Boston University, Douglass College at Rutgers University and Princeton Theological Seminary, as well as a Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Louisville Seminary. He was a National Institute of Mental Health postdoctoral Fellow at Western Behavioral Science Institute and Center for Studies of the Person, and a Professor of Philosophy at Prescott College. He also taught medical ethics at the University of Florida Medical School. For 20 years, from 1969 to 1989, he was a contributing editor to Psychology Today, and continues as a contributor to the journal Spirituality and Health. Keen is a co-producer of the award-winning PBS documentary Faces of the Enemy. His work was the subject of a PBS special Bill Moyers – Your Mythic Journey with Sam Keen.

His books include In the Absence of God: Dwelling in the Presence of the Sacred (Harmony Books, 2010); Sightings: Extraordinary Encounters with Ordinary Birds (Chronicle Books, 2007); Faces of the Enemy: Reflections of the Hostile Imagination (Harper and Row, San Francisco, 2004); Learning to Fly: Reflections on Fear, Trust, and the Joy of Letting Go(Broadway Books, 1999); To Love and Be Loved (Bantam, 1997); Hymns to an Unknown God (Bantam, 1994); Inward Bound: Exploring the Geography of Your Emotions (Bantam, 1992); and Fire in the Belly: On Being a Man (Bantam, 1991), a New York times best seller which was credited in the popular press with initiating the “men’s movement.”

When not writing or traveling around the world lecturing and doing seminars on a wide range of topics on which he claims he is “not necessarily an expert but a skilled explorer,” he cuts wood, tends to his farm in California, takes long hikes and practices the flying trapeze.

Msgr. Michael Doyle

As pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Camden, N.J., Msgr. Michael Doyle is a community leader and activist who works tirelessly to enhance living conditions and dignity for Camden's residents.

Born in County Longford, Ireland, in 1934, he is known as a gregarious man with a contagious smile, who exudes a compassionate spirit and welcomes everyone as a friend. His parish is known for its hospitality and welcoming spirit. Msgr. Doyle stands against injustice on every front. He stands with those living in poverty, with those who suffer addictions, with the marginalized and alienated. When he sees injustice, he takes action.

During his 35 years in Camden, Msgr. Doyle has operated Sacred Heart Grade School. In 1984, he founded Heart of Camden Housing, which renovates abandoned houses and assists low-income families seeking to be homeowners. In 1992, he established a free medical clinic that serves those without medical insurance or benefits. He also helped start the organization Camden Churches Organized for People, a church-based community organizing effort. He works to bring about better living conditions by building relationships with those around him. Dedicated to the arts, Msgr. Doyle helped to build a community theater and led an initiative to cultivate gardens and develop an “urban farm” in Camden.

Father Doyle became a Roman Catholic priest in 1959 after attending St. Peter's Seminary. He became an assistant parish pastor in Camden in 1959 and also served as a schoolteacher. In 1971, Father Doyle protested the Vietnam War, and was arrested with a group that was called the "Camden 28," which was acquitted of all charges in Federal Court in 1973.

In 1974, Msgr. Doyle was appointed pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, on the south side of Camden. He has served there for 35 years.

"I’m saying almost the same words that I said 25 years ago about this city and the tragedy that continues… the same ache and struggles and difficulty are there for us," said Doyle.

Msgr. Doyle, who is called the “The Poet of Poverty,” published a collection of his letters, “It’s a Terrible Day; Thanks Be to God,” in 2003. A film was made based on the book, with the letters read by Martin Sheen.