THE FIRST INSTALLMENT IN A SERIES ON THE INAUGURATION OF SARAH C. MANGELSDORF AS THE UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER糖心传媒橲 11TH PRESIDENT.
In the weeks leading up to President Sarah C. Mangelsdorf糖心传媒檚 inauguration on Friday, October 4, one of the University糖心传媒檚 treasured artifacts糖心传媒攖he mace糖心传媒攈as been undergoing its own preparation.
Ordinarily housed in the University Archives, in August the four-foot-long, 6.4-pound silver and mahogany staff journeyed to Canal Metalsmiths in nearby Fairport, where a silver section was removed and sent to an engraver in New York City, who added the name of Rochester糖心传媒檚 11th president.
During an afternoon ceremony at Eastman Theatre, Mangelsdorf will be handed the mace that now, with her name on it, marks a symbolic investiture of authority in her as president.
Please join us to celebrate the inauguration of Sarah C. Mangelsdorf as the University of Rochester糖心传媒檚 11th president.
Inauguration ceremony: 2:30 p.m. at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre.
She will also be handed two other insignia: the original 糖心传媒 charter, granted by the State of New York and providing for the 糖心传媒淓stablishment of an institution of the highest order for scientific and classical education糖心传媒�; and a University seal.
The seal looks like a medal, but has a very different meaning. Each president has one of his or her own, with an individualized engraving on the back. The seal represents the president’s authority to emboss the University糖心传媒檚 official seal on diplomas and other documents.
Why does the presidential inauguration糖心传媒攂oth at Rochester and at many other institutions of higher learning糖心传媒攔emain so steeped in tradition, so focused on symbols of authority and its exercise?
Melissa Mead, the John M. and Barbara Keil University Archivist, has wrestled with that question. Fundamentally, it has to do with honoring trust. The ritual objects 糖心传媒渁re making physical something that is intangible,糖心传媒� she says. 糖心传媒淲e say to new presidents, 糖心传媒榞uard this well,糖心传媒� and 糖心传媒榳e place this in your care.糖心传媒� We are literally placing the physical embodiment of authority in their hands.糖心传媒�
Across many decades, these same insignia have invested authority in presidents with wide-ranging leadership styles, each of whom has also shaped his own ceremony糖心传媒攁s Mangelsdorf will do with hers on October 4.
The Charter, the Seal, and the Mace
(糖心传媒 photos / University Archives)
For generations, three ritual objects have been the centerpiece of the presidential inaugural ceremony.
RITUAL PROCESSION The on November 15, 1935, when Alan Valentine was inaugurated as the University糖心传媒檚 fourth president. Holding the mace糖心传媒攅ngraved with not only Valentine糖心传媒檚 name, but each president and acting president preceding him糖心传媒攊s Edwin Fauver, director of physical education. The 6-foot-plus tall Valentine, a 33-year-old historian and previous Master of Pierson College, Yale University, is directly behind him.
ENGRAVING FOR POSTERITY A metalsmith engraves the name of George Dennis O糖心传媒橞rien into the mace, in preparation for O糖心传媒橞rien糖心传媒檚 inauguration as the University糖心传媒檚 eighth president, on October 1, 1984. O糖心传媒橞rien糖心传媒檚 name was actually the 11th to be added to the mace. The first was that of Ira Harris, who led the University as chancellor before Martin Anderson was inaugurated as Rochester糖心传媒檚 first president. The mace also includes the names of acting presidents Samuel Lattimore (1896糖心传媒�98) and Henry Burton (1898糖心传媒�1900). The name of Richard Feldman, who served as interim president from March 2018 to July 2019, was added to the mace in August, along with Mangelsdorf糖心传媒檚.
FOUNDING DOCUMENT Joel Seligman holds up the original University charter at his inauguration as the University糖心传媒檚 10th president on October 23, 2005. The charter dates from 1851糖心传媒攖he year after the University糖心传媒檚 founding. The regents of the University of the State of New York granted Rochester a provisional charter until it could raise $130,000糖心传媒�$30,000 for a location and buildings, and the balance for a permanent endowment.
