Former U.S. President George W. Bush will be the keynote speaker for Union University’s 20th Annual Scholarship Banquet on Tuesday, October 17, 2017.
This is a major opportunity for Union University to attract potential students and raise funds for scholarships. Speakers like Bush attract large crowds, which in turn attracts publicity for the university. This makes it easier for Union to reach out to the surrounding community.
“Friends of the university have a desire to hear such speakers,” Vice President for University Ministries Todd Brady said, “and they often bring with them new friends who are introduced to the compelling and life-changing work of Christian higher education at Union University.”
Having political figures such as Former President Bush also makes an impact on the Political Science Department.
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“Having political speakers like Bush are good for the Political Science Department because they, at least temporarily, increase the Union community’s interest in political issues,” said Gregory Ryan, political science professor.
While the content of his speech in uncertain, political science professor Dr. Sean Evans believes he will largely stay clear of any recent political occurrences.
Union has hosted several high profile speakers over the 20 years that the Scholarship Banquet has been held and is the second former president. The first was his father, George H.W. Bush, who was a keynote speaker along with former First Lady Laura Bush. Other names include Donald Rumsfeld, Mike Huckabee, Ben Carson, Condoleezza Rice, Mikhail Gorbachev, Winston S. Churchill and Margaret Thatcher.