“I came here today not to look backward but to look forward. Because in these challenging times — now more than ever — we all focus on what works, and freedom works,” former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence told a crowd of nearly 700 at Utah Valley University’s Noorda Center for the Performing Arts on Tuesday. Pence was invited as a guest of the Gary R. Herbert Institute for Public Policy and spoke at a forum designed to promote civil dialogue and diversity of thought.

“I'm especially happy to be here to welcome my good friend Mike Pence, the 48th vice president of the United States, and his wife, Karen,” former Utah Governor Gary R. Herbert said. “I can tell you from personal experience that these are great people. They are people of integrity. They are people who have great faith. They love this country, [and] they love our Constitution.”

Pence addressed the crowd on several topics, including American culture, liberty, the economy, education, immigration, anti-abortion politics, and political divisiveness.

"We need to advance the cause of freedom at the state level in every state in America," Pence said.

Pence called for more civility in public discourse, especially when dealing with opposing viewpoints.

“There's a difference between telling somebody that their ideas are bad and telling them they're a bad person,” Pence said. “I think democracy depends on heavy doses of civility, and America needs to return to the civility.”

UVU students who disagree with former Vice President Pence’s previous stances exercised their freedom of expression during a silent protest outside The Noorda. They took issue with his stances on abortion, LGBTQ+ rights, and immigration.

“Because of the events today, we are trying to create a safe space where we can still have hard discussions,” Deborah Colimon, a UVU student, said. Colimon chose to stay in the Center for Social Impact and discuss her views with others during the lecture period.

The university embraces a diversity of thought. It is the foundation of the Gary R. Herbert Institute for Public Policy, which has a mission to “develop future policy leaders by engaging students and the community in current public policy issues and promoting community engagement in the political process.” The institute also “provides a space for the community to participate in civil dialogue,” “hosts public policy leaders,” “exposes students to diverse political thought,” and “helps prepare them to be good citizens.” Former Vice President Mike Pence is among several diverse thought leaders who have spoken during forums hosted by the institute, and the institute will welcome more soon.

The Exposure Gallery of the forum can be found here: https://www.uvu.edu/herbertinstitute/index.html