Inauguration Weekend Features Several Events
Events related to the eagerly awaited inauguration of President Pamela M. Jolicoeur begin Thursday, April 21 and conclude with the Oratorio on Sunday, April 24. On Saturday, April 23, Dr. Jolicoeur will be officially installed as the 10th president of Concordia College. The academic ceremony begins at 11 a.m. in Memorial Auditorium. Representatives from many ELCA colleges will attend, and two presidents, Rev. Christopher Thomforde of St. Olaf and Dr. Richard Torgerson '64 of Luther College, will be among the speakers. Two highlights of the inaugural will be the premiere of a commissioned composition by Dr. René Clausen, conductor of the Concordia Choir. The choir and the Concordia Orchestra will jointly perform Clausen's newest anthem. Also performing is a choir from the MaaSae Girls Lutheran Secondary School in Tanzania. Each year, Concordia enrolls two graduates from this school so they may learn enhanced skills to help develop their homeland. Wearing their colorful red and blue robes and intricate beadwork, the choir will sing in their native language, Maa, and also present songs in Kiswahili and English. Preceding her inaugural address, Ronald Offutt '64, chair of the Board of Regents, and Dr. Paul Dovre '59, former president of the college, will present Dr. Jolicoeur with a medallion that symbolizes her presidency. Also performing will be the Concordia College Band under the baton of conductor Scott Hagen ‘77. Immediately following the ceremony, there will be a reception in adjacent Olson Forum. On Thursday afternoon, April 21, Dr. Paul E. Peterson '62, will speak on "The State of American Education and the Dawn of the 21st Century." Dr. Peterson's talk will be held in the Frances Frazier Comstock Theatre at 4 p.m. and is free and open to the public. Following his address, a panel of Concordia faculty will respond to his remarks and field questions from the audience. Dr. Peterson is the director of the Program on Education Policy and Governance at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Dr. Peterson will offer his perspectives on higher education, and also serve to highlight the academic mission of Concordia based on observations from his long career. Thursday evening, the choir from the MaaSae Girls Lutheran Secondary School will present a concert of sacred and tribal music from their homeland in Tanzania. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Knutson Center Centrum. Tickets are available at the door. On Friday evening, April 22, pianist Lorie Line will perform at the annual Founders Day Banquet, also in Memorial Auditorium. Line is one of the most popular entertainers in the Midwest and will bring her Pop Chamber Orchestra to Concordia for a night of merry music making. More information on inauguration events can be found at http://www.cord.edu/inauguration. - Back to eNews |