Elmhurst College to Inaugurate 14th President In Late October

Submitted by Elmhurst College.

--

ELMHURST, Ill., October 6, 2016— Elmhurst College will inaugurate its 14th president, Dr. Troy D. Van Aken, on Saturday, October 22, during a ceremony that will include students, faculty, alumni, community leaders and delegates from other colleges and universities.

In the week leading up to the ceremony, the College will host a variety of events on campus to commemorate this historic moment. From theater and music performances to social gatherings and a home football game, Inauguration Week activities will celebrate not only the start of Dr. VanAken’s presidency, but also the high caliber of student achievement and endeavor at Elmhurst College.

Inauguration Week begins with a football game at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 15, as the Elmhurst College Bluejays take on the Carthage College Red Men at Langhorst Field. President VanAken will serve as honorary captain, and Bluejay fans will get a chance to take photos with the president and the team mascot, Victor E. Bluejay.

That evening, the VanAkens will attend the final performance of The Addams Family: A New Musical, at the Mill Theatre. Directed by Associate Professor of Theatre Janice Pohl, the production brings the macabre yet familiar story of everybody’s favorite Gothic American family to the stage.

At 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 16, the VanAkens will attend the Elmhurst College Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band Concert, which will feature Director of Bands James Hile in his first appearance as full-time conductor of the Wind Ensemble.

The VanAkens also will attend the nursing department’s first “white coat ceremony,” which welcomes nursing students to the professional part of their training. Later in the week, the VanAkens will join the College in honoring this year’s recipients of the Founders Medal, given to those who further the mission of Elmhurst College through personal service and philanthropy. This year’s winners are BMO Harris Bank, Professor Wallace Lagerwey and the Stanger family.

At 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 20, all are invited to “Ethical Intelligence: Becoming Stronger Leaders, Citizens and Friends,” part of the Rudolf G. Schade lecture series at Elmhurst College. The lecture will be led by Bruce Weinstein, a popular Fortune and Business Week columnist who writes about character, leadership and "ethical intelligence."

At 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 22, all are invited to Hammerschmidt Memorial Chapel to attend Imagining Elmhurst: The Inauguration of the Fourteenth President of Elmhurst College, Dr. Troy D. VanAken.

--

Photo courtesy of Elmhurst College's Facebook page.