Mike Pence, 48th Vice President of the United States, is known for gracefully advancing conservative policies with respect to limited government, fiscal responsibility, economic development, educational opportunity and upholding the fundamental virtues of the U.S. Constitution.

In March 2022, Pence’s policy organization, Advancing American Freedom, announced its Freedom Agenda, a vision for restoring freedom and a framework of ideas and solutions for how to achieve that vision. The Freedom Agenda provides a clear set of ideas that conservative leaders can use to advance a positive vision for the future and addresses the top priorities of the American people: economic opportunity, American strength and leadership on the world stage, and American culture.

His autobiography,So Help Me God, was published in 2022 and his second book,Go Home for Dinner, was published in 2023.

Pence’s lecture is presented as the 2025 Alice Pope Shade Lecture, which is sponsored annually by the Department of Religious Studies and brings to campus nationally and internationally renowned religious scholars and leaders. While religious faith is personal, it is never merely private. The Pope Shade Lecture typically explores the role religion plays in various aspects of public life: civic, social, spiritual, political, moral, environmental, and in terms of the formation of individual character.