The May 4 installation of President Garry W. Jenkins’ featured historic firsts — �ֲ���ý’ first Black and first openly gay president— and also cheering students, hugging friends, high-five greetings, and plenty of selfies

These video highlights kick off with the early-morning robing in Commons, hitting a crescendo with the installation ceremony in an elegantly transformed Merrill Gymnasium, and winding down with a relaxing outdoor buffet lunch.

Take in these heartwarming and inspirational moments from the inauguration of Garry W. Jenkins:

(Theophyl Syslo/�ֲ���ý College)

Leading up to the timeless ritual of the installation was the academic procession, with a long line of �ֲ���ý leaders, trustees, faculty, alumni, delegates led by a festive marching jazz band, joined by boisterous students, faculty, staff, alumni, community members from far and wide.

As Jenkins himself said, “This place — our college — is a place of warmth and welcome, and you have made that abundantly and beautifully clear. And for that, I thank you.”

Before a crowd of nearly 1,000 guests in Merrill Gymnasium — and many more watching via livestream — President Garry W. Jenkins delivered his inaugural address on May 4, 2024, taking his audience through a range of shared emotions.

Of the many moments that moved us, here are 10:

‘Here, diversity and differences are embraced’

“Here, diversity and differences are embraced, even as we acknowledge that we are not yet as equitable or inclusive as we need to be, as we want to be; even as we acknowledge a college may not always get it right,” said Jenkins.

‘To my parents’

“This wouldn’t be possible without them,” said Jenkins, close to tears.

‘Accept the baton and embrace the work’

“Our predecessors have carried us far. But they did not complete the journey. In any perpetual institution like a great college or university, you never do. But what we can do is accept — or grab — the baton that is passed to us, and embrace the work, the challenges that await us, run as fast and as hard as we can during our leg of the race.”

‘Step forward with confidence’

“We step forward with confidence, grounded in, and buoyed by our commitments to innovation, to opportunity, to leadership and well-being, and civic engagement.”

‘Open to a Black president?’

“I remember a time, not too long ago, asking, ‘Would our nation’s most selective colleges ever be open to a Black president? To an openly gay president? Would that be possible? Was that a dream too big?”

‘A lived commitment’

“In �ֲ���ý I see the lived commitment to equity — to access — to belonging. Our founding story and history shouldn’t and doesn’t leave us complacent or self-satisfied; it should inspire us to continue to pursue and advance those ideals, so that everyone feels supported, feels included, feel empowered.”

‘�ֲ���ý is a gift’

“�ֲ���ý, like any great and durable institution, is truly a gift. It’s a gift from one generation to the next. But we can’t take it for granted.”

‘Rising together’

“I chose ‘rising together’ as the theme for this address because I believe deeply in the power of collaboration and teamwork.”

‘�ֲ���ý is improbable’

“�ֲ���ý, specifically, is improbable because it was a radical notion from its very founding in 1855, six years before the Civil War, founded with a distinct vision of higher education: women and men, people of all races, learning together, steadfast in an idea of what it meant to be fully human — but an outlier.”

‘A greater good for all’

“We are all its temporary stewards and guardians. We nurture and support this place and the education that occurs here because, ultimately, it advances a greater good for all.”

Shortly before the start of the installation ceremony for President Garry W. Jenkins on May 4 in Merrill Gymnasium, Sarah Potter ’77, the retired longtime director of the �ֲ���ý College Store, talked about the power of institutional rituals.

“Rituals are invaluable for the sense of intimacy and community that they create,” she said.

And Jenkins’ friends knew that he would take full advantage of his magic moment. 

“For someone who is quite informal, Garry really likes rituals,” said Martha Chamallas, a friend and professor emerita of law at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. “I think it speaks volumes. Garry finds pleasure in ritual because he finds joy in the people behind the institutional rituals — and he’s really open to becoming your new close friend!”

More than 1,000 �ֲ���ý students, faculty, staff, trustees, presidents emeriti, and alumni, joined by 60-plus delegates and many Jenkins family members, turned out to welcome, praise, and appreciate Garry W. Jenkins, turning the �ֲ���ý campus into a place of community and intimacy. 

