Faulkner University announced Tuesday that former Vice President Mike Pence will be the keynote speaker for this year’s Faulkner Annual Benefit Dinner, Faulkner President Mike Williams said in a press conference on Montgomery’s campus.
“Vice President Mike Pence has had a storied career as a public servant,” Williams said. “He is also a man of deep Christian faith. He’s been an ardent advocate for liberty and most expressly religious liberty, the guiding force of our founding fathers who forged this republic. It’s on this foundation of religious liberty that Faulkner stands today.”
Faulkner University’s Annual Benefit Dinner has a 40-year tradition of being a red-letter event on the social calendar for Montgomery and the River Region. The annual event sells out to nearly 2,000 guests. This year’s Benefit Dinner will be hosted at Montgomery’s renowned Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center on Oct. 7.
“The Faulkner Benefit Dinner is the signature event of this institution,” Williams said. “It’s a celebration of the rich mission of this institution. At this event we highlight the accomplishments of the university. We announce signature investments we’re making in the River Region and we reveal our bold and robust dreams for the future. The central purpose of the event is not about us. It’s about our students.”
Over the years, Faulkner has brought renowned politicians including a president, a first lady, a prime minister and a U.S. ambassador along with journalists, athletes, coaches, comedians and astronauts to speak in Montgomery.
Pence will bring his political experience as the 48th vice president of the United States to the River Region for what event planners predict will be an exciting night.
“The exciting feature of our dinner is our keynote speaker and each year Faulkner brings a renowned thought-leader to speak in Montgomery to address timely and relevant topics,” Williams said. “Faulkner strives to bring provocative speakers who would not ordinarily be introduced to our citizens here to talk about these topics.”
Pence has served in the Congress of the United States, as governor of Indiana, and as vice president of the United States under President Donald Trump. Since entering politics at the age of 40, Pence has established himself as a champion of limited government, fiscal responsibility, economic development, educational opportunity and the Constitution.
Pence was born in Columbus, Indiana, on June 7, 1959, Pence was one of six children born to Edward and Nancy Pence who ran a successful convenience store business. Working there with his family nurtured Pence’s belief in the importance of hard work, faith and family. Pence has a bachelor’s degree in history from Hanover College and later attended Indiana University School of Law when he met his future wife, Karen.
After graduating, Pence practiced law, led the Indiana Policy Review Foundation, and began hosting The Mike Pence Show, a syndicated talk radio show and a weekly television public affairs program in Indiana. He and Karen have three children.
Tickets to hear Pence speak are on sale now.
Proceeds from the dinner go to support the university, and student scholarships in particular. Faulkner University is a private, Christian liberal arts university based in Montgomery, Alabama. With a mission to provide an education anchored not only by intellect but also character and service, the Faulkner experience aims to educate the whole person. In addition to its main campus in Montgomery, Faulkner operates extension campuses in Birmingham, Huntsville and Mobile along with online degree programs.
