Information for Faculty

Colleagues:

I join President Ruscio in warmly inviting you to join the academic procession celebrating his inauguration this Saturday, Oct. 21. He has asked me to make clear that our emeriti faculty are welcome to process with your faculty colleagues. We will of course process in academic regalia.

Because the procession will include several groups not ordinarily a part of our academic procession, it has been necessary to make the following change: Faculty should gather on Stemmons Plaza, not in Washington Hall, at 10:15. The faculty lineup will begin near the back door to Washington Hall and stretch back in double file along the sidewalk toward Tucker Hall. As always, you will be under the capable and tender supervision of Prof. DeLaney. You are entitled to process by order of seniority, but you are not required to do so. If you choose to do so, please see Prof. DeLaney when you arrive on Stemmons Plaza for placement in the lineup.

Step-off will be at the crack of 10:30. The order of the procession is as follows: Platform party, banners, trustees, delegates from other institutions and organizations, faculty, students, alumni chapter representatives and alumni board. You will be seated in front of Lee Chapel with other processants.

The weather will be cool and dry, with low humidity, a perfect fall day. In case God isn’t listening, we do have a rain plan that features the Warner Center. It goes like this:

The outside/inside call will be made by 6:30 a.m. If there is no Campus Notice, broadcast email, Web site notice, campus-wide telephone message or loud screaming, assume we are outside. You will receive notice only if we have been forced to move the inauguration ceremonies inside.

If we are in the Warner Center, faculty should gather on the 300 level, in regalia, by 10:15. The platform party, the trustees and the delegates from other institutions will muster on the 500 level to don regalia and organize for the procession. Therefore, faculty will not have to line up behind the platform party on the 300 level. Instead, they will line up at the bottom of the stairs leading to the gym, one line in each direction, each line prepared to climb one flight of stairs before coming together in a double line as you enter the gym. Again, you will be supervised by Prof. DeLaney. Because the platform party, trustees and delegates will be descending from the 500 level to the gym, the faculty will follow the delegates seamlessly at a signal to Prof. DeLaney to begin leading you up the stairs. Faculty will process behind the delegates up the middle aisle to seating on the basketball court, in front of the podium.

Faculty will be followed in the procession by student and alumni representatives, who will have mustered on the 200 level and followed you up the stairs to the gym.

We are looking forward to having you join us.

Cheers,
Brian Richardson
University Marshal