Speaking with �ֲ���ý News senior writer Deirdre Stires, editorial assistant Hannah Kotheri ’26, and editorial director Jay Burns, here’s what they said:

�ֲ���ý students

To serve the approximately 300 guests at the inaugural dinner in the Gray Athletic Building the night before the inauguration, Dining Services for the first time enlisted student workers for the event’s waitstaff. Two waiters were Emmon Blackburn ’27 of Nardin, Okla., and Zak Adler of Jamaica Plain, Mass.

Chill place: “Just knowing what I’m representing by doing this is kind of cool, definitely. Everyone back in the kitchen knows each other and they’re always making jokes. It feels like a pretty chill place really, like one big and a-little-disoriented family!” — Blackburn

Fancy vest: “I helped set up this event on Wednesday, so by how formal everything was, I got a sense that it was pretty important. Just the fact that I’m wearing this fancy vest tells you that it’s a big event! It’s super cool that Garry is in touch with the student body and you see him all around campus.” — Adler

On Saturday morning shortly after 10:30, the academic procession moved from Commons to Merrill Gymnasium for the installation ceremony, where the �ֲ���ý College Orchestra, featuring many students, performed William Grant Still’s Festive Overture. 

Big deal: “There’s definitely a lot of pressure to perform my best today. This is a big deal. Being a part of the ceremony is truly an honor.” — Joel Keith ’27 of San Francisco, Calif., who played the trumpet 

Nerve wracking: “I feel in shock. I’m so excited to support Garry and be a part of this historic moment. Yes, it’s nerve wracking to perform today, but I’m proud to represent the college. Music is powerful, and having this event is important; it brings people together.” — Jade Pierce ’27 of Dracut, Mass., who played the viola in the orchestra

Full circle: “It’s not every day something like this happens. The students know President Jenkins; he takes the time to get to know students. Today feels more like a personal connection, like a full circle moment.” — Maddy Ewell ’24, a neuroscience major from Ridgewood, N.J., who played the violin

Surreal: “It’s really cool how often we see President Jenkins around campus. He’s just so present among the student body. It’s surreal to see him officially become president after all of these months leading the college.” — Mavy Ho ’26, a neuroscience major from Gorham, Maine, who played the violin

Shortly before the 10:30 a.m. start of the ceremony, students made their way from breakfast in Commons to the gym.

Feeling lucky: “Since there have only ever been eight other presidents during the college’s history, it’s so special to be a part of one of the classes that has the opportunity to witness this type of historic moment. It’s so special to see a president inaugurated. I feel so lucky.” — Janney Halperin ’26, an environmental studies major from Meredith, N.H.

At the installation ceremony, members of �ֲ���ý Student Government served as student delegates, including Zain Ali ’27 of Lebanon, Ohio, and Mariam Almzainy ’27 of Madaba, Jordan.

Fantastic: “It feels like a once-in-a-lifetime event for a college student and a really fitting way to end the year. It’s so nice to see all these people who are related to Garry or who want to be here in one way or another. I think it’s going to be a fantastic, fantastic day.” — Ali

Inspiration: “Last night was the dinner for all the people who were involved in the inauguration and all of these comments that we heard about Garry just showed us what a great man he is. That gives me inspiration to reach peace, to provide people with hope, and the positive influences we are looking for in this world.” — Almzainy

We all belong: “You have signaled repeatedly that we all belong here, all have a place here, all have a contribution to make and a mark to leave on this college that we all care for so deeply.” —  Rebecca Anderson ’24 of Boone, N.C., in her and Student Government co-president Dhruv Chandra’s shared welcome on behalf of students

�ֲ���ý faculty and staff

Pretty powerful: “There’s so much evidence about how much the students admire Garry and just already love him and everything about him. Yes, he goes to lots of things on campus. But they love him for his admiration of our principals and his commitment to education and because he wants to be president of a liberal arts college. That’s pretty powerful.” — James Reese, the associate dean for international student programs and a member of the �ֲ���ý staff since 1977

New and possible: “Rituals of hope and joy are just lovely things for a college to acknowledge and lean into. It’s a really beautiful day to think about what’s new and what’s possible.” — The Rev. Brittany Longsdorf, the college’s multifaith chaplain

Pass the baton: “It’s fantastic when you pass the baton and a fabulous person picks it up from you. It’s been wonderful to see the welcome that Garry has given to all the incoming delegates, the alums coming back, the trustees, and how thrilled everybody is, and to see the welcome that Garry has received from this community.” — President Emerita Clayton Spencer, Jenkins’ predecessor, one of two former presidents, with Elaine Tuttle Hansen, who took part in the installation ceremony

