Wooster Officially Welcomes Grant H. Cornwell as College's 11th President

Inauguration ceremony held Saturday in McGaw Chapel

Grant Cornwell addresses trustees, faculty, students, staff, guests, and visitors on Saturday in McGaw Chapel following his inauguration as Wooster's 11th president.

Inauguration Photo Gallery

WOOSTER, Ohio - Outside of McGaw Chapel, a seldom-used bell just south of the building rang 11 times on Saturday morning, officially welcoming Grant H. Cornwell as The College of Wooster's 11th president. Inside the newly refurbished chapel, an exquisite inauguration ceremony, which featured music from the Scot pipers, the Gospel Choir, The Wooster Brass, and The Wooster Chorus, unfolded before an admiring audience of trustees, alumni, faculty, students, staff, and guests.

James Wilson '63, chair of Wooster's Board of Trustees, welcomed those who had gathered and introduced the Reverend Dr. Eugene C. Bay '59, who in his invocation asked that the president be blessed with a "discerning eye, a listening ear...and the knowledge that there is wisdom beyond his own on which he can call."

Mary Neagoy '83, president of Wooster's Alumni Association, spoke for Wooster's nearly 30,000 graduates when she said "We are truly honored to have you lead our college;" Jennifer Smith '83, president of Wooster's Black Alumni Council, said, "We look forward to working with you side by side as you advance your vision for diversity;" and S. Qaisar Imam '91, president of the International Student Alumni Network, lauded him for his desire to nurture "responsible global citizens among Wooster students."

Each of Wooster's five international student Ambassadors welcomed the new president with a greeting in their native tongue and a gift from their homeland. Fengzhi Chen, a sophomore from China, presented a teapot with a logo from the upcoming Olympics in Beijing and advised him that "the more tea you drink, the more handsome you will become." Aung Maw Myo Lwin, a sophomore from Myanmar, gave Wooster's new leader an antique Burmese cowbell in recognition of his role as the lead cow at the COW.

Daniel Bourne, professor of English, followed with a reading the poem he wrote for the inauguration, titled "Immanuel Kant on the Shores of the Caribbean."

Daniel Sullivan, president of St. Lawrence University, where he and Cornwell were colleagues for more than a decade, offered the induction address, in which he likened the moment to the bittersweet emotions of a father on his daughter's wedding day. "I'm here to give Grant away," said an emotional Sullivan, who also spent 10 years as president at Allegheny College. "He is ready to be president, and he will be a very tight fit here at Wooster."

The key to Old Main, Wooster's original academic structure that was destroyed by fire more than a century ago, was presented by Patricia Riley '08, president of the Student Government Association; Ronald Hustwit, the Frank Halliday Ferris Professor of Philosophy at Wooster; Lenny Urban, who represented Wooster's staff; and Steven Glick '79, who represented Wooster's alumni. Speaking for the group, Riley expressed confidence in Cornwell's ability to "remain true to the ideals of a Wooster education and to continue the longstanding tradition of excellence at Wooster."

James Wilson returned to the podium to conduct the induction. In his brief remarks, he described the new beginnings and endings (e.g. convocation, I.S. Monday, commencement, etc.) as regular rhythms on a college campus, but pointed out that presidential terms unfold as longer rhythms. The new president was greeted with a warm and robust standing ovation.

In accepting the office of president, Cornwell took time to express his respect and gratitude for the 10 presidents who came before him. "I know that I am on a path that has been paved with love, devotion, and lifetimes of hard work by others," he said. "I am a new steward of this great college. My duty is as much to those who have come before me as it is to the current students and faculty and the generations who will follow them."

While acknowledging the richness of Wooster's history and commending the faculty for their unbounded devotion that has produced "a deep historical reservoir of alumni accomplishments," Cornwell also addressed the importance of being open to change. "Wooster can only remain the vibrant learning community that it is if we are constantly reshaping ourselves in response to changes in knowledge and changes in the world."

Cornwell also praised Wooster for its commitment to diversity throughout its history. "This is a cosmopolitan institution in its bones, a place formed and framed with a social conscience," he said. "This is important to remember as we imagine our future; precisely because the pace of globalization has accelerated, The College of Wooster has to remain focused on the world we are preparing our graduates to lead."

In describing his vision for Wooster as a liberal arts college, Cornwell said, "I believe we have the obligation to graduate students who have the intellectual and moral wherewithal to do well in the world and to do good. I believe we owe this to our students and to the world they will inherit. A Wooster education is a profound investment in the development of each student who passes through here."

As for the value of a Wooster degree, Cornwell said, "An education of this quality provides access to leadership and, for many, prosperity," but he warned, "Access to leadership and prosperity is also, therefore, access to influence, and with the ability to influence comes the obligation to apply influence in the service of justice, fairness, respect, and decency."

Cornwell went on to extol the virtues of a Wooster education through the stories of those who had benefited from it, including The Honorable Solomon Oliver, Jr. '69, U.S. District Court Judge; Donald L. Kohn '64, vice chairman of the Federal Reserve; and Karen Lockwood '72, former president of the Women's Bar Association of the District of Columbia.

"In my short time here, it has become clear to me that our unique education program that culminates in the Senior Independent Study is what we do that makes us who we are," he said, adding "Wooster rests on an admirably rock-solid foundation, not so much of bricks and mortar, but of history, of the humanity of our graduates, of the hearts of our faculty, and of the promise we find in each of our students."

As for the future, Cornwell said, "Here is what I wish for our students, and what I will seek to support while I am here. I will look for them to be engaged and responsible global citizens, doing well in the world and doing good. I will look for them to manifest in their lives an intolerance of injustice, the wherewithal to intervene, compassion for the frailty of happiness, and a sense of humor sufficient to take joy in the adventure. And of course, I will look for independent minds with a highly developed capacity for working together with others equally independent. Finally, like John Newton, our graduates will encounter storms, moral upheavals, both personal and political. I wish for them, perhaps above all, a capacity for amazing grace."

The inaugural weekend began Friday morning with "A Moveable Feast of Undergraduate Research," a celebration of Wooster's commitment to undergraduate research. Seniors in six locations across campus proudly displayed their Independent Study projects and discussed their results in what may have been Wooster's most successful effort yet to showcase its nationally acclaimed I.S. program. From posters in Kauke, Severance, Scovel, Taylor, and Morgan Halls to displays in Freedlander Theatre and exhibitions in Ebert Art Center, more than 100 seniors participated in the three-hour event that featured food from local eateries at each of the locations. The campus seemed to come alive as scholars of all ages streamed in and out of the six buildings hoping to learn more about a vast array of projects while grabbing a bite to eat along the way.

Following the feast, a group of students, faculty, and alumni gathered in Freedlander Theatre to provide their perspectives on "The Transformative Power of Mentored Research." Later that afternoon in Gault Recital Hall of Scheide Music Center, President Cornwell moderated "The Education Our Students Need Now: A Roundtable on Liberal Learning in the 21st Century," a fascinating exchange of ideas among five liberal arts scholars who provided thoughtful responses to provocative questions about everything from access and affordability to the role of spirituality in a liberal arts education.

On Friday evening, Martha Nussbaum, the Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics at The University of Chicago, addressed the ethics and purpose of a liberal education in "Education for Profit, Education for Freedom" before an overflow crowd in Freedlander Theatre. The day concluded with a reception at the President's Home.

After the Inaugural Convocation on Saturday, an all-campus picnic luncheon was held at Lowry Center. Later in the afternoon, a performance by the Wooster Dance Company and the Percussion Ensemble was held in Freedlander Theatre. That evening, the Inaugural Gala took place Lowry Center. The inaugural events came to a close on Sunday with a Music Hour in McGaw Chapel.