Gov. Herbert to speak at Dixie State University’s 109th Commencement Ceremony

Gov. Gary Herbert will be the featured speaker at Dixie State University’s 109^th Commencement Ceremony that is set to honor the institution’s largest-ever graduating class.

During the ceremony, which is scheduled to take place on May 1 in Greater
Zion Stadium on the Dixie State campus, Herbert will address the 2,311 students
who have applied to graduate.

“We are honored that Governor Herbert will be on campus to help us celebrate
Dixie State University students’ successes at our 109^th Commencement
Ceremony,” Dixie State President Richard B. Williams said. “As the institution
grows at a record pace, we have the privilege of recognizing more students than
ever before.”

Herbert took office in 2009 and is currently the
nation’s longest-serving governor. During his time in office, he has kept a
resolute focus on economic development, improving Utah’s educational excellence
and working today to guarantee that Utah will continue to maintain its high
quality of life far into the future. Under his leadership, Utah’s economy has
risen to a position of national and international success.

Herbert was born and raised in Utah County, where
he would eventually serve as a County Commissioner for 14 years. He attended
Brigham Young University, served six years in the Utah National Guard — from
1970-1976 — and started a successful real estate brokerage and development
company, Herbert and Associates Incorporated.

He served as the past president of the Utah
Association of Realtors and the past president of the Utah Association of
Counties.

Herbert has also served as chair of both the
Western Governors Association and the National Governors Association. He
currently serves as the national president for the Council of State
Governments. Prior to becoming governor, he served as Utah’s lieutenant
governor for five years.

Herbert is most proud of his roles as husband,
father and grandfather. He has encouraged his children to “follow in his
footsteps and marry up.” His wife, Jeanette Herbert, before becoming the First
Lady of Utah, owned and operated a commercial child care and preschool, The
Kids Connection, for 23 years. The First Lady’s initiative is called “Uplift
Families.” The goal of this initiative is to promote good parenting skills,
strengthen families, and offer resources to parents throughout the state.

Among the graduates set to hear from Herbert are 33
master’s candidates, 1,125 baccalaureate candidates, 944 associate candidates
and 209 certificate candidates. Additionally, this year marks the first time in
Dixie State’s history that more students are graduating with bachelor’s degrees
than associate’s.

The processional will begin at 8 a.m. on May 1 and the ceremony will start
immediately following the processional. To learn more about Dixie State
University’s 109th Commencement Ceremony, visit dixie.edu/commencement.