Moving forward: “This is an exciting and historic day for the college and certainly a day that we are celebrating not only Garry Jenkins, but also the institution, and our tradition, and our history and how we envision that history and tradition moving forward.” — Gwen Lexow, associate vice president for Title IX and Civil Rights and the delegate for Knox College, where she is an alumna and a trustee

Directness: “We see in you the curiosity and thoughtfulness and openness to the ideas of others that we center in our teaching, inside and outside the classroom. And we appreciate the directness with which you address the complexities and injustices of the current moment.” — Professor of French and Francophone Studies Mary T. Rice-DeFosse, from her official welcome on behalf of the �ֲ���ý faculty

Renewal: “My initial thoughts are: It’s a new beginning, a different administration, and I’m looking forward to what Garry has to bring. And already he’s brought a wonderful energy of renewal and excitement.” — Associate Professor of American Studies Myron Beasley, who marched with his faculty colleagues in the academic procession

Reassembled campus: “It’s fun to see the campus reassemble itself for an event like this that really is about celebrating the joy of community. It’s fun to see how many people are coming here, seeing the indoor track rearranged into an event space that’s not for getting really sweaty! It’s really marvelous. It’s great.” — Associate Professor of History Joe Hall, who marched with his faculty colleagues in the academic procession and also sang in the Maine Music Society Chorale

Energy and joy: “I’m so excited to have Garry and to have this moment. He just has so much energy, and joy, and love, and care.” — Melanie McGuire is director of information services for �ֲ���ý Human Resources and was the delegate for Thomas College, where she earned an MBA

Set apart: “Our rituals, whether an inauguration or graduation or reunion, are what help set colleges apart from so many other organizations and businesses.” —Kerry O’Brien, who retired as the �ֲ���ý assistant dean of the faculty in 2022

�ֲ���ý alumni

Bursting with pride: “My classmate who is here and I, we both said our hearts are just bursting with pride. We feel such promise, like this is a promising time for �ֲ���ý. Having Garry Jenkins here, what a great step forward for us. I’ve never felt so proud to be a �ֲ���ýie. I grew up in Portland, a poor kid, and �ֲ���ý gave me everything.” — Marjorie McCormick Davis ’76, the delegate for Vanderbilt University, where she earned a doctorate, who teared up as she offered her comment

�ֲ���ý is people: “�ֲ���ý is not the buildings, it’s the people. And I see that in Garry. He reinforces the reason people went here: we’ve alway had minorities, always had women. And I’m hearing that both from parents and also from students.” — Chuck James ’78, member of the �ֲ���ý Alumni Council who met Jenkins recently at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., hosted by the Benjamin Mays Black Alumni Society, for which James serves as treasurer

Monumental moment: “I think it’s a monumental moment for the school in a time of a lot of change: in education, in the world. Just to be the ninth president in the long history of this school is pretty extraordinary. He’s just a great leader. So I just wanted to be here and be part of the event.” — Bill Carey ’82, member of the college’s Cheney Society, which comprises former members of the �ֲ���ý College Board of Trustees

Best person: “It’s such a wonderful moment of community, so many different people coming together to celebrate just a momentous occasion: the ninth president of �ֲ���ý and also our first Black president — which is of personal great importance to me — and, by far, the best person for the job. I think that’s what we’re most excited about.” — Lance Matthiesen ’85, a member of the Board of Trustees and the Benjamin Mays Black Alumni Society

A testament: “This is a really historic moment and I’m just really proud to be here as an alum and I’m really excited to see what Garry ends up doing at �ֲ���ý. Having the first Black and gay president is both historic and really important. But I also think it speaks to �ֲ���ý’ legacy and dedication to diversity and inclusion. I think it’s a testament to that.” — Ashleigh Dior Coren ’07 of Takoma Park, Md., on campus this spring to teach a Short Term course on museum interpretation and storytelling 

Garry Jenkins’ family and friends

A good fit: “I’m proud, of course. And he’s worked hard. He’s very grounded and always prepared. �ֲ���ý is a good fit for him. He’s very interested in education and students and people, and there are things he wants to accomplish. And I think he’ll do them here. Walking through the campus, the smiles on the students’ faces and, sometimes, they comment how glad they are he’s here, that he is here for them and they feel it.” — Leslie Jenkins, mother of Garry W. Jenkins

