Facebook and Twitter feeds swelled with congratulatory comments and declarations of freedom this past weekend as 1,226 Regent University graduates closed one chapter of their lives to begin another at Commencement on Saturday, May 5.
More than 5,500 friends and family members attended the event to celebrate as graduates from all eight of the university's schools crossed a sunbaked stage on the Library Plaza at Regent's campus in Virginia Beach, Va.
According to law school Dean Jeffrey Brauch, the 129 members of Regent Law’s graduating class have a promising future ahead of them.
"God continues to draw academically excellent and mission-minded future lawyers to Regent Law," he said. "The class of 2012 demonstrated excellence and integrity in studying the law, and will no doubt do the same in their careers as lawyers and counselors at home and abroad."
Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann was the event’s keynote speaker. A member of the last graduating class of the Coburn School of Law—originally housed at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Okla., and the predecessor to Regent Law School—Bachmann is well acquainted with the heritage of the university. "My purpose today is to remind you that none of this would have been possible without the generations who have come before you," she said. "Everything you see here is a result of faith and prayer."
Bachmann left graduates with three primary encouragements. First, "Your presence at Regent is the literal fulfillment of generations of fervent prayer," she said. "Be grateful." Second, "You hold within you the power to save nations," and third, "You carry the awesome privilege and responsibility of living your life for the glory of God."
Regent president, Dr. Carlos Campo, welcomed graduates and their guests, congratulating them on their achievements and reminding them of the heritage they share. "Four hundred years ago, Anglican priest Robert Hunt dedicated this land to God and envisioned a nation that would impact the destiny of the world," he said. "Regent's values and motto of Christian leadership to change the world echo that vision." President Campo then led guests and faculty in prayer for the graduating class.
Founder and Chancellor Dr. M.G. "Pat" Robertson charged graduates to "walk in miracles, in revelation and in power." Reading from the first chapter of Ephesians, Chancellor Robertson encouraged graduates to keep pursuing God. "I ask, as the Apostle Paul said, that God would give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation to serve Him and know Him better," Chancellor Robertson said. "I pray that your knowledge of God would grow day by day and that you may understand fully the hope of His calling and the exceeding power of His might."
More than 5,500 friends and family members attended the event to celebrate as graduates from all eight of the university's schools crossed a sunbaked stage on the Library Plaza at Regent's campus in Virginia Beach, Va.
According to law school Dean Jeffrey Brauch, the 129 members of Regent Law’s graduating class have a promising future ahead of them.
"God continues to draw academically excellent and mission-minded future lawyers to Regent Law," he said. "The class of 2012 demonstrated excellence and integrity in studying the law, and will no doubt do the same in their careers as lawyers and counselors at home and abroad."
Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann was the event’s keynote speaker. A member of the last graduating class of the Coburn School of Law—originally housed at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Okla., and the predecessor to Regent Law School—Bachmann is well acquainted with the heritage of the university. "My purpose today is to remind you that none of this would have been possible without the generations who have come before you," she said. "Everything you see here is a result of faith and prayer."
Bachmann left graduates with three primary encouragements. First, "Your presence at Regent is the literal fulfillment of generations of fervent prayer," she said. "Be grateful." Second, "You hold within you the power to save nations," and third, "You carry the awesome privilege and responsibility of living your life for the glory of God."
Regent president, Dr. Carlos Campo, welcomed graduates and their guests, congratulating them on their achievements and reminding them of the heritage they share. "Four hundred years ago, Anglican priest Robert Hunt dedicated this land to God and envisioned a nation that would impact the destiny of the world," he said. "Regent's values and motto of Christian leadership to change the world echo that vision." President Campo then led guests and faculty in prayer for the graduating class.
Founder and Chancellor Dr. M.G. "Pat" Robertson charged graduates to "walk in miracles, in revelation and in power." Reading from the first chapter of Ephesians, Chancellor Robertson encouraged graduates to keep pursuing God. "I ask, as the Apostle Paul said, that God would give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation to serve Him and know Him better," Chancellor Robertson said. "I pray that your knowledge of God would grow day by day and that you may understand fully the hope of His calling and the exceeding power of His might."