(RNS) Pat Robertson will retire as president of Regent University, the Virginia school he founded, next year, the university announced Tuesday (April 28).
Robertson, 79, founded the school in Virginia Beach in 1978 and has been president since 2000. After his retirement on July 1, 2010, he will remain the university’s chancellor and a member of its board of trustees.
“Serving as Regent University’s president has been an honor and a joy,” Robertson said in a statement. “I am so delighted by the achievements of our rapidly growing school. As chancellor and a trustee, I will now focus on helping guide the university toward the next level of strategic growth and the implementation of our master plan.”
The school that opened with 77 students and seven faculty now has more than 4,500 students who earn their degrees on campus or online.
Robertson has also stepped down from some responsibilities at the Christian Broadcasting Network, the religious broadcasting empire he founded in 1960. In December 2007, the CBN board elected his son, Gordon, as chief executive officer. The elder Robertson remains chairman of CBN.