Blessed to be embraced: “Garry and I are thrilled to be part of the �ֲ���ý community and blessed to have been embraced so warmly by everyone in it, not only today but every day since he was first named as president last March. We look forward to deepening our relationship with the college and community in the years ahead.” — Jon J. Lee, Garry Jenkins’ husband and the delegate for his alma mater, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Giving everything: “Garry has been a champion for liberal arts education for 37 years. I can recall the exact number of years because this high achiever wrote a book about the college admissions process at 16 years old! He will give everything in his heart to serve �ֲ���ý and its staff and faculty and guide this esteemed institution to continued success.” — Garry Jenkins’ brother, Chris Jenkins, from his toast at Friday’s inauguration dinner

Harness the power: “People think of transformational leaders as people who changed institutions or organizations, but that’s not what I mean here. Garry loves institutions and actions that transform people. He will not try to change �ֲ���ý, but instead will seek to harness the power of �ֲ���ý and see how it transforms the lives of its students.” — Donald Tobin, a longtime friend and former colleague of Jenkins’ at the Moritz College of Law at The Ohio State University, in his toast to Jenkins

Embodied inclusiveness: “Long before the word became fashionable, Garry embodied inclusiveness. He’s a generous spirit who gives people leeway to make mistakes and he knows that not everyone is always their best self. But there is a difference between being tolerant and inclusive and being compliant. What makes Garry truly inclusive is that he actually has very little tolerance for people who aren’t kind, for people who lie, or for people who are dismissive of other people.” — Martha Chamallas, professor emerita of law, Moritz College of Law at The Ohio University, in her toast to Jenkins

Higher education delegates, colleagues, and guests

Awesome collision: “I spent an enormous amount of time at �ֲ���ý growing up. I had a radio show at WRBC, I practiced with the �ֲ���ý ultimate team all through high school. So it’s really fun to be on a campus that I love, representing my own alma mater, and it’s just kind of this awesome collision of all of my worlds.” — Luke Livingston, who grew up in Auburn and is the founder of Lewiston-based Baxter Brewing Co., is an alumnus of Clark University

Ethical and impactful: “Through �ֲ���ý and all that the �ֲ���ý community represents, Garry’s ethical and impactful leadership, rooted in the liberal arts and an enduring set of values and humane capacities, will know no limits. Congratulations, �ֲ���ý College, on being on the Jenkins journey!” — Wendy Raymond, president and professor of biology at Haverford College, Jenkins’ undergraduate alma mater, who offered the traditional welcome on behalf of the academy

Not luck, but brilliance: “On the one hand, I want to say �ֲ���ý is so lucky to have Garry Jenkins as its president, but I don’t think it’s luck. I think it’s brilliance on the part of your search committee and your board. It’s just the right person in the right place at the right time. He is a problem solver. He is transformational in a way that makes other people do their absolute best.” — Susan Krinsky is executive vice president for operations and chief of staff of the Law School Admission Council

As Garry W. Jenkins, �ֲ���ý College’s ninth president, received the figurative, and literal, keys to �ֲ���ý’ future as its new leader today, he did so with gratitude, compassion, and determination. 

Before the roughly 1,200 guests in Merrill Gymnasium, Jenkins promised he would lead �ֲ���ý “with humility and transparency, with tenacity and enthusiasm, and, of course, with ardor and devotion.”

Offering four cornerstones that “will guide our work and propel us forward” and asking the �ֲ���ý community to “embrace the challenges that await us,” Jenkins emphasized how now more than ever �ֲ���ý needs to promote teamwork, to remove barriers to students, to become more inclusive, and to cultivate and prepare leaders for tomorrow’s challenges.

By doing so, he said, �ֲ���ý will become stronger while serving society and democracy. “They rise together.”

Jenkins, who was appointed the college’s first Black president on Feb. 27, 2023, and began his tenure on July 1 of last year, was formally installed in a transformed Merrill Gymnasium adorned in elegant, dark drapery.

The proceedings played out on a brilliantly illuminated stage, greenery along the perimeter and the �ֲ���ý seal above it all. As the academic procession arrived and took its place, the �ֲ���ý College Orchestra performed Festive Overture, composed in 1944 by William Grant Still, a 1954 honorary degree recipient from �ֲ���ý.

