Schatzel sees September inauguration as a celebration of TU’s history

Ceremony at SECU Arena will be the culmination of a week of inaugural events for TU community.

By Ray Feldmann on July 27, 2016

Towson University President Kim Schatzel
Towson University President Kim Schatzel

Much has been said and written in recent months about the U.S. presidential inauguration set to take place next January in Washington, D.C. But Towson University will beat the White House to the finish line when it holds its own presidential inauguration four months earlier, in September 2016.

Kim Schatzel will be formally inaugurated as the university’s 14th president on Friday, Sept. 16 as the culmination of a weeklong series of special events on campus. Inauguration Week will begin on Saturday, Sept. 10 with a picnic for all faculty and staff, followed by TU’s football home opener against St. Francis in Unitas Stadium at 6 p.m.

Several additional inaugural events are scheduled during the week that students, faculty and staff will be able to attend:

  • Sunday, Sept. 11 – Field hockey’s 40th season recognition game at noon at Unitas Stadium
  • Tuesday, Sept. 13 – Inaugural speaker Andrew Solomon, author of Far From The Tree
  • Wednesday, Sept. 14 – “Battlefields and Homefronts: World War I and Modern Life” lecture at noon in the College of Liberal Arts
  • Thursday, Sept. 15 – Mid-Atlantic CIO Forum at West Village Commons ballrooms, 7 a.m.-3 p.m.
  • Thursday, Sept. 15 – Hispanic Heritage Month event, Chesapeake Rooms, University Union, 5-7 p.m.
  • Thursday, Sept. 15 – Taste of Towson at SECU Arena, 5-7 p.m.
  • Saturday, Sept. 17 – Ailey II Dance Company performance, Stephens Hall Theatre, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Friday’s inauguration ceremony at SECU Arena will feature longtime associate professor Victor Fisher as the official grand marshal. Following remarks by a variety of special guests—including University System of Maryland Board of Regents Chair James T. Brady and SGA President Taylor James—USM Chancellor Robert Caret will present Schatzel with the university’s presidential medallion.

Schatzel will then deliver her inaugural address.

“I look at this as a celebration of the 150-year history of Towson University and looking ahead at the next 150 years,” Schatzel said of the upcoming inauguration. “It is a celebration of the university, its many contributions to Maryland, and its people.

“I’m excited about it,” she added. “It’s going to be a great week here at TU.”