A presidential inauguration isn’t something that’s celebrated often. While nationally we celebrate one every four years, in the world of higher education, it’s often much longer than that between presidents. Here on the Hill, there have only been eight presidential inaugurations, including the one that occurred on April 9 for the installation of Julia Jasken, Ph.D., as the 10th president of McDaniel College. (The first presidential inauguration ceremony was held in 1921 for Albert Norman Ward, the college’s third president.)
An inauguration is a time of celebration for our community, and President Jasken wanted to make sure that all members of the community — both on and off the Hill — were given an opportunity to participate. In the week leading up to the installation ceremony, faculty, staff, alumni, students, friends, community members, and distinguished representatives from other colleges and universities were invited to various events to honor the historic inauguration of McDaniel’s second female president.
To kick off the festivities on Tuesday, April 5, President Julia Jasken celebrated National Division III Week by throwing out the first pitch at the baseball game between the Green Terror and the Gettysburg College Bullets. Jasken took some coaching on form and technique from Director of Athletics Adam Hertz leading up to her rookie appearance on the mound. “Muscles hurt that I didn’t even know I had, and I didn’t realize the act of pitching required so much,” Jasken says. “But it was a lot of fun, and I’m glad I had a chance to do it.”
Donning a special #10 jersey to signify her role as the 10th president of the college, President Julia Jasken delivered her first pitch to Green Terror catcher Austin Goudeaux. Afterward, the entire baseball team signed the ball as a gift for the president to commemorate her pitching debut.
On Wednesday, April 6, community members were invited to the Hill to learn more about McDaniel and how to strengthen our community partnerships. Trustee Dolly Snyder M.Ed. ’63 welcomed representatives from the City of Westminster, the NAACP of Carroll County, the Westminster Police Department, the Carroll County Public Library, and various businesses in and around Westminster.
“McDaniel College and the Center for Experience and Opportunity relies on the City of Westminster and ties to each of you,” Snyder said. “Our future workforce is here on the Hill, and we are excited to have you here to celebrate the importance of a strong relationship between the City of Westminster — including its businesses and entrepreneurs — and McDaniel College.”
Snyder introduced President Jasken, who thanked guests for their support and collaboration in the refresh of the water tower on campus and encouraged community members to think about other ways they can leverage their connection with the college in the future, especially in partnership with the CEO.
Associate Dean for Student Development Erin Giles ’15 Benevento asked those in attendance to remain engaged in conversation with the college to identify opportunities for growth, innovation, and solution-seeking to allow our students to become more fully engaged downtown.
In solidarity of community and McDaniel’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), the DEI Committee of the Alumni Council sponsored a spoken word performance by poet, emcee, storyteller, and voice-over artist Adán Bean. Spoken word poetry is characterized by rhyme, repetition, improvisation, and word play, and frequently addresses issues of social justice, politics, race, and community. Words can bring us joy and build us up, or words can tear us down and inflict pain. Bean’s ultimate goal in his performances is to “show what language can do in the right hands.”
Bean is a graduate of Morehouse College, a 2019 TEDx speaker, and 2017 National Poetry Slam song winner. He has represented Atlanta on the 2015 and 2017 Java Monkey Slam teams for the National Poetry Slam Competition. He is also half of the retro-progressive hip-hop group The Remnant, runs the culture site Forth District, and hosts The SetList podcast.
“Adán Bean was just amazing, and he really captured the landscape that we’re facing in the DEI space right now,” Jasken says.
In addition to a performance by Bean characterized by themes of connection and chaos, four student performers who had entered a poetry contest sponsored by the Office of Student Engagement were invited to showcase their work for the community as well. First-place winner sophomore Max Sweeney read their original poem, “Ode to Icarus.” There was a tie for second place between first-year student Madge Myers, who read her poem “A Losing Battle,” and junior Christina Baker, who read her poem, “Place of Fantasy.” An honorable mention was given to senior Lavi Hotea, who shared her poems, “Have Courage” and “Gentle Love.”
To watch the performances, go to https://youtu.be/LRIZZfMVyDU.
Throughout the day on Friday, April 8, McDaniel College was happy to welcome the community to an event celebrating the inspiring, innovative, and collaborative research undertaken by our network of scholars, faculty members, and practitioners. McDaniel is a place where students and faculty work together to sharpen ideas, cultivate dialogue, and develop the answers to questions facing our world every day. The diverse presentations and lectures from our students and faculty demonstrated that the Hill is a place that fosters a rich intellectual life, where scholarship is not limited to the classroom or even the syllabus.
Our students and faculty are addressing real-life challenges that span the globe, from Maryland to Madagascar and everywhere in between. Whether looking at sustainability, athletics, community building, social justice, or the pandemic response, there is room for research of all kinds here on the Hill. This is why there is such an emphasis placed on the “My Experience” pillar of the McDaniel Commitment, the development of which was led by President Jasken. Throughout the day, classrooms were often standing room only as classmates, colleagues, and community members gathered to support the research being done on the Hill and beyond.
To watch two of the Symposium sessions, go to https://youtu.be/cyJk0xuMY8w and https://youtu.be/1navz9Ao_sE.
An annual Carroll County tradition, the PEEPshow got a McDaniel spin this year. Assistant Professor of Art Chloe Irla ’07 and six of her Graphic Design II students collaborated on a submission titled “Celebrating McDaniel’s 10th President.” The creation, constructed of and inspired by marshmallow PEEPs, featured Old Main Bell and a banner celebrating the inauguration of President Jasken. “Creating the Old Main Bell for the PEEPshow allowed my students to participate in a sweet, local tradition in Westminster,” says Irla. “This type of experiential learning required students to collaborate and endure the design process from start to finish.” Students involved in the project were seniors Joy Tarr and Gia Koutsokostas, and juniors Rowan Berti, Evan Lowengrub, Skylar Blackbull, and Sarah Hunter.
As the final pre-inauguration event on Friday evening, we welcomed the Westminster community to join us for the latest installment of Movies at McDaniel for a showing of “Zootopia” and a fireworks show after the movie. The family-friendly film reminds us of real-world social issues and the importance of community. Community members were able to enjoy the spectacular fireworks display on campus and beyond, with many people commenting that they were some of the best fireworks they’d ever seen.