April 10, 2026
— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs
Former U.S. Representative Charlie Dent will deliver the address at Lehigh University’s Graduate Commencement and Doctoral Hooding Ceremony on May 16.
Dent, a Republican, served seven terms in Congress representing the Lehigh Valley. Before that he was in the Pennsylvania Senate and state House.
“Returning to South Mountain to address Lehigh’s master’s and doctoral students is a profound privilege,” Dent said in a statement provided by Lehigh.
Dent, 65, was a leader in the moderate wing of the Republican Party when he resigned from the House in 2018. That was eight years ago and politics has changed a lot.
He is vice president of the Aspen Institute, a nonprofit organization with an unfortunate addiction to jargon. The group describes itself as “a global convener of changemakers building a better world.” Perhaps they do some good things, but I’m not going to try to decipher this.
Another sample: “We convene diverse voices to explore complex challenges and spark ideas and foster relationships that lead to real-world impact.” Somebody is being paid to write this stuff. I wish it were me, it’s easy to write stuff that has no meaning.
Alrighty, then. I knew Charlie Dent back in his Lehigh Valley days and rented a home in Allentown from his family for a while. He’s a good guy, and if he sees this, perhaps he can get the Aspen Institute to use plain English.
Dent also makes appearances as a television commentator and he’s available for speaking engagements. Here’s a website that lists fees for Dent and others.
Dent is a graduate of Penn State with a master’s degree in public administration from Lehigh.
Dent will give his address to graduate students on May 16, one day before the undergraduate commencement on May 17.
Dent was succeeded as the Lehigh Valley’s representative in Congress by Democrat Susan Wild, who lost in 2024 to Republican Ryan Mackenzie.
Here’s a cut-and-paste version of Lehigh’s statement:
Charles W. Dent M’93, vice president of the Aspen Institute and executive director of the Congressional Program, will deliver the address at Lehigh’s Graduate Commencement and Doctoral Hooding Ceremony at Goodman Stadium on Saturday, May 16, 2026.
“Returning to South Mountain to address Lehigh’s master’s and doctoral students is a profound privilege,” Dent said. “My hope is to celebrate their hard work while reminding them that a Lehigh education is just the beginning of a lifelong pursuit of discovery.”
The former Congressman last spoke on campus in 2020, delivering the Kenner Lecture on Cultural Understanding, “A View from the Trenches: The Politics of Anger and What Challenges Centrist Problem Solvers,” describing what he called “the wretched state of American politics, driven so much by anger and fear.”
“We are honored to have such a distinguished leader share his wisdom and insight with our graduate and doctoral candidates,” Lehigh President Joseph J. Helble ’82 said. “With his experience navigating the complexities of public policy and government, I know our students will be inspired by his unique perspective on what it takes to lead with integrity and vision in today’s world.”
Inside His Years in Congress
Dent, who earned a master’s in public administration from Lehigh, had a nearly 30-year public service career, spending almost half of that time as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives serving Pennsylvania’s 15th Congressional District (now the 7th District).
While a member of Congress, Dent was a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, serving as chair of the Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies. From 2015 to 2017, he served as the chairman of the House Committee on Ethics.
Prior to serving seven terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, Dent served the 16th district in the Pennsylvania Senate for six years. He began his political career in 1991 when he was elected as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the 132nd Congressional District.
Life Outside Public Service
Dent, an Allentown native, remains involved in politics, albeit in a different capacity. At Aspen Institute, he leads bipartisan, bicameral policy education programs for sitting members of Congress. He appears on CNN and other networks regularly as a political commentator offering his insight and analysis.
After announcing he would not seek re-election in 2017 and retiring from politics in 2018, Dent joined DLA Piper, a global law firm, where he remains a senior policy advisor.
Dent was a distinguished advisor for Pew Charitable Trusts, the inaugural visiting fellow at Penn State’s McCourtney Institute for Democracy, and a former visiting fellow with the University of Pennsylvania’s Perry World House Program.
He also serves on the boards of CARE USA and the National Archives Foundation, and is a member of the Task Force for American Democracy, which was launched in November 2025.
In addition to his Lehigh education, Dent holds a Bachelor of Arts in foreign service and international politics from Penn State University. In 2015, he received an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from Moravian University.
Visit Lehigh’s Commencement website for more information on Commencement programming and updates.
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