Mike DeWine, Attorney General for the State of Ohio, and ONU alumus is this year's speaker at the Pettit College of Law commencement on Sunday, May 21.

He and his family have strong connections to the ONU College of Law. DeWine earned an honorary doctorate from Ohio Northern in 1995. Further, his daughter Alice graduated from ONU’s College of Law in 2008.

The commencement exercises will be held at 2 p.m. on May 21. Doors will open at 12:30 p.m., with the musical prelude at 1:30 p.m. and the academic processional at 1:45 pm. A reception will be held in the College of Law building following the ceremony.

Aaron Boris, a graduating law student from Ithaca, N.Y., will be the student speaker.

Keynote speaker Mike DeWine, a 1972 graduate of the ONU College of Law, has made protecting the state’s families a priority during his time as Ohio attorney general.

To better protect youth, DeWine created a special Crimes Against Children Unit to help identify, arrest and convict sexual predators. He has also increased training for law enforcement and educators to help improve school safety; fight human trafficking, child abuse, missing children and bullying; and meet the needs of foster youth.

DeWine has also devoted resources to fight Ohio’s prescription drug abuse and heroin problems, increased the number of criminal prosecutions in consumer fraud cases and dramatically decreased the turnaround time for testing of DNA evidence.

DeWine has a long and distinguished career in public service. He served as Greene County prosecuting attorney, in the Ohio State Senate, in the United States House of Representatives, as Ohio lieutenant governor and in the United States Senate.