Vice President Mike Pence to be honored as Notre Dame’s 172nd Commencement speaker | News | Notre Dame News | University of Notre Dame Skip To Content Skip To Navigation Skip To Search University of Notre Dame Notre Dame News Experts ND in the News Subscribe About Us Home Contact Search Menu Home › News › Vice President Mike Pence to be honored as Notre Dame’s 172nd Commencement speaker Vice President Mike Pence to be honored as Notre Dame’s 172nd Commencement speaker Published: March 02, 2017 Author: Paul Browne Vice President Mike Pence Vice President Mike Pence will receive an honorary degree and serve as principal speaker at the University of Notre Dame’s 172nd commencement ceremony May 21 (Sunday). He becomes the first vice president of the United States to deliver the commencement address at Notre Dame. “It is fitting that in the 175th year of our founding on Indiana soil that Notre Dame recognize a native son who served our state and now the nation with quiet earnestness, moral conviction and a dedication to the common good characteristic of true statesmen,” said Notre Dame President Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C. “With his own brand of reserved dignity, Mike Pence instilled confidence on the state level then, and on the world stage now. We are proud to welcome him to represent the new administration.” Pence was born in Columbus, Indiana, June 7, 1959, one of six children of Edward and Nancy Pence, who established a successful convenience store in their small Indiana city 45 miles south of Indianapolis. Pence earned a bachelor’s degree in history in 1981 from Hanover College. He later attended Indiana University School of Law, where he met his future wife, Karen. The Pences have three children: Michael, Charlotte and Audrey. After graduating from law school, 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. In 2000, he launched a successful bid for his local congressional seat, entering the U.S. House of Representatives at the age of 40. The people of East-Central Indiana elected Pence six times to represent them in Congress. He was subsequently elected by his colleagues to serve as chairman of the House Republican Study Committee and House Republican Conference chairman. In 2013, Pence was elected the 50th governor of Indiana, and served through the end of last year. The Republican Party’s nominees for president and vice president of the United States, Donald Trump and Mike Pence, were elected Nov. 8 and took their oaths of office Jan. 20. The White House news release can be viewed here. Contact: Paul Browne, vice president for public affairs and communications, 574-631-8696, pbrowne@nd.edu Posted In: Commencement Home Experts ND in the News Subscribe About Us Related July 06, 2022 Antonio Ortiz to speak at ACE Commencement ceremony May 29, 2022 The Commencement of the class of 2020 May 29, 2022 Class of 2020 Graduate School degree recipients encouraged to ‘embrace the uncomfortable middle’ and to ‘seek joy’ May 26, 2022 Robert J. Bernhard, vice president for research, to keynote 2020 Graduate School Commencement Ceremony May 25, 2022 Class of 2020 returns for a Commencement ceremony two years in the making For the Media Contact Office of Public Affairs and Communications Notre Dame News 500 Grace Hall Notre Dame, IN 46556 USA Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Pinterest © 2022 University of Notre Dame Search Mobile App News Events Visit Accessibility Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn