Trinity President Officially Inaugurated

Trinity president Danny Anderson
gives inaugural speech

Photo by Josie Liu

By Haylee Rodriguez

Hundreds of students, faculty, and alumni of Trinity University, and representatives from more than 30 institutions of higher education gathered in Laurie Auditorium on Friday to observe the investiture ceremony of Trinity’s 19th president, Dr. Danny J. Anderson.

Anderson assumed the presidency of Trinity University in May 2015. The investiture marked his formal installation as the president of the university.

At the ceremony, Anderson received the University mace and the medallion, hanging from a chain of medals each inscribed with the name and term of his predecessors. Both are symbols of the university presidency.

In his inaugural address, Anderson called on the Trinity community to connect with the university's past, commit to the university's mission, and move forward to the future with confidence.

Trinity junior Brenna Hill
after the investiture ceremony

Photo by Haylee Rodriguez

Diane Persellin, a professor of Music Education who served as the Marshall of the Procession at the ceremony, called Anderson’s speech “inspiring” and said that she thought the ceremony was “beautiful.”

For Ann Carpenter Zuk, a 1979 graduate of Trinity University and member of the Trinity National Alumni Board, the ceremony was quite emotional. “I cried through the whole thing,” she said. “The whole thing was lovely.”

Davis King, a sophomore, was among dozens of student volunteers who helped with the smooth progression of the ceremony. King said he particularly liked how Anderson spoke about the entire Trinity community and “made it not about him.”

King wasn’t the only student who enjoyed the ceremony. Brenna Hill, a junior and president of the Student Government Association, said this was her first experience with an investiture ceremony. She called Anderson’s speech “very exciting."