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Inauguration of UW-Stout Chancellor Robert Meyer
April 2, 2015
Remarks by Nelu Ghenciu, Master of Ceremonies
System President Cross… Regent Vice President Millner, … honored guests…
delegates… ladies and gentlemen…
The Campus and community are assembled for the inauguration of Chancellor
Bob Meyer.
(Pause)
Please rise for the posting of the colors and the playing of the Star Spangled
Banner. The singing of our National Anthem will be led by the UW Stout Chamber
Choir and Blue Devil Jazz Project. The University of Wisconsin Stout Reserve
Officers’ Training Corps Cadets will present the Colors. The Commander of the
Color Guard is Cadet Isaac Miller. Members of the Color Guard include Cadets
Patrick Best, Douglas Heinkel, Emily Huro, and Nathan Turner.
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(Color guard presents colors and National Anthem is performed)
(When anthem completed… Nelu, still at lectern, leads applause, then
pauses to allow the Color Guard to depart the view of the audience, then resumes
before people sit down…)
We now call upon Fr. John Selva Manohar of St. Joseph Parish in Menomonie to
deliver the Invocation.
INVOCATION BY Fr. John Selva Manohar
Thank you. Please be seated.
(Nelu resumes, in much more informal tone.)
Greetings! Welcome to our beautifully remodeled Memorial Student Center and
the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Stout.
My name is Nelu Ghenciu. I am the chair of the Faculty Senate and a professor of
mathematics. I am honored to serve as master of ceremony for today’s
inauguration.
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I’d like to begin by publicly acknowledging some of those assisting with today’s
celebration: (Nelu reads relatively briskly… not pausing for applause)
• Members of the ROTC color guard
• Members of the UW-Stout Chamber Choir and their director, Dr. Jerry Hui; and
the Blue Devil Jazz Project and director Aaron Durst
• The bearer of the university mace, Professor of Statistics and Faculty senator
Loretta Thielman. Loretta happens to be the only Faculty Senate senator that
attended our previous inauguration. The mace is a symbol for the protection
of the university, its people, and its processes.
• Our sign-language interpreter, Charlette Reiner
• and Members of the Inauguration Planning Committee and the event staff of
the Memorial Student Center
Please join me in thanking these central contributors to today’s events… (Nelu
leads applause)
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It is hard to over-emphasize just how big a day this is in UW-Stout’s history. Just
think: We have had just seven chancellors in the nearly 125 years of our history.
Planning this inauguration was extra hard because we have had so little practice
at it. We haven’t had an inauguration ceremony in 26 years!
How many of you attended our previous inauguration? Please stand to be
recognized. (Nelu leads applause). Thank you.
But I get a real sense that the campus is ready to welcome a new chancellor to
UW-Stout. You can feel a new energy around campus, a sense of moving forward,
that our best days are still in front of us.
Speaking of energy, look at this room! You know, lately I am getting lots of
questions about shared governance. What does it mean? I think you just have to
take a look at this room and you would understand shared governance. When I
look at this room, I do not see students, or faculty, or academic staff, or classified
staff. The only thing I can see is a dedicated group of professionals that are ready
to move the university forward under the leadership of our new chancellor. That
is it! That is shared governance.
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Speaking of share governance, I almost forgot to say: I guess if there is anyone
here that wants to speak against Bob being our chancellor speak now of forever
be silent! Or at least wait till next semester…
It also is reassuring to the campus that we have a chancellor so deeply connected
to UW-Stout. Not only does Bob Meyer have two degrees from UW-Stout, his
wife, Debbie, has two degrees and one of his daughters is a graduate as well.
And Bob spent 25 years at UW-Stout before leaving for Wisconsin Indianhead
Technical College.
And now we welcome Bob back with this ceremony, which is as much about the
institution as it about our new chancellor. In doing so, we come together to
celebrate our rich past, almost 125 years in the making, and the tremendous
transformation that we have seen from James Huff Stout’s vision of a school “For
the Promotion of Learning, Skill, Industry and Honor” to this modern polytechnic
university with about 9,400 students and a growing reputation.
We mark this leadership transition with a certain amount of pomp and pageantry;
that is the tradition part. But we also mark this transition with words of welcome
from the various stakeholders involved with our campus.
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So now I call on Jackie Weissenburger, our interim provost and vice chancellor for
Academic and Student Affairs, who will introduce our shared governance
representatives. Jackie…
(Jackie speaks and calls up Lopa, Krista, Joan and Amerika)
(Nelu returns to podium)
Thanks Jackie and thanks to our governance representatives for those fine words.
It is now my pleasure to introduce Regina Millner, vice president of the UW
System Board of Regents, who will give greetings from the Board of Regents.
Regina….
(Regina speaks)
Thanks Regina
It is now my pleasure to introduce the president of the UW System, Ray Cross, for
the formal investiture of Chancellor Meyer. President Cross… (Nelu leads
applause, greets Cross, returns to seat.)
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(President Cross speaks)
Thanks President Cross
It is now my pleasure to introduce a great friend of UW-Stout, Mark Tyler, the
president of OEM Fabricators in Woodville. Mark is a former member of the
Board of Regents and remains very engaged in UW-Stout and other campuses in
the UW System. Wisconsin needs more business leaders like Mark Tyler who
totally understand the value that higher education plays in a growing state
economy and what a healthy university system means to the quality of life in
Wisconsin. Mark will introduce Chancellor Meyer
(Mark Tyler introduces Chancellor Meyer)
(Chancellor Meyer goes to podium and speaks)
(Chancellor Meyer sits down)
Thank you Chancellor Meyer for that wonderful address.
It is now my pleasure to introduce Tom Kornego, president of the Stout University
Foundation, who will make some closing remarks. Tom
(Tom Kornegor speaks) (Nelu returns to podium)
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Thanks Tom. To close our program, I ask that you rise for the singing of the UWStout Alma Mater. The words are available on the screen. A processional out will
then follow. Everyone is invited to join us at the reception immediately following
across the hall in the Ballrooms, sponsored by the Stout University Foundation.