UPDATE: Due to the probability of inclement weather Saturday morning, the Presidential Inauguration Ceremony for Christopher F. Roellke, PhD, will move into the Edmunds Center on Saturday, Nov. 6, at 9 a.m.

 

This certainly has been a long time in coming: On Saturday, Nov. 6, Christopher F. Roellke, PhD, officially gets inaugurated as Stetson’s 10^th president.

The inauguration ceremony is set for 9 a.m. — only the sixth presidential inauguration in Stetson’s history — will be mostly virtual, with attendance limited to faculty, students, staff, the university’s Board of Trustees and other select guests.

Roellke took office on July 1, 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. His impact was immediate and has continued strong for the past 18 months.

Even before taking office, Roellke was active in Stetson’s COVID-19 discussions. As president, he not only has guided safety-protocol decision-making, but also has led efforts with faculty and students to establish priorities for the university budget, which has resulted in solid financial footing despite the pandemic.

Further, aside from leading in multiple other areas, he has championed three guiding principles regarding the university’s actions and decisions: empathy, kindness and shared ownership.

University engagement also has been noteworthy. To effectively communicate with students, faculty, staff and alumni, Roellke launched a series of webinars, now known by his nickname, “Rolks Report Live,” as well as a regular e-newsletter, the “Rolks Report.”

In addition, emblematic of his easy manner and enthusiastic spirit, the following charge has become a Roellke trademark: “GO HATTERS.”

Comments Maureen Breakiron-Evans ’76, chair of Board of Trustees: “His extraordinary efforts and his demeanor immediately validated the decision to make him president of Stetson. He jumped right in during a very challenging time, and he provided great guidance and direction. Since his official arrival — and even before taking office — President Roellke has been outstanding on many, many fronts. His leadership mantra has been kindness and always doing what is in the best interest of our students. The Board of Trustees couldn’t be more pleased.”

Fittingly, the Presidential Inauguration also includes a celebration of both academics and the arts at Stetson.

Academic Showcase

To begin the university’s inauguration weekend, Stetson’s Academic Showcase takes place Nov. 5, 1-5 p.m., at the Marshall and Vera Lea Rinker Welcome Center on campus.

Faculty members will present a diverse collection of their work, including oral presentations and posters from math and computer science, history, art, music, digital arts, biology and chemistry. Also, hosted tables will showcase nationally recognized community-based work done by the Center for Community Engagement, which strives to combine student learning and community impact, as well as the Stetson Community Education Project, a multidisciplinary college prison program committed to offering high-quality liberal arts education and learning opportunities at Florida prisons.

In-person attendees of the Academic Showcase will be required to wear facial coverings and follow physical-distancing guidelines. Virtual attendees may join the session at any time to watch the oral presentations. (See website on how to participate virtually.)

Notably, the event is different from the student-centric Stetson Showcase that occurs annually in April, celebrating student excellence in undergraduate research.

“The Academic Showcase provides an opportunity for members of the Stetson teaching community to highlight some of the diverse pedagogical and scholarly efforts that have come to define the extraordinary faculty who call Stetson home,” explained Harry Price, PhD, associate professor of chemistry and faculty director of the Brown Center for Faculty Innovation and Excellence.

Inauguration Concert

On Nov. 6 at 7 p.m., the School of Music is hosting a virtual Inauguration Concert, featuring members from the University Symphony Orchestra, Concert Choir and University Symphonic Band.

Among the University Symphony Orchestra’s performances is the final movement of Sibelius Symphony No. 2, recorded in Lee Chapel on Oct. 15. The movement is the culmination of an iconoclastic symphony that “inspired the Finnish people to a more determined sense of their own nationality when fearful of the threat from the might of neighboring Russia,” cited Anthony Hose, Stetson’s director of Orchestras.

The Concert Choir, with Professor of Music Timothy Peter, DMA, as the conductor, performs a choral repertoire by Mendelssohn and Tchesnokov, plus a new work by American composer Rosephanye Powell, “To Sit and Dream,” with poetry by Langston Hughes.

The University Symphonic Band will feature two performances recorded live in Lee Chapel on Oct. 22: Hector Berlioz’ “Overture” to Les Francs-Juges and Ron Nelson’s “Epiphanies: Fanfares and Chorales.” “Epiphanies” is a festive piece of extreme dynamic range, employing a series of fanfare-like proclamations announced by brass, woodwinds and percussion, which move from dissonance to consonance — a recurring and continuous journey from darkness to light, said Associate Professor Douglas Phillips, DMA, director of Bands.

Editor’s note: For more information about all of the Presidential Inauguration events, including the Inauguration ceremony, go here.

-Michael Candelaria