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| Motto | Christian Leadership to Change the World |
|---|---|
| Type | Private university |
| Established | 1977; 48 years ago (1977)[1] |
Religious affiliation | Interdenominational Evangelical |
| Endowment | $69,500,000 in 2020[2] |
Academic staff | 138 (Full-time) and 48 (Part-time)[3] |
Administrative staff | 402[1] |
| Students | 10,365[1] |
| Undergraduates | 4,408[1] |
| Postgraduates | 5,957[1] |
Other students | 983 (non-degree seeking, first professional)[1] |
| Location | , Virginia ,U.S. |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Colors | Blue, green |
| Nickname | Royals[1] |
Sporting affiliations | |
| Mascot | Rex the Royal |
| Website | regent.edu |
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Regent University is aprivate Christian university inVirginia Beach, Virginia, United States. Founded byPat Robertson in 1977 asChristian Broadcasting Network University, its name was changed to Regent University in 1990. Regent offers on-campus programs as well as distance education. Regent offersassociate,bachelor's,master's, anddoctoral degrees in over 70 courses of study. The university isaccredited by the Commission on Colleges of theSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools.
Plans for the university, originally namedChristian Broadcasting Network University, were begun in 1977 byPat Robertson; Robertson remainedChancellor until his death in 2023.[5] In 1990, the name was changed to Regent University.[6] The university's motto is "Christian Leadership to Change the World."[7]
The first class, consisting of seventy-seven students, began in fall of 1978 when the school leased classroom space inChesapeake, Virginia.[8] In 1980, the first graduating class held its commencement; the school of education opened that Fall. That year, the university took residence for the first time on its current campus inVirginia Beach, Virginia. The school proceeded to open its schools of business, divinity, government, and law by the mid-1980s. In 1984, Regent University receivedaccreditation from theSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools. In 1997, online classes began.[9]
In 1995, the university opened a secondary campus in Alexandria, Virginia but sold it soon after. In 2000, Regent began an undergraduate degree-completion curriculum under the auspices of a new program, the Center for Professional Studies. This would later become the school of undergraduate studies, before finally being renamed as the college of arts and sciences in 2012.[9]
Regent University has a 70 acres (280,000 m2) campus ofhistoricistneo-Georgian architecture, and is situated in the coastal city of Virginia Beach, Virginia. The university was named in 2015 among the thirty most beautiful college campuses in the South.[10]
The University Library Building houses the university's libraries and Robertson Hall is home to the Schools of Government, Law, and Undergraduate Studies. The Communication & Performing Arts Center, home for the School of Communication & the Arts, is a 135,000-square-foot (12,500 m2) building with two theatres, a production studio, sound stage, screening theatres, and abacklot. The Student Center is a 31,000-square-foot (2,900 m2) facility includes a bookstore, student organization offices, dining hall, computer lab, and student lounge. The Administration Building, along with administrative offices, includes the School of Education. The Classroom Building accommodates the schools of Business & Leadership and Psychology & Counseling.[11] The adjoined Chapel and Divinity Building are the most recent additions to the campus, completed in 2013.[9]
Completed in 1990, The Founders Inn and Spa hotel was originally part of theChristian Broadcasting Network before Regent University assumed ownership. It was sold to the Hilton Hotel company in 2018. The hotel featuresneo-Georgian architecture in keeping with the rest of the university campus.[12] The name of the hotel refers to theFounding Fathers.[13]
Regent University was ranked in 2015 byU.S. News & World Report as the 11th best online undergraduate program in the nation,[14] and as the second best byOEDb in 2009.[9] Regent is ranked 21st, 46th, and 78th, respectively, for its online graduate education programs, online graduate business programs, and online MBA.[14] Regent's online MBA faculty was ranked first nationally in 2013 byU.S. News & World Report.[15]
Moot court teams from theRegent University School of Law have placed as quarter-finalists or better in over 100moot court competitions, winning more than 40 national and regional events.[16] In 2006 and 2007, Regent Law won several nationalABA moot court and negotiation competitions succeeding against teams from Harvard and Yale.[17][18][19][20] Regent's moot court program was ranked sixth in the nation in 2015.[21]
In a 1995Atlantic article, theologianHarvey Cox examined Regent University as part of a broader reflection on the Religious Right in America. Although some had called Regent "theHarvard of theChristian Right," Cox argued that such labels often obscure more than they explain. He described the university not as "a boot camp for rightist cadres," but as "a microcosm of the theological and intellectual turbulence" within a movement often portrayed as ideologically uniform. To illustrate this point, Cox quoted then university president Terry Lindvall, who compared the campus community to a motley and ecumenical group of Chaucerian pilgrims. Each student, he suggested, was on a personal journey to repent, worship, and tell a unique story. Cox used the university to challenge caricatures of religious conservatism and encouraged readers to look past political labels to the deeper human and spiritual convictions shaping institutions like Regent.[8]
