For more than a year now, Regent has experienced unprecedented growth. Recently, the university received more good news when enrollment for the spring semester reached a historic landmark.
“We have 8,000 students enrolled for the first time in our history,” Regent Founder, Chancellor and CEO Dr. M.G. “Pat” Robertson announced in a recent University Chapel service. “We have a 74-percent increase in new students this year and about another 25- to 30-percent increase in overall growth.”
To great applause, he added, “At a time when the average growth of a university in America is about two or three percent, Regent has the highest enrollment growth of any college or university in the entire United States this year.”
Ever since Robertson founded Regent University “for God’s glory” in 1978, the school’s motto has been Christian Leadership to Change the World. Today, that same conviction compels the university to provide more than $18 million annually in scholarships, grants and other tuition assistance. That financial aid is made possible through the generous support of Regent donors ― men and women who have decided to come alongside students and empower them to answer God’s call to change the world.
One of those students is Rachael Monnin, who’s currently studying to earn both a Master of Public Administration degree from the Robertson School of Government and a juris doctor from Regent Law. “Wrestling with these concepts and delving into these fields is my way of obeying His commandments to love justice and mercy,” Monnin explains.
Inspired to study law and government by her parents’ missions work in Central America, she says being exposed to other countries made her realize, “I want to promote justice and mercy in tangible ways.” When Monnin heard about Regent, she was impressed by the faculty and had a sense of excitement about attending. But that required overcoming certain obstacles: “The financial assistance I’ve received has been enormously important to my ability to attend Regent.”
Now, just months away from entering her final year of law school, Monnin is grateful to donors who make it possible: “Every day, I’m reminded that it’s because others listened to a prompting from God that I’m able to be hands and feet in the body of Christ.”
Another Regent “World Changer,” Jacob Ragsdale, is also being equipped to lead with help from the university’s faithful and generous donors. Ragsdale says the Lord “took hold” of his life during high school in rural Pennsylvania and called him into ministry.
“When I visited Regent, it was exactly what I was looking for.”
“I started looking for a university that stood firmly on biblical truth, had a thriving campus spiritual life, and had a strong commitment to academic excellence and rigor,” he explains. “When I visited Regent, it was exactly what I was looking for.”
While deciding to attend Regent was easy, figuring out how to pay for it on a limited budget presented the challenge. Through the generous financial support of donors, a scholarship helped Ragsdale earn his bachelor’s degree in 2015. He’s currently pursuing his master’s through the School of Divinity.
“To the donors who made my scholarship possible … thank you for your generosity,” he says. “Your gifts have a direct impact on the lives of students, like me, who are being shaped by God’s work in this place.”
Jessica Torres-Cedillo dreamed about attending Regent since she was 9 years old. “The Lord put a dream in my heart. … With the faith of a child, I specifically asked Him for a full scholarship.” In the fall of 2014, her childhood dream was fulfilled when she enrolled in Regent’s Biophysical Sciences program within the College of Arts & Sciences. “Now that I’m here,” she says, “Regent University is cultivating a strong foundation for my faith and equipping me to impact the world for Christ.”
Torres-Cedillo insists she would not be a Regent student if it weren’t for donors faithfully and generously supporting the university: “Had it not been for this gift, I’m not sure what I would have done,” she explains. “This scholarship is not just a financial blessing, but it’s the means by which God is fulfilling His purposes in my life.”
A sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences, Josh Griffin was born in Virginia Beach, soon after his family moved to the U.S. from Belize. Eighteen years later, he decided to attend Regent because of the university’s sense of community: “The students and faculty were unlike what I was used to. They’re caring and compassionate.”
As a business major with an emphasis on economics, Griffin is involved in Enactus, a global community of student, academic and business leaders that uses real-world business projects and entrepreneurial action to impact lives. “Through my participation, I hope to gain enough experience to prepare myself to become a future Christian business leader,” he says.
Because Enactus is a competition-based program, it relies on Regent donors to cover travel and other expenses. “Donors are a vital part of every student’s education,” Griffin explains. “When looking back, graduates will understand that these types of programs and organizations are what helped them to succeed.”
Regent is fully committed to making high-quality, Christian education affordable to those who seek it. As more and more graduate and undergraduate students enroll in record numbers, the university will require the support of donors who want to see their investment make a global impact for Jesus Christ.
Find out how you can sponsor a World Changer by calling 800.335.4409, or visit regent.edu/worldchanger.
