Faulkner University draws crowds, raises money with big-name speakers

Former President George W. Bush

MONTGOMERY, Alabama
Faulkner University may be small, but size doesn’t stop well-sought-after speakers from coming to the Montgomery campus.
Last year former Alaska governor and 2008 GOP vice presidential  candidate Sarah Palin spoke in the fundraising event that raised more than $1 million for the school’s scholarship fund. This year, former President George W. Bush will speak October 6.
“A lot of the values that they support are the same that we do,” said Leigh Brannan, director of public relations for the university. “In Palin’s speech, and we expect in President Bush’s speech, emphasis was put on patriotism, love of country and serving others. And service is a major component of what we teach students here at Faulkner.”
At their root, the speaking events are major fundraising events for the school. The money raised goes into the university’s scholarship fund.
“We’re hoping to do just as good or better than last year, and we hit over 1 million dollars last year,” Brannan said.
So, how does Faulkner land these big name speakers to raise money?
“I think they can see what we are doing with our students and with our community – we’re not just teaching subjects out of a book, we’re teaching things from a Christian perspective, we’re teaching things with value-based understanding and people really appreciate that,” Brannan said.
Besides the money, Brannan said the university has also benefitted from the attention these speakers bring.
“It catches people’s attention that might not necessarily look at Faulkner,” Brennan said. “They hear about President Bush or Sarah Palin and they think ‘What is this place?’”
Brannan said an added bonus is the ability of the school to bring prominent figures to Montgomery, most of whom people wouldn’t normally get to see or hear in person.
“President Bush is a very historical figure, and we want to bring someone to the River Region that we think people would enjoy getting to see,” Brannan said. “And any time you get to see a president, it’s a pretty big deal.”
Proceeds from the dinner and speech by President George W. Bush on Oct.6 will go toward student scholarships. For more information, contact Faulkner's office of University Advancement at (334) 386-7257 or visit www.faulkner.edu.