Regent University Announces Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin as 2022 Commencement Speaker
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA (February 14, 2022) – Regent University is pleased to announce that Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin will be the keynote speaker for Regent’s 42nd commencement ceremony on May 7, 2022. Gov. Youngkin was inaugurated as the 74th Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia on January 15, 2022.
“We are delighted to welcome Governor Glenn Youngkin to Regent University as we celebrate the Class of 2022,” said Dr. M.G. “Pat” Robertson, founder, chancellor and CEO of Regent University. “It is a distinct honor that our graduates will receive a keynote address from a highly distinguished and accomplished leader who has championed strong values throughout his career.”
As the second-largest private college in Virginia, Regent expects that the Class of 2022 will exceed 2,300 graduates. The commencement ceremony will have an anticipated audience of 20,000 people. After conducting virtual graduation ceremonies for the past two years, Regent is excited to return to its traditional outdoor celebration on campus in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Graduates and their guests will be invited to attend the ceremony in person. Commencement will also be live-streamed online for those who wish to participate virtually.
Gov. Youngkin grew up in Richmond and Virginia Beach. From his first job washing dishes at a diner in Virginia Beach, he embraced hard work and responsibility to help his family when his father lost his job. His determination to succeed earned him multiple high school basketball honors and an athletic scholarship to college.
After earning an engineering degree at Rice University and his MBA at Harvard Business School, Gov. Youngkin and his wife Suzanne moved to Northern Virginia. He landed a job at The Carlyle Group, where he spent the next 25 years. Working his way to the top of the company, Gov. Youngkin played a key role in building Carlyle into one of the leading investment firms in the world. His efforts have helped fund the retirements of teachers, police officers, firefighters and other frontline public servants and supported hundreds of thousands of American jobs.
Married to Suzanne for over 27 years, Gov. Youngkin is a dedicated father of four children. Their family journey has been and continues to be guided by their faith.
“At Regent, it has been a longstanding tradition to invite keynote speakers who are successful in their fields, providing examples to graduates of how they can be leaders in their chosen professions,” said Dr. William L. Hathaway, executive vice president for Academic Affairs at Regent University. “Gov. Youngkin is a tremendous example of a Christian leader who is changing the world.”
The 2022 commencement ceremony will be held on Saturday, May 7, 2022, at Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia. For more information, visit www.regent.edu/commencement.
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Founded in 1977, Regent University is America’s premier Christian university with more than 11,000 students studying on its 70-acre campus in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and online around the world. The university offers associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in more than 150 areas of study including business, communication and the arts, counseling, cybersecurity, divinity, education, government, law, leadership, nursing, healthcare, and psychology. Regent University is ranked the #1 Best Accredited Online College in the United States (Study.com, 2020), the #1 Safest College Campus in Virginia (YourLocalSecurity, 2021), and the #1 Best Online Bachelor’s Program in Virginia for ten years in a row (U.S. News & World Report, 2022).