“I am moved beyond words by the warm welcome that you have offered me — here on this stage, on this day, but even from the very first moments that my joining this community became even a remote possibility,” said Jenkins. “This place — our college — is a place of warmth and welcome, and you have made that abundantly and beautifully clear.” 

Watch the complete inauguration of Garry W. Jenkins as �ֲ���ý’ ninth president below. (Note: If the video begins with the inauguration slideshow, please advance the video to minute 29 for the beginning of the processional.)

Before the presentation of the symbols of the college and Jenkins’ own address, several speakers from the �ֲ���ý community and beyond offered traditional welcomes to the new president. Perhaps the most heartfelt one came from two student leaders of the �ֲ���ý Student Government. Dhruv Chandra ’25 of Kolkata, India, and Rebecca Anderson ’24 of Boone, N.C.

“There was electricity in Alumni Gym on that March afternoon when you were introduced to us. And when you spoke to us that day, we were inspired,” said Chandra. 

“You have signaled repeatedly that we all belong here — all have a place here — all have a contribution to make and a mark to leave on this college that we all care for so deeply,” Anderson said. “You have encouraged us all to be leaders — to be part of the solution. And your warmth and dedication inspire us to do just that.”

Two speakers who know Jenkins well offered personal insights and praise of the new �ֲ���ý leader.

“You could not have made a better choice for an institution so steeped in history so deep in reputation and so vibrant in its momentum,” said Joan Gabel, offering the traditional introduction of the new president. Currently chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh, Gabel was president of the University of Minnesota when Jenkins was dean of the university’s law school.

“He has a unique ability to lead while creating spaces for others to find their best self. I can’t imagine a better president for an institution whose motto translates to, ‘with ardor and devotion.’”

“Congratulations, �ֲ���ý College, on being on the Jenkins journey!”

Wendy Raymond, president and professor of biology at Haverford College

Wendy Raymond is president and professor of biology at Haverford College, Jenkins’ undergraduate alma mater. She offered the traditional welcome on behalf of the academy. 

“Through �ֲ���ý and all that the �ֲ���ý community represents, Garry’s ethical and impactful leadership, rooted in the liberal arts and an enduring set of values and humane capacities, will know no limits. Congratulations, �ֲ���ý College, on being on the Jenkins journey!”

Following the welcomes came the presentation of the symbols of the �ֲ���ý presidency. 

Associate Professor of Mathematics Katy Ott and Sabeeh Khan ’24, an economics major from Islamabad, Pakistan, presented the Presidential Medallion, representing the authority vested in the president by the Board of Trustees.

The Record Book, containing the minutes of the Board of Trustees’ first meeting on April 5, 1855, and symbolizing the longevity and historical legacy of �ֲ���ý College, was presented by Andrea Bueschel ’90, a �ֲ���ý trustee who as a �ֲ���ý senior in 1990 offered student greetings to President Donald Harward, the college’s sixth president, at his installation.

The keys of the office, representing the passing down of authority through the college’s presidential lineage, were presented by Susan Nattress, who manages the �ֲ���ý electronic access system — “keys” of today.

With a winning trifecta of symbols presented, it was time to formally introduce the new president, which Greg Ehret ’91, chair of the Board of Trustees and host of the ceremony, did with a promise of solidarity and support.

“From the �ֲ���ý College Board of Trustees, from faculty, staff, students, alumni, and families, and from the many friends and champions of this great college: We offer to you our warm welcome, our dedicated labor, and our enthusiastic support. It is now my great honor to present to you the ninth president of �ֲ���ý College, Garry W. Jenkins.” A 45-second standing ovation full of cheers followed.

The installation took place six months after its originally planned October 2023 date, postponed due to the mass shooting in Lewiston on Oct. 25. As he welcomed the audience, Ehret asked for a moment of silence “in honor of the friends and neighbors we lost.” 

Jenkins also spoke about Oct. 25. “There was tragedy in the events of late October. But there was also grace and beauty in the response. I know that this community will hold both of these truths as we continue to move forward into the future,” Jenkins said. 