In May 2008, Regent University's School of Divinity co-hosted a scholarlycolloquium on missiology with theNational Council of Churches and the Virginia Council of Churches, both associated withmainline Protestant denominations. The event brought together liberal and conservative theologians to examine Christian mission in the context of the 400th anniversary of the Jamestown settlement. Regent theology professor Amos Yong stated that the university's participation reflected a desire to posture itself as a broadly evangelical institution.[22]
According to Regent University, more than 150 of its graduates were hired by the federal government during theGeorge W. Bush presidency[17] including dozens in Bush's administration.[23] As it was previously rare for alumni to go into government,Boston Globe journalistCharlie Savage suggested that the appointment ofOffice of Personnel Management directorKay Coles James, the former dean of Regent's government school, caused this sharp increase in Regent alumni employed in the government.[17] An article about a Regent graduate who interviewed for a government position and Regent's low school rankings were cited as an example of the Bush administration hiring applicants with strong conservative credentials but weaker academic qualifications and less civil rights law experience than past candidates in theCivil Rights Division.[17] In addition to Savage, several other commentators made similar assertions.[18][24][25][26] Savage also noted that the school had improved since its days of "dismal numbers" and that the school has had wins in national moot-court and negotiation competitions.[17][27] Though a prominent critic of the school,Barry Lynn ofAmericans United for the Separation of Church and State advised against "underestimat[ing] the quality of a lot of the people that are there."[17]
In October 2016, Regent University was the site of an October 2016 rally for presidential candidateDonald Trump.[28] A handful of Regent alumni wrote that Trump's values, however, were "wrong for the university"[29] and expressed concern that hosting the rally would be viewed as an all-but-official endorsement by Regent of his campaign.[30] Later, Regent alumnusJay Sekulow served as a defense lawyer for Trump throughout his first presidency.[31][32]
Regent has 138 full-time and 48 part-time faculty members, five of whom areFulbright Scholars.[7] Several were previously in politics. FormerU.S. Attorney General under theBush administration,John Ashcroft, was nameddistinguished professor in 2005 teaching a two-week course each semester in the Robertson School of Government and lecturing on national security law.[33] Also named distinguished professor was formerchief of naval operationsAdmiral Vern Clark who teaches courses in leadership and government.[34] In 2006, former Israeliprime ministerEhud Barak was a visiting faculty member for the school of undergraduate studies.[35]Herb Titus, founding dean of the law school, was the 1996 vice-presidential candidate of theConstitution Party and a drafter of theConstitutional Restoration Act to permit government officials to acknowledge "God as the sovereign source of law, liberty, or government".[36] Former Virginia GovernorBob McDonnell began teaching at Robertson School of Government in 2017.[37] The School of Divinity includes the theologianGraham Twelftree,[38] Dean EmeritusH. Vinson Synan,Pentecostal theologianAmos Yong, and church historianStanley M. Burgess.[39] The lateJ. Rodman Williams was professor emeritus.[40] Former US representativeMichele Bachmann became dean of the Robertson School of Government in 2021.[41]
Regent University's athletic teams are known as the Royals. The primary logo, known as the cipher, consists of the letter "R" adorned with a crown. The crown comes from the original crown used in the Regent University Crest representing the Lord's sovereignty over all.
The Royals compete as a member of theNational Christian Collegiate Athletic Association (NCCAA) in the South Region of the Division I level. Notable Royals include 3x National Champion Marelly Balentina who won the indoor and outdoor NCCAA National Championships for Track and Field in the Women's Javelin and Shotput. Balentina was also Named 2022's VASID women's field athlete of the year.[42][43][44]
On September 1, 2024, Regent University began its exploratory year inNational Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)Division III. Regent's exploratory year will last throughout the 2024–2025 academic year. Upon successful completion, the university will then apply for a three-year provisional membership. On November 19, 2024, the Royals joined theCoast to Coast Athletic Conference (C2C). The university will begin competing in the C2C during the 2025–2026 academic year.[45]
Regent competes in ten intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include basketball, baseball (added in 2024–25), cross country, soccer, track & field and volleyball (added in 2024); while women's sports include basketball, cross country, soccer, track & field and volleyball.[46]
Regent University alumni include:
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36°48′10″N76°11′46″W / 36.80270°N 76.19619°W /36.80270; -76.19619
