Stephen Post, author of Why Good Things Happen to Good People, will speak about the benefits of volunteering at 7 p.m. in the Kiva.

He will talk about the benefits to those who volunteer, such as increased longevity and better physical and mental health, said Ann Gosky, senior special assistant for the Office of the Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs.

Gosky said Post was chosen, in part, by six students who heard him speak at the Akron Roundtable, a community forum for new ideas.

“They were inspired by his message, and we thought he could inspire Kent State students,” she said.

Post is a professor of bioethics and family medicine at Case Western Reserve University’s School of Medicine and has served as a senior research scholar for the Becket Institute at Oxford University. He is also president of the Institute for Research on Unlimited Love, which focuses on the scientific study of phenomena such as altruism, compassion and service.

Tonight’s event is sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs and the Honors College. The first 50 attendees will receive a copy of his book.

Contact general assignment reporter Nicole Stempak at [email protected].