The sentiments resonated with the audience, especially with Lewiston mayor Carl Sheline, who, in offering the city’s welcome a few minutes before, said, “We were grateful for your partnership and outreach to our community during and after the tragic events of October 25. Amidst those dark times, you emphasized the strength of our collective support network, reminding us that our most valuable resource is our connections with each other.”

From there, Jenkins spent a few moments thanking many in attendance: Maine Gov. Janet Mills, the Board of Trustees, especially the search committee co-chairs, Bueschel and Greg Ehret ’91, the delegates who represented more than five dozen institutions, the former �ֲ���ý presidents, his family, and many others. 

He thanked his brother, Chris Jenkins, his husband, Jon Lee — whom he lovingly dubbed �ֲ���ý “first friend,” and his parents, Garry and Leslie Jenkins, who instilled in him “a belief in the power of education, the importance of thinking for yourself, and the value of building and supporting community, and community around you.”

“This wouldn’t be possible without them,” Jenkins said, his voice breaking.

Jenkins chose “Rising Together” as the theme for his inaugural address because “I believe deeply in the power of collaboration and teamwork; because I believe that when people and/or institutions join forces, opportunities multiply. Because I believe that win-wins are better and more lasting than just wins; and because I believe that we go further and are stronger when we lift one another up,” he said. 

Jenkins first spoke of the “improbable” historic firsts that exemplify �ֲ���ý’ long-standing commitment to equality.

“I am glad that today, with places like �ֲ���ý in the world, and with people like those who make up this community, no dream is too big.”

President Garry W. Jenkins

�ֲ���ý, he said, “was a radical notion from its very founding in 1855, six years before the Civil War, founded with a distinct vision of higher education: women and men, people of all races, learning together. Steadfast in the idea of what it meant to be fully human. But an outlier.” 

It is a tradition of equity and inclusion that has continued, Jenkins assured. “In �ֲ���ý I see the lived commitment to equity, to access, to belonging.”

Jenkins said that he recalled when “not too long ago, asking, would our nation’s most selective colleges ever be open to a Black president? To an openly gay president? Would that be possible? Was that a dream too big? I am glad that today, with places like �ֲ���ý in the world, and with people like those who make up this community, no dream is too big.” A robust round of applause followed.

Today, Jenkins said, �ֲ���ý remains a place where there is room for everyone regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, political or ideological viewpoint, or background. “It’s all of us at that table — we thrive, we rise together,” he said.

Then Jenkins indulged in a bit of bragging, listing �ֲ���ý’ impressive track record for sending students to top graduate programs, leading medical schools and law schools, and its rich history of fellowships, which includes the past 12 years as a Fulbright top producer.

“Am I bragging? If so, I brag for us all!” Jenkins said. “There’s so much to be proud of. But how’s we do it? We do it together!”

Jenkins then mapped out four key areas where �ֲ���ý can better cultivate tomorrow’s leaders, areas he called “the four cornerstones.”

“The task before us is to continue to evolve and raise our sights. To bolster the relationships that are at the core of our success as an institution, and to do even more to cultivate and prepare humane leaders of the next generation. To protect and enrich the gift that is �ֲ���ý for the future,” Jenkins said. 

The four areas he said will guide �ֲ���ý in the future are:

Innovation

�ֲ���ý needs to draw on the innovation and flexibility that has made it a model in such areas as inclusive excellence in education, environmental stewardship, and in integrating theory and practice into its courses, Jenkins said.

“As we move into our next chapter, we will need to draw on that innovation and flexibility to fully take advantage of our personal scale, to heighten even further the power of collaboration, meeting changing student interests and enrollment needs,” he explained.

Opportunity

Opportunity means access, Jenkins said, and �ֲ���ý seeks to educate “the most promising students from a wide range of backgrounds.”

“We want �ֲ���ý to be a place of opportunity for all,” he said. “And we will continue to open the doors of opportunity wider to highly talented students from all backgrounds, geographies, and family incomes.”

Leadership and Well-being

“We need to attend to the entire student experience, especially when it comes to leadership development and supporting well-being,” said Jenkins, who, as a law school professor and dean, became a nationally respected authority in leadership development, among other areas.

“In the years ahead, we must focus on thoughtfully and intentionally preparing our students to lead and serve for the benefit of industry, disciplines, organizations, and communities,” he said.

Civic engagement

“The work of equipping emerging adults for the responsibilities of citizenship with an understanding and development of the skills of civil discourse, constructive dialogue, active listening, respectful debate, openness to different viewpoints, negotiation, and collective problem solving has never felt more pressing.” 

