“IU is a world-class research university imbued with a spirit that enfolds students, faculty and staff alike. That spirit emanates from an overarching commitment to excellence in the teaching and research that flourish here and unite us all in the common pursuit of truth, beauty and knowledge.” —Adam W. Herbert, president, Indiana University

Led by five presidents from colleges and universities in Indiana, the procession of more than 320 robed delegates began at Showalter Fountain at 3 p.m. and wended its way into the IU Auditorium as Marilyn Keiser, Chancellor’s Professor of music, played the Roosevelt pipe organ. After famed tenor Timothy Noble, Distinguished Professor of music, sang the national anthem, the Rev. Deborah Martin, Herbert’s niece from Hustle, Va., delivered the invocation. Kenneth R.R. Gros Louis, interim senior vice president for academic affairs and chancellor of IUB, U.S. Rep. Baron Hill, Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita and Bloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan, among others, welcomed Herbert to office. The dignified occasion held moments of levity, especially in Hill’s and Kruzan’s speeches. “When I asked what I should talk about, I was told about two minutes!” said Hill.

At the height of the program, the investiture, IU Board of Trustees President Frederick Eichhorn Jr. and Grand Marshal Edwin Marshall, presented Herbert with the jewel and chain of office—a gold-plated, stone-encrusted medallion designed to reflect IU’s history and mission—which is worn by the president at ceremonial occasions. Various IU musical ensembles performed during the ceremony, including the IU Herald Trumpeters, the IU Philharmonic Orchestra and the African American Choral Ensemble.

In his inaugural address, titled “Extending the reach of knowledge,” Herbert, who assumed leadership of IU in August 2003, summarized IU’s outstanding achievements of recent decades and outlined his vision for the university’s future. The audience broke into spontaneous applause on several occasions, including when he stated the imperative of preparing students to participate in today’s world and ensuring that IU’s faculty and staff salaries are competitive with those of their peers at other schools.

A large number of students were in the audience to hear Herbert’s remarks, including junior Lindsay Taylor from Connersville and senior Katie Stark from Indianapolis, both of whom attended as part of an assignment for their intensive writing class. Both young women admitted that they found the event impressive. “The formality of the inauguration, with the traditional symbols of authority being handed over—the mace and jewel and chain of office—struck me, as I realized this tradition had only been performed a very few times in the history of IU, and I was there to witness it firsthand,” said Taylor. “I was impressed at how well attended it was, and the support from the state of Indiana and the city of Bloomington,” added Stark.

Following the ceremony, a public reception took place in the lobby of the auditorium, where heaping platters of oatmeal raisin cookies—Herbert’s favorite comfort food—and sparkling cranberry punch refreshed the milling guests before they strolled into the sunshine of a glorious spring day.

A souvenir of the occasion
A presidential inauguration is a rare occasion in the life of a university, and for those who wish to have a momento from last week’s inauguration of IU President Adam W. Herbert, Home Pages would like to send one your way.
Newsprint copies of the IU Home Pages’ coverage of the inauguration of the 17th president, including the full text of the inaugural address, are available free of charge. Images of the inauguration in this edition, by HP photographer Chris Meyer, may be purchased at nominal fees for non-commercial use.
Send requests for newsprint editions or for a photography rate sheet by E-mail to homepgs@indiana.edu or by snail mail or Campus Mail to IU Home Pages, 400 E. 7th St., Poplars 726, Bloomington, IN 47405.