Presidential Inauguration
Celebrating Dr. Lori Stewart Gonzalez, Ohio University's 23rd President.
The University Board of Trustees welcomes the University community and special guests to the Investiture Ceremony for Lori Stewart Gonzalez, Ph.D., 23rd president of Ohio University.
Wednesday, October 18 — 2:30 p.m.
Templeton Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium
46 East Union Street, Athens Ohio 45701
Reception immediately following on the West Portico Lawn
Delegates from across the nation will be invited to represent their institutions in celebration of Dr. Lori Stewart Gonzalez during the investiture ceremony. Official invitations will include an RSVP link as well as hotel information.
Delegates that have questions about the event may contact president@ohio.edu.
All of Ohio University’s faculty are invited to participate in the Academic Processional. Official communication will include a RSVP form as well as regalia rental information.
Details about processional lineup will be shared at a later date.
Defined as the “act or ceremony of conferring the authority and symbols of a high office,” an investiture is an academic ceremony in which a new leader is “vested” with the official powers of office. Held during a president’s first year in office, an investiture provides an opportunity to welcome a new chapter in a university’s history and celebrate as a community.
In short: “Inauguration” refers to events planned to celebrate a new president, “installation” is the actual moment the new president assumes office and an “investiture” is the ceremony itself.
Academic traditions are a hallmark of higher education institutions. Regalia (caps, gowns and hoods) worn at university ceremonies are patterned after the attire of monks and students in the Middle Ages. The president’s medallion and chain of office, the president’s regalia, the university mace and the university seal are all physical symbols of the institution.
The president’s medallion and chain of office designate the wearer as the temporary embodiment of the institution’s power and authority. The Ohio University Ceremonial Mace is modeled after the balustrades of an original stairway of Cutler Hall, the oldest building on the Athens campus. It features the University seal and a stylized representation of the Cutler Hall cupola. The mace is carried and displayed during official ceremonies at Ohio University, including Commencement.
The president’s gown is green with four black velvet bars on the sleeves. Presidents are the only academics entitled to wear the fourth bar. Two black velvet panels are trimmed with gold cording. The hood is made of blue velvet and lined with green silk. The regalia is completed by a black velvet tam (headwear) with a gold tassel.
Worn by the president at official Ohio University functions, the Seal of Office also is made of silver and bronze. The primary medallion features a silhouette of Cutler Hall, the date of Ohio University’s founding (1804) and the words “Ohio’s First University.” The secondary medallion, at the back of the chain, is the University seal. Smaller medallions, replicas of the two center portions of the University seal, are interspersed alternately with the chain’s links.