�ֲ���ý students also must model civic engagement, including through the outstanding work of the Harward Center for Community Partnerships, Jenkins said. “We shall broaden the college’s role as an advocate, as a convener, and as a key institutional partner for the development and quality of life for our region,” he said, prompting a round of applause.

Growth in these areas will require further growth of the �ֲ���ý endowment and “striving for the financial standing and security that allows us to fulfill our highest aspirations,” but Jenkins promised it would reap results. 

“In so doing, we will help make it so that �ֲ���ý is even stronger and more distinguished at its 175th anniversary, a mere six years away, and also its 200th, and its 300th,” he said.

Before he closed, Jenkins circled back to the reminder that we live in troubled times: “the world is in conflict, in need. Violence, extremism, insularity, and hateful rhetoric are all-to present. Higher education is under attack, vulnerable to government interference.” 

He vowed: �ֲ���ý will address all of these challenges and more — in one united effort. “We know this because of what �ֲ���ý was, what �ֲ���ý is, and what �ֲ���ý promises it can be,” Jenkins said.

“What we can do is accept — or grab — the baton that is passed to us. Embrace the work and challenges that await us. Run as fast and as hard as we can during our leg of the race.”

President Garry W. Jenkins

Jenkins closed with a charge to the �ֲ���ý community, likening their role to that of a runner in a hotly contested relay race. “Our predecessors…have carried us far, but they did not complete the journey. In any perpetual institution like a great college or university, you never do. 

“But what we can do is accept, or grab, the baton that is passed to us. Embrace the work, the challenges that await us. Run as fast and as hard as we can during our leg of the race” in order to renew and strengthen �ֲ���ý.

“That is our task. That is our privilege.”

In 1954, American composer William Grant Still traveled to �ֲ���ý to accept an honorary Doctor of Letters degree for creating music that placed him “among the leaders in interracial influence.”

Seventy years later, Still will return to �ֲ���ý — through his music — when the �ֲ���ý College Orchestra performs his Festive Overture at the inauguration of President Garry W. Jenkins on Saturday, May 4.

By the mid-1900s, Still was known as the “dean of African American composers” for his prolific, pathbreaking career. Associate Professor of Music Hiroya Miura, the orchestra’s director and conductor, selected Festive Overture “knowing that this is the first Black president that �ֲ���ý is inaugurating, and also that Still was the first Black American composer to have his music played by major American orchestras.”

A few of Still’s achievements:

• In 1930, his Symphony no. 1, Afro-American, was the first symphony composed by a Black American to be performed by a professional U.S. orchestra, the Rochester Philharmonic.
• In 1936, Still conducted the Los Angeles Philharmonic, becoming the first Black American to lead a major American symphony orchestra.
• In 1949, Still’s Troubled Island, a story about the Haitian revolutionary Jean-Jacques Dessalines, became the first opera composed by a Black American to be performed by a major American opera company, the New York City Opera.

Still wrote Festive Overture, the piece being performed at the Jenkins inauguration, in 1944 as the winning entry in a nationwide competition by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra to celebrate the orchestra’s 50th anniversary. 

It opens with a brass fanfare and an exuberant march. The middle section serves as a romantic interlude with cinematic echoes, a nod to Still’s wide ranging career that also included arranging works for theater and for Hollywood films.

Born in 1895 in Woodville, Miss., to parents who were teachers, Still attended Wilberforce University, a historically Black college in Ohio, leaving before graduating to pursue music. 

One of his first gigs was . Still was the first person to arrange Handy’s “Beale Street Blues” and “St. Louis Blues.”

That was Still’s first experience with blues music and it inspired him to use his music as a social force. , “In the South, where I had gone around and listened to [blues musicians] at their source, I felt that they represented the yearning of people who were reaching out for something that they’d been denied…. I felt that hope and sorrow in the blues, and I wanted to use that idiom, I wanted to dignify it through using it in major symphonic composition.”

Still served in the U.S. Navy in World War I. Admittedly “so bad” in his initial job as a mess attendant, he began playing the violin with a white pianist in the officers’ mess. “Even when we were attacked by torpedoes…we had to keep the music going,” he said.

