After five months at Longwood University, President W. Taylor Reveley IV will take his oath of office as Longwood University’s 26th president at his inauguration ceremony this Friday. The official inauguration ceremony will take place at 3:30 p.m. on Lancaster Mall.
Reveley succeeds Brigadier General Patrick Finnegan, who resigned from his presidency in June 2012.
Marge Connelly, former Board of Visitors rector, served as interim president from July 2012 to June 2013.
Since stepping into office on June 1, Reveley said he has worked on creating a “spirit of steady progress,” following the transition period the university has faced in recent years.
Reveley said giving the university “a fresh look organizationally,” particularly in the general education curriculum area, has been one of his priorities as president.
“I’ve also worked hard to see to it that [the residents of Prince Edward County, the Town of Farmville and the Hampden-Sydney College community] really know that from Longwood’s perspective that we’re all in this together, and the region’s going to thrive together,” Reveley added.
“I’ve really enjoyed just making the rounds out in the broad Longwood community,” said Reveley, referring to interactions with alumni, retired faculty and several of his predecessors.
As for what he hopes to accomplish following his inauguration, Reveley said, “I would very much like to see to it that we do make real headway in helping students graduate in a timely fashion.”
Reveley said it is essential to take a critical look at the general education curriculum in order to achieve this because “if we could really get a [general education] curriculum that was really tailored to today’s students and really was framed to help them as well as the university could, we’d have a quite distinctive curriculum in place.”
Reveley would like to raise Longwood University’s profile across the nation. He hopes to further highlight the university’s history as well.
As the third oldest public higher education institution in Virginia, he said, “You don’t have that kind of history without a great set of people working hard throughout the whole course of it.”
He looked forward to experiencing the history and traditions that will be present in the inauguration ceremony, as well.
“It gives me a lot of pride to think of myself as part of that long chain,” said Reveley. “Knowing that so many great people have come before me and so many great people will come after me ... that’s a neat thing.”
Prior to the inauguration ceremony, faculty, staff and invited guests will attend a community breakfast from 7:30 to 9 a.m.
“The chief purpose of that breakfast, in some ways, is to recognize the many, many folks that worked hard to make something like this inauguration happen,” said Reveley.
He continued, “It’s an event with lots of moving pieces and lots of people around campus have really worked at it hard.”
Dr. Larissa Fergeson, associate professor of history, has served as one of the key organizers of the inauguration celebration.
Fergeson said the open inauguration ceremony will be “a low key, fun and elegant affair,” as per the president’s request.
Fergeson said university offices have permission to close at 3 p.m. to allow faculty and staff to attend the inauguration ceremony. Janet D. Greenwood Library is among the offices that will close at this time. Faculty members may, but are not required to, cancel 3 p.m. classes.
According to Fergeson, the ceremony will last about an hour. Featured speakers will include Gerald L. Baliles, 65th Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia (1986-90) and W. Taylor Reveley III, Reveley’s father and the president of the College of William and Mary.
Fergeson added that Student Government Association (SGA) Vice President Steven Sommer will greet the president on behalf of the student body. The Longwood Ambassadors will serve as student volunteers during the ceremony.
As for the installation of Reveley as president, Fergeson said that Board of Visitors Rector Marianne Radcliff will administer the oath of office and present him with his presidential medallion that he will wear to all academic ceremonies.
To close the ceremony, Fergeson said Reveley will deliver an inaugural address to audience.
Immediately following the ceremony, Reveley and students will ring the Longwood Bell 26 times to announce the university’s 26th presidency.
A student inauguration dinner, which Fergeson said will feature chicken cordon bleu, cheesy mashed potatoes and an inauguration cake, will begin at 4:30 p.m. in Dorrill Dining Hall (D-Hall). Reveley and his wife, Marlo, will visit students in D-Hall before proceeding to a reception for faculty, staff and invited guests in Blackwell Hall.
Comparing the inauguration to commencement, Fergeson said, “It is an opportunity to reflect on and be proud of our traditions and accomplishments as a university, but also it is an occasion to look to the future and be excited about a new beginning with a new president. This is an historic moment, one that does not happen often in a student's time here at Longwood. It is also special because the inauguration is happening as Longwood gears up to celebrate its 175th anniversary next year.”
As for Reveley’s hopes for inauguration day, he said, “There will probably be a juncture when I can steal three seconds and just look around and enjoy the moment. That’s probably one of the things that I’m looking forward to.”
