18th Presidential Inauguration
Special Events
These events are free and open to the public.
Past IU Presidential Inaugurations
October 15 - 21
The Lilly Library will feature a special exhibit of artifacts from past IU presidential inaugurations.
Presidential Lecture
3 p.m., Monday, October 15
Saul Kripke, distinguished professor of philosophy at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, will deliver Indiana University’s inaugural Presidential Lecture in Alumni Hall of the Indiana Memorial Union. He intends to speak on “The Collapse of the Hilbert Program,” a philosophically significant topic with a technical result. Kripke received the Schock Prize for Logic and Philosophy in 2001 and is considered by some to be the world’s greatest living philosopher and logician.
Dedication of Simon Hall
2 p.m., Tuesday, October 16
President McRobbie will preside over the dedication of Simon Hall, the new multidisciplinary science building.
The Inauguration Ceremony and Reception
3 p.m., Thursday, October 18
IU will welcome its 18th president, Michael A. McRobbie, with the pageantry of a traditional academic procession at the IU Auditorium. The ceremony will include two celebratory fanfares composed by Professor of Music David Dzubay and performances of the Star Spangled Banner and Ottorino Respighi’s Pines of Rome by the IU Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Professor of Music David Effron. Soprano and Senior Lecturer of Music Sylvia McNair will solo with the Philharmonic by singing selections from Joseph Canteloube’s Chants d’Auvergne. President McRobbie will also share his vision for the university and its future in his keynote speech. The ceremony will be followed by a public reception in the lobby of the Auditorium.
The Inauguration Concert
8 p.m., Thursday, October 18
All members of the IU community and friends of the university are invited to attend a free celebratory concert at the IU Auditorium in honor of the inauguration of President Michael A. McRobbie.
Herman B Wells Bust Unveiling
2:30 p.m., Friday, October 19
The Herman B Wells bust, a gift from the Indiana University Foundation with support from the IU Bloomington Libraries, will be unveiled in the main lobby of the Herman B Wells library. The bronze likeness, positioned squarely at the library entrance, will welcome visitors to this busy place and serve as a powerful reminder of his contribution in shaping Indiana University. Sculptor Marc Mellon has been casting in bronze for more than 30 years and is one of America's foremost representational sculptors. His works have been displayed from New York to Los Angeles to Tokyo, and are in numerous corporate, private, and public collections worldwide.