After the war, he began working as a performer and arranger in clubs and musical theater; he also briefly studied at Oberlin; with George Chadwick at New England Conservatory; and privately with experimental composer Edgard Varèse. One of his gigs was playing oboe in the pit orchestra for the landmark 1921 musical revue Shuffle Along, which is credited with inspiring the Harlem Renaissance.

In the early 1920s, Still was , founded by Handy’s partner, Harry Pace, and based in Harlem.

Still wrote his best-known work, the symphony Afro-American, in 1930. Besides the title, Still offered other clues about the message of the music, including written notes that it was about “the sons of the soil” and, optimistically, about the “transforming effect of progress” for Black Americans. He suggested four subtitles for its movements, each building upon and succeeding the other: “Longing,” “Sorrow,” “Humor,” and “Aspiration.”

“The pathos of [the blues’] melodic content bespeaks the anguish of human hearts,” Still wrote. “What is more, they, unlike many spirituals, do not exhibit the influence of caucasians.”

William Grant Still’s Afro-American, performed in 2018 by The Orchestra Now:

He settled in Los Angeles in the 1930s, a decade that saw him receive two Guggenheim Fellowships, and continued to compose. In 1936, The Call, the prominent Black newspaper of Kansas City, Mo., reported that Still had landed “probably the most significant official job ever given to a Negro in the motion picture industry” when he was signed as an assistant musical director to Academy Award-winning musical director Morris Stoloff. 

“Of special interest is the fact that Still’s job is not…of compositing Negro spirituals and folklore of his race for the pictures,” The Call reported, but to create the best possible music for any given picture.

“Still was an incredible figure because he led so many lives in a way,” says Miura. He was a musician, band director, musical director, and composer. “And he was also a big influence for people like Duke Ellington. So he was really at the confluence of different musical genres.”

In 1940, Still wrote a ballad protesting the fact that federal antilynching legislation was stalled in the U.S. Senate. And They Lynched Him on a Tree has been called Still’s “most important work of .”

Still was a protester and a patriot. During World War II, Still was one of 17 composers invited by the League of Composers to write a work that reflected patriotic themes and the war. He chose to honor Black Americans fighting abroad, creating “In Memoriam: The Colored Soldiers Who Died for Democracy.” 

Still’s patriotism and loyalty to the U.S. ran deep, his granddaughter, the musician and journalist in 2020. “My grandfather was a patriot to his dying day. He came out of a tradition from my great-grandmother of believing that African Americans could earn a safe and successful place in the U.S.”

Writing about “The Colored Soldiers Who Died for Democracy,” Still said, “Our civilization has known no greater patriotism, no greater loyalty than that shown by the colored men who fight and died for democracy,” he said. “I also hope that our tribute to those who died will make the democracy for which they fought greater and broader than it has ever been before.”

For Still, service in World War II and other patriotic contributions could be the turning point for Black Americans. As Headlee said, “If white people in general knew how hard working and good and brave and moral African Americans were, that racism would end. He was wrong about that. But part of his patriotism and love for his country came from this optimism.”

William Grant Still’s “In Memoriam: The Colored Soldiers Who Died for Democracy,” performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra in January 1945. 

Still’s honorary degree citation from �ֲ���ý reflects his efforts to achieve racial and social justice through his music. “Some…have improved race relations through court enactments; others have written flaming books or moving plays. William Grant Still’s contribution has been as a dedicated man who strongly believes that if a negro’s creative art is of first quality he will be ranked among the leaders in interracial influence.” 

In her interview, Headlee said she believed that her grandfather, who died in 1978, didn’t think that he would be remembered.

Yet, in Los Angeles, the William Grant Still Arts Center is part of the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs and his papers are preserved by Duke University’s Rubenstein Library and the University of Arkansas. 

Over this past winter, his , was presented by the . And recently, Still’s Symphony no. 2, Song of a New Race, was performed by The Orchestra Now as part of the current Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibition, The Harlem Renaissance and Transatlantic Modernism.

And, in Merrill Gymnasium on the �ֲ���ý campus on May 4 and streamed to the world, �ֲ���ý will present Still’s optimistic Festive Overture, which “bespeaks the warmth of the American people and the grandeur of scenic America,” according to its original notes, to create a happy and optimistic vibe for the installation of the ninth �ֲ���ý president, the college’s first Black leader, Garry W. Jenkins.