The new face of Roger Williams

The excitement and applause that buzzed in the Campus Recreation Center Field House on Thursday was almost deafen­ing as nearly 550 people offered their congratulations.

One man said nothing. And in the brief seconds that elapsed as he ascended to the Roger Williams University podium to address the audience, it be­came apparent Donald J. Farish didn't have to say a word.

His ear-to-ear grin spoke volumes.

On Oct. 13, RWU celebrat­ed Farish's inauguration as the tenth president of RWU. The event culminated a weeklong series of celebratory inaugural events held on campus.

The highly anticipated event incorporated the entire RWU community, with a slew of Uni­versity departments, groups, and organizations all playing roles.

The inaugural ceremony be­gan at 2 p.m., and as the bag­pipes began to play, the RWU faculty, dressed in ceremonial garb, funneled into the Field House to take their seats in a procession traditional for cam­pus ceremonies.

A number of noteworthy guests came to bear witness to the event, among them Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee and Rhode Island At­torney General Peter Kilmartin, both of whom spoke during the ceremony.

The University's official Twit­ter, @myrwu, live-tweeted the event, its stream punctuated by various retweets congratulating Farish from RWU students, fac­ulty, and even from members of Salve Regina University.

Mark Mandell, Chairman of the Roger Williams University School of Law Board of Direc­tors, presided over the event as master of ceremonies.

"Today's Investiture is a rite of passage to reflect on how far we've come," Mandell said in his opening address.

As governor, Chafee welcomed Farish as president "on behalf of the state of Rhode Island."

"There is no question Roger Williams is a rising star in the galaxy of institutions that con­tinue to make Rhode Island a great place to live," Chaffee said.

Student Senate President Nick Tsimortos, a senior, spoke of having confidence in Farish as leader of the University.

"A great president is one who cares about all aspects of the community," Tsimortos said. "As high as I set my expecta­tions, [Farish] has already be­gun to exceed them."

Just before the Investiture, Mandell announced that Maia Farish, the president's wife, had a special surprise for her hus­band, who is an opera enthusi­ast.

"This is a celebration, after all," Mandell said before intro­ducing Barbara Dever, Bonita Granite, and Marian Stieber: opera singers with whom Farish worked at his former institu­tion, Rowan University in New Jersey. The three sang "America The Beautiful."

Mandell then introduced "the only person who could follow that act:" United Nations Am­bassador Andrew Young, who had launched the inaugural events the night before, as the keynote speaker in the first of the president's Distinguished Lecture series.

After Young finished his in­troduction, Richard Bready, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, delivered the investi­ture of president.

"By the authority vested in me by the Board … I hereby invest you as the tenth president," Bready said, as he bestowed Far­ish with the Presidential Medal­lion, marking the official begin­ning of the president's tenure.