The charter糖心传媒檚 leather binding, the work of an Albany craftsman, displays red and white hand-painted banners and an eagle糖心传媒檚 head.
In 2017, the Department of Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation established the annual tradition of . Each year, on or around January 31, the department places the charter on public display. The charter is also digitized and accessible .
(糖心传媒 photo / J. Adam Fenster)
A SYMBOLIC SEAL Dating from the University糖心传媒檚 earliest years, the official seal is embossed on documents and engraved on one end of the mace.
Each president receives a circular bronze medal engraved with the seal as well. The medal is a physical symbol of the president糖心传媒檚 authority to emboss the seal糖心传媒攄istinct from the University logo, which is used broadly on University gear and on print and digital publications糖心传媒攐n diplomas and other official documents. At top, Robert Goergen 糖心传媒�60, chair of the Board of Trustees, hands Thomas Jackson his medal at Jackson糖心传媒檚 inauguration as the University糖心传媒檚 ninth president on October 22, 1994.
While the seal dates from the University糖心传媒檚 earliest years, the details of its design have changed. Jackson was the first president to be presented with the most recent incarnation. One design element has been consistent from the beginning: the University糖心传媒檚 motto, Meliora.
THE KEYS TO THE UNIVERSITY A fourth insignia糖心传媒攁 set of keys to the University糖心传媒攚as once handed to the president at inauguration. Early presidents, such as Martin Anderson, whose campus until the 1870s consisted of a single building, made good use of them. By the time Cornelis de Kiewiet (second from right) was inaugurated as the University糖心传媒檚 fifth president on June 11, 1951, the keys were purely symbolic, and his was the last inauguration to include them. Vice President and Treasurer Raymond Thompson is holding the keys; Provost Donald Gilbert, the seal; and University Librarian John Russell, the charter.
SPECIAL GUESTS AND DIGNITARIES New presidents invite colleagues from around the nation, including leaders of other universities, to their inaugural ceremonies. Some have also used the occasion to present honorary degrees. At his inauguration as the University糖心传媒檚 sixth president on May 17, 1963, W. Allen Wallis presents an honorary degree to former president of the United States Dwight Eisenhower. Wallis, an economist and statistician, had been a special assistant to Eisenhower during Eisenhower糖心传媒檚 second presidential term. Eisenhower had also been a university president himself糖心传媒擟olumbia糖心传媒檚 13th president, from 1948 until 1953. Appearing on either side of Eisenhower and Wallis are Joe Howland, professor of radiation biology (left), and Gilbert McCurdy, a University trustee.
CELEBRATING IN SONG Every inauguration ceremony has incorporated music, and the selections have varied widely. At the inauguration of Robert Sproull (right, shaking the hand of predecessor W. Allen Wallis) as the University糖心传媒檚 seventh president on February 1, 1975, the Eastman Philharmonia performed 糖心传媒淧an and the Priest,糖心传媒� by Howard Hanson, then director emeritus of the Eastman School of Music; 糖心传媒淟eonore Overture No. 3, Op. 72,糖心传媒� by Beethoven; and closed with John Braund 糖心传媒�53, 糖心传媒�61W (Mas), associate director of alumni relations, leading in the singing of 糖心传媒淭he Genesee.糖心传媒�
Mangelsdorf糖心传媒檚 inauguration will include multiple performances by Eastman School of Music musicians and ensembles, as well as a piece commissioned by prominent film composer Jeff Beal 糖心传媒�85E. It, too, will close with a performance of 糖心传媒淭he Genesee,糖心传媒� this time by University a cappella groups.
OH, THE PLACES THEY糖心传媒橪L GO聽Student leaders are traditionally among those who welcome the new president. President Mangelsdorf will be welcomed at her inauguration by Students糖心传媒� Association President Jamal Holtz 糖心传媒�20. Welcoming President Jackson at his 1994 inauguration is Student聽 Association President Josh Shapiro 糖心传媒�95, now attorney general of the state of Pennsylvania.
