Campus News
New Westminster President Dr. George B. Forsythe will join new students in passing through The Columns, an historic Westminster College tradition, at 5 p.m., Saturday, August 23, beginning their global educational journey together.
The Columns Ceremony will be followed by the Inauguration Ceremony for the new President and New Student Convocation at 5:30 p.m. in Champ Auditorium.
Officiating at the Inaugural and Convocation Ceremony will be Dr. Carolyn Perry, Dean of Faculty, and Dr. John Comerford, Dean of Student Life.
“This is truly a day of celebration for our Westminster College community as we begin a new academic year,” says Perry. “We have a new President who will bring all of his energy and vision to this College and we have a new class who will bring their diverse backgrounds, ideas and energy to our campus community.”
Ron Winney, Chair of the Westminster Board of Trustees, will deliver the Welcome and present Dr. Forsythe with the Presidential Medallion, the symbol of the presidency.
“We feel confident that Dr. Forsythe is the right person with the right qualities to lead Westminster College forward,” says Winney. “We have a great school with a great history, and we look forward to even greater accomplishments under his direction.”
The Installation Address will be delivered by a close friend of Dr. Forsythe, Dr. Dan Kaufman. Kaufman is Charter President of Georgia Gwinnett College, the first new four year college in Georgia in over one hundred years. Previously, he was a Brigadier General in the U.S. Army, serving as Dean of the Academic Board and Chief Academic Officer at the United States Military Academy at West Point.
Dr. Forsythe will deliver an inaugural address entitled “Between The Columns—A Journey in Global Leadership.”
“I accept the stewardship of Westminster College and pledge my full measure of devotion to this great and historic institution,” says Forsythe. “My wife Jane and I are thrilled to be a part of the transformation that awaits us all in the coming years. Working together, we will transform Westminster into the ideal liberal arts college for the 21st century.”
Representatives from many Missouri colleges and universities will be present for the ceremony.
During the Convocation part of the ceremony, George Wolf, Dean of Enrollment Services, will present the new class. Westminster College begins the academic year with its ninth year of enrollment growth and the College’s largest recorded student population. The new incoming class represents a 13 percent increase over the fall 2008 class.
Rev. Brad Sheppard, Westminster Chaplain, will deliver the Invocation and Rev. Marshall Crossnoe, President Forsythe’s pastor from St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, will deliver the Benediction.
Special music for the ceremony will be provided by the Prairie Strings Quartet.
Westminster student Grant Crombie, ’09, from Marthasville, MO will lead the audience in the Westminster Alma Mater.