Governor Bob McDonnell was selected by UVA President Teresa Sullivan to be the 2011 Commencement speaker. McDonnell will address this year’s graduating class on May 22.
Sullivan picked the Governor from among a group of nominees proposed by UVA’s Public Occasions Subcommittee. McDonnell has pushed for investments in education and proposes to award 100,000 more degrees in the state over the next 15 years.
"I want Virginia to be a magnet for the high-paying jobs of the 21st century, and that requires a commitment to making our higher education system the best in the world, while ensuring that our citizens have access to that system and all it has to offer. We are blessed with great schools, dedicated professors, and motivated students. Now, we need to build off of this foundation,” he said in 2010.
In related UVA news, the University once again received a record number of applications for the Class of 2015. According to a news release, 23,942 applications were received this year, a 6 percent increase over last year’ s number of 22,510. This number will allow UVA to add about 120 students to the class.