Herbst Inaugurated

RFH 2010, Colgate News

Sun, Oct 03, 2010

Dr. Jeffrey Herbst has been on the job as Colgate's 16th president since July, but this morning the campus community celebrated that arrival with his inauguration in Memorial Chapel.

During ceremonies attended by Colgate faculty, staff, local elected officials, friends, family, colleagues and representatives from numerous other colleges, Herbst laid out a sweeping vision for Colgate.

The other featured inaugural speaker was Dr. Greg Mills, Herbst's friend of 23 years, colleague, co-author and director of the Brenthurst Foundation in South Africa. Mills relayed comments and wishes for success from several scholars around the world and recounted some his travels with Colgate's new president while in Africa together.

He said Herbst is "interested in academia not for academia's sake" but for the purpose of solving problems. Mills also praised Herbst for the depth and accessibility of his scholarship.

The theme of the inaugural weekend and Herbst's remarks was Exploring Our Sense of Place. With that as a backdrop, Herbst explained his view of Colgate's future and what faculty, staff and students can expect. The new president also focused a considerable portion of his remarks on Colgate's physical location and the university's relationship with the Hamilton area.

Saying "Colgate and Hamilton are joined at the hip," Herbst said that alumni have already told him of their joy of returning not just to campus, but to the community as well. He cited the Saturday Farmers' Market on the village green as an essential part of life in the community.

"No website, no matter how well designed, will replace" what the Farmer's Market creates.

Herbst also acknowledged that to some prospective students and potential faculty members, Colgate's rural location in Upstate New York is a challenge. He added: "We will never apologize for our location. We will take our liability and make it our strength."

Saying the World Wide Web is "an existential threat to colleges", Herbst's asked if Web 2.0 will make going to college as old fashioned as going to a record store to buy recorded music, going to a newsstand for a newspaper or going to a travel agent to purchase an airline ticket. He said Colgate will use technology to enhance learning, but that there is no substitute for the human contact between professors and students, and students working shoulder-to-shoulder "even if it is at a laptop."

Herbst's other comments about his vision for Colgate included:

Focusing the last 21 months of the current fundraising campaign, Passion for the Climb, on creating more financial aid. It was the only comment during his speech that prompted applause from the audience.
Working with students to create healthy fraternities and sororities that are "anchors for the campus", but also having alternatives for students uninterested in Greek life.
He wants to "punch holes in the silos" on campus that separate people. He foresees a campus "without internal boundaries."
Colgate will "develop a holistic approach to technology," using it in ways to "enhance human contact." He said that next month Chief Information Officer David Gregory and University Librarian Joanne Schneider will present "a new posture on technology."
He also stressed the need for work on "How we take care of ourselves and each other." He praised the new fitness center expected to be opened in January, a new campus wellness program and the work of the Outdoor Education program.
While many of Colgate's faculty and students are already in foreign study groups, he wants to see more. He said it is his hope that every Colgate student will live and study abroad for at least one semester during their time at Colgate.
Conversely, he hopes alumni will return to Colgate more often.
And, he wants the faculty to continue its balance of scholarship and teaching.

Also during the ceremony:

Chair of the Board of Trustees J. Christoper Clifford presented Herbst with the university key;
Michael Newberg, vice president of the student government, expressed greetings from the student body;
History Professor Jill Harsin presented Herbst with the faculty gavel;
And Mari Assaid, associate vice president for university relations, delivered greetings from the staff.

Several musical selections -- including the Shaker hymn Simple Gifts -- were performed. And, the program concluded with the singing of the Alma Mater.

The inauguration was followed by brunch and a concert in the chapel.

But the inauguration included much more than the ceremonies Sunday.

Part of the weekend-long event was a luncheon on the Academic Quad Friday. At the gathering for faculty, staff and other employees, Herbst said he enjoys watching the university come to life each morning from Watson House.

"It is like watching the birth of a community each day," he said. "I want to thank you all for the privilege of being part of this community and for serving Colgate," he said.

Herbst and his family were introduced at halftime of the homecoming football game Saturday. There were also two symposia held on campus.

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