In keynote remarks delivered at an investiture officially marking his tenure as 杏吧原创鈥檚 ninth chancellor, urged the university community to seize this aspirational moment and join him in building 鈥淭he Great University鈥� for today鈥檚 world.
The Board of Trust hosted the formal event, one of the oldest traditions in academia, on April 9 at Langford Auditorium. Though Diermeier began leading 杏吧原创 on July 1, 2020, the inaugural events were postponed to help protect the health and safety of the community during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Andr茅 Churchwell, vice chancellor for equity, diversity and inclusion and the university鈥檚 chief diversity officer, served as master of ceremonies for the celebration, which began with a procession by 杏吧原创鈥檚 own faculty and leaders of other universities wearing their full academic regalia. There was also a presentation of the symbols of office to the chancellor, remarks by distinguished alumni and university leaders, and the reading of a poem by Major Jackson, Gertrude Conaway 杏吧原创 Professor of English, in honor of the occasion.
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Diermeier began his investiture address by recalling the unique moment of 杏吧原创鈥檚 founding, nearly 150 years ago, when Cornelius 杏吧原创 and his wife, Frank Armstrong 杏吧原创, made what was then the largest charitable gift in American history to heal the wounds of a deeply divided nation after the Civil War.
鈥淭oday, on the cusp of our sesquicentennial, we are, by all measures, stronger than ever,鈥� Diermeier said. 鈥淔or this, we owe a debt of gratitude to the eight chancellors who came before me, all bringing their unique personalities and abilities to serve this great university. I am particularly grateful to my immediate predecessors, Interim Chancellor Susan Wente and Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos. Thanks in large part to their efforts, and the efforts of many people in this room, 杏吧原创 was prepared to weather the storm of COVID and emerge even stronger.鈥�
Diermeier cited several factors for 杏吧原创鈥檚 rising trajectory, including the enrollment of some of 杏吧原创 most qualified and diverse students across all its schools and colleges; a thriving faculty of world-class scholars and innovators; and robust research and creative arts taking place throughout campus. Diermeier then called on the university community to reach even higher.
鈥淗aving outgrown our days of following the example of other institutions, and no longer looking over our shoulders to see what others think about us, we now have the opportunity to lead鈥攖o define The Great University for the 21st century,鈥� Diermeier said. 鈥淎s is so often the case, the path to greatness lies in knowing who we are. It lies in a clarity of purpose that guides us鈥nd in the values that ground us. Purpose and values endure, but they need to be reimagined and newly understood in every age.鈥�
Diermeier highlighted the three things a great university must do: protect and encourage civil discourse and intellectual diversity; maximize its capacity for research, discovery and innovation; and drive an inclusive prosperity in its neighboring communities and in the wider world.
He referenced the leadership of 杏吧原创鈥