Inaugural events for President Lynne Murray begin on Oct. 26 to celebrate Baker University welcoming its 29th president. Advertised events for the week are open for students, faculty and staff to attend. President Lynne Murray listens during a tour of Parmenter Hall, the second building to be built on campus. Learning about the university was an important step for Murray in her presidency, which will be formally introduced at 11 a.m. on Oct. 30 during the inauguration ceremony in Rice Auditorium.Khadijah Lane

Inaugural events

Oct. 26: Kevin Mahogany Concert, 7 p.m in Rice Auditorium

Oct. 27: Good Morning, Baker, 7:30 a.m. in Long Student Center

Oct. 28: Kopke Lecture by Professor of Biology Darcy Russell, 9 p.m. in Rice Auditorium

Oct. 30: Chapel Rededication, 9:30 a.m. at Osborne Chapel

Following the chapel rededication will be the inaugural procession at 10:45 a.m. and the inaugural address at 11 a.m. in Rice Auditorium

The man behind planning inauguration week is Jerry Weakley, vice president for endowment and planned giving.

“Inauguration is an opportunity for the university to celebrate its past, its current being as it is, and to look greatly into the future and what Baker University will become,” Weakley said.

The inaugural address will take place in Rice Auditorium but will also be streamed live in the Long Student Center for students who cannot make it to the auditorium. Weakley said organizers expect a full house.

“I am really encouraging many students to take part in this because very few times in the university’s history have we had an inauguration,” Weakley said. “I really think they will be so glad that they were there and a part of that tradition.”

Much of the preparation for the event, which began near the end of December, was delegated to Weakley. He and a committee follow a planning calendar to stay on track.

“When Dr. Lynne asked me to step in and take [planning] back over we were about a month behind, but we caught up real quickly because we had so many people willing to really jump on board and do everything that they possibly could to make this a really significant historic and valuable event for the entire university,” Weakley said.

Almost every day Weakley goes back through the committee calendar to change things from “in progress” to “completed.”

“I meet individually, one-on-one, with each of the people and just kind of keep a running account of how they are doing on their particular portion of [planning],” Weakley said.

Warren Swenson, executive assistant in the president’s office, is looking forward to the actual convocation ceremony.

“It gives the university an opportunity to showcase itself and give the new president a time to communicate [her] vision,” Swenson said.

Swenson also said that inauguration gives Baker the chance to make known its accomplishments and future plans. He also believes inauguration to be the official start of the presidency and a time when the Board of Trustees formally vest authority to the president.

“I think it would be really cool to be a student and to experience this event because it is a seminal event in the university’s history,” Swenson said. “It is a unique opportunity to see something like this.”