Inauguration

The inauguration of Ronald D. Liebowitz as the 16th president of Middlebury College took place Sunday, October 10, 2004, at 11:30 a.m. The inauguration was an outdoor ceremony held in front of the new library.

The inauguration ceremony culminated a six-day program including events in a series called "Ways with Words: A Celebration of Libraries," starting on Tuesday, October 5, and running through Saturday, October 9, including the annual Nicholas R. Clifford Symposium, titled this year "The Technology of the Word," with events October 6, 7 and 9; the dedication of the new library on Friday, October 8; and Homecoming Weekend activities from October 8 through 10. Details on the academic and ceremonial events of October 5 through 10 may be found below.

President Liebowitz appointed a committee to plan the inaugural ceremonies and celebrations and to coordinate those events with the Clifford Symposium, the library dedication, and Homecoming. The members of the committee were:

ACADEMIC EVENTS

Ways with Words: A Celebration of Libraries 

Tuesday, October 5

Abernethy Lecture Series

4:30 P.M. "American Wilderness Narratives: Doubling the Last Survivor"

John P. McWilliams, Jr., College Professor, Middlebury College

Harman Periodical Reading Room, Library

* * *

Nicholas R. Clifford Symposium:
"The Technology of the Word"
October 6-9

Wednesday, October 6

7:30 P.M."The Future of Storytelling in the Digital Age"

Janet Murray, Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, Georgia Institute of Technology

Dana Auditorium

Thursday, October 7

7:30 P.M. "Copyrights and Copywrongs: Innovation and Intellectual Property in a Digital Age"

Siva Vaidhyanathan, Assistant Professor, New York University

Dana Auditorium

Saturday, October 9

11:00 A.M. "The Architecture of the Middlebury College Library"

Charles Gwathmey

Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects

Library Atrium

* * *

Friday, October 8

12:15 P.M. New Library Dedication

Remarks by honorary degree recipient Vartan Gregorian,

President, Carnegie Corporation of New York

Library Lawn

Box lunch will follow dedication

Saturday, October 9

Conference on the Privatization of American National Security

Rohatyn Center for International Affairs

Robert A. Jones '59 House
9:30 A.M.-5:30 P.M. As part of the bi-partisan Princeton Project on National Security, co-chaired by Anthony Lake and George Shultz, the Rohatyn Center for International Affairs, Middlebury College, and the Woodrow Wilson School of Public & International Affairs, Princeton University, will host a working conference. Drawing on perspectives from the military, nonprofit, and private sectors, as well as academia, the panels will explore privatization in the context of warfare, post-war reconstruction, and development.

CEREMONIAL EVENTS

Friday, October 8

2:00 P.M. Bandaloop Performance
Project Bandaloop honors nature, community, and the human spirit through dance.The company creates a blend of dance, sport, ritual, and environmental awareness. Inspired by the possibilities of climbing and rappelling, the choreography draws on aerial, vertical, and horizontal movement to craft dances.

New library façade

2:30 and 3:30 P.M. Atlantic Crossing Band

Performing music from the Flanders Ballad Collection of Middlebury College

Harman Periodical Reading Room, Library

4:30 P.M. Dedication of Garden of the Seasons

Sculpture by Michael Singer

South side of new library

Saturday, October 9

2:00 and 4:00 P.M. Bandaloop Performances

New library façade

6:00 P.M. Inauguration Concert

Kirill Troussov, violinist, and Alexandra Troussova, pianist

Concert Hall, Center for the Arts

8:00 P.M. An a cappella Jamboree

Student groups and Mamajama alumni

Mead Memorial Chapel

9:30 P.M. Inaugural Dance

Nelson Recreation Center,

Peterson Family Athletics Complex

Sunday, October 10

9:30 A.M. Ecumenical Service

Mead Memorial Chapel

11:30 A.M. Presidential Inauguration

Library Lawn

Lunch will follow ceremonies

2:00 and 4:00 P.M. Bandaloop Performances

New library façade