Among an international delegation, a sense of intimacy at Inauguration
The of President Katherine Bergeron drew guests from around the world, and there were personal connections for many of the delegates.
Among the 104 delegates, who represented 100 learned institutions and societies, were some very good friends of Bergeron, colleagues who had known her at the start of her academic career and worked with her in various capacities since. For people like delegate Jane A. Bernstein, representing the American Musicology Society, Bergeron’s Inauguration was special.
“This is a great moment in all our lives,” said Bernstein, a professor of musicology at Tufts University.
Bernstein was chair of the department at Tufts when Bergeron, a fellow musicologist, first entered a tenured professorial track. Bernstein has known Bergeron for 25 years and has seen much of her friend’s career develop.
She added that Bergeron’s selection was tremendous for the Society. Bergeron is a past winner of the Society’s Otto Kinkeldey Award, given to the author of the most distinguished musicology book written during a given year. “Voice Lessons: French Mélodie in the Belle Epoch,” earned Bergeron the award in 2011.
Many members of the Connecticut College faculty were part of the delegation, representing the institutions where they earned their degrees. David Kyuman Kim, associate professor of religious studies, received his doctorate at Harvard University, and wore the crimson robe of his alma mater on Saturday. He noted the significance to the Connecticut College faculty and staff of having delegates from so many institutions.
“It’s an honor to witness an important ceremony in the life of Connecticut College,” said Kim. “It’s a chance to honor our history and lineage, as well as our future.”
Christopher Hammond, associate professor of mathematics and chair of the Connecticut College mathematics department, was selected as a delegate for his undergraduate alma mater, Sewanee: The University of the South. He was also happy to witness the Inauguration of a president who is strongly focused on academics and curriculum.
“Even if I wasn’t here representing Sewanee, I would certainly be here with the faculty, because this is an important day for Connecticut College,” Hammond said.
Camilla Ross, a delegate from Emerson College, also lauded the College’s choice for president.
“The Inauguration of a new president, of a female president, is a beautiful thing,” said Ross. “Her vision and what she hopes to accomplish will be a wonderful addition for the college.”
While the majority of delegates were from the northeastern United States, some came a considerably farther distance to celebrate Bergeron.
James Stiles ’83, who represented the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, traveled the furthest of any of the delegates. Closer to home, nearly all of the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) institutions sent representatives, along with most members of the Ivy League.
All the delegates, wearing the colorful regalia of their institutions, took part in the processional leading Bergeron to Palmer Auditorium for the Inauguration.
The delegates
Colleges and universities
Albertus Magnus College
Allegheny College
Amherst College
Barnard College
Bates College
Bentley University
Boston College
Bowdoin College
Brown University*
Bryn Mawr College
Bucknell University
California Institute of Technology
Carleton College
Clark University
Colby College
College of the Holy Cross
College of William and Mary
Columbia University
Dickinson College
Dominican University of California
Eastern Connecticut State University*
Elms College
Emerson College
Fairfield University
Florida State University
Fordham University
George Washington University
Franklin & Marshall College
Gettysburg College
Harvard University
Indiana University
Johns Hopkins University
Kalamazoo College
Marist College
Michigan State University
Middlebury College
Middlesex Community College
Mitchell College
Mount Holyoke College
National Theater Institute
Naval Submarine School
New York University
Northeastern University
Ohio Wesleyan University
Princeton University
Providence College
Reed College
Sacred Heart University
Salem Academy and College
Skidmore College
Sewanee: The University of the South
Smith College
St. John's University
St. Lawrence University
St. Olaf College
Stonehill College
Three Rivers Community College
Trinity College
Tufts University*
Tulane University
Union College
United States Coast Guard Academy
United States Military Academy
United States Naval Academy
University of Massachusetts
University of Bridgeport
University of California, Berkeley
University of Connecticut
University of Hartford
University of Michigan
University of New Haven
University of North Carolina
University of Pennsylvania
University of Rhode Island*
University of Rochester
University of St. Joseph
University of Witwatersrand
Ursinus College
Vanderbilt University
Vassar College
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Washington & Lee University
Wellesley College
Wesleyan University
Wheaton College
Williams College
Yale University
Learned societies
American Association of Teachers of Japanese
American Historical Association
American Musicological Society
American Philological Association
American Philosophical Association
American Sociological Association
Botanical Society of America
Connecticut Conference of Independent Colleges
Linguistics Society of America
Modern Language Association
Phi Beta Kappa
Society for the Anthropology of Europe
Society of Architectural Historians
*indicates institutions represented by two delegates.
April 7, 2014