Jeb Bush to speak at Grove City College commencement

Staff report

grove city, pa.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush will speak at Grove City College’s 134th commencement at 10 a.m. May 17 on the Quad between Harbison Chapel and Crawford Hall on campus.

Bush, the head of a consulting company, served as the Sunshine State’s governor from 1999 to 2007 and is an acknowledged reformer and policy wonk who brings civility to and elevates the discussion of how to address the key challenges facing America today.

He is the son of President George H.W. Bush and brother of President George W. Bush.

He isn’t, however, the first Bush to speak at Grove City College.

“The campus community at our 2011 commencement greatly enjoyed hearing Mrs. Laura Bush as our speaker. We now look forward to hosting the honorable Jeb Bush, former two-term governor of the state of Florida, son of our nation’s 41st president and brother of our 43rd, as our commencement speaker,” college President Richard G. Jewell, ’67, said.

Jeb Bush has led change by inspiring citizens, business people and policymakers. He offers comprehensive strategies to overcome difficulties by remaining focused on what matters most. A student of policy, he dissects the current political climate by offering fresh insights on the hot-button issues in the news.

Born and raised in Texas, Bush moved to Florida in 1981 where he and a partner started a real- estate development company that grew to become the largest, full-service commercial real-estate company in south Florida.

Bush served as Florida’s secretary of commerce in the late 1980s and promoted the state’s business climate worldwide. He made an unsuccessful bid for governor in 1994 and afterward went on to found the nonprofit Foundation for Florida’s Future, which joined forces with the Greater Miami Urban League to establish one of the state’s first charter schools, and co-authored “Profiles in Character,” a book profiling 14 of Florida’s civic heroes.

He was elected governor in 1998 and focused on reforming education. Florida students made great gains and the state became one of a handful to narrow the achievement gap. In addition, Bush cut taxes every year during his tenure and put Florida on the forefront of consumer health care advances by signing landmark Medicaid reform legislation in 2006.

Bush is head of Jeb Bush and Associates, where the clients range from small technology start-ups to well-known Fortune 500 companies. He is also the chairman of Foundation for Excellence in Education, a national foundation focused on education reform, co-chairman of the Barbara Bush Family Literacy Foundation and chairman of the National Constitution Center. He is co-author of “Immigration Wars: Forging an American Solution.” He lives in Miami with his wife, Columba. They have three children and three grandchildren.

In case of inclement weather, the commencement ceremony will take place in the College’s Physical Learning Center Arena.

The college’s Baccalaureate service will take place at 7 p.m. May 16 on the Quad, weather permitting.

The Grove City College Touring Choir will provide special music and the officers of the Class of 2014 will lead the service. Ron Moore, senior pastor of The Bible Chapel in the South Hills, will be the speaker.

Moore received a doctorate in ministry in 2000 and a master’s degree in theology in 1985 from Dallas Theological Seminary. He also has a master of arts degree in education. He joined The Bible Chapel’s staff in 1989. He and his wife, Lori, have four children: Brittany, Garrison, Mackenzie and Lara, who is a member of the 2014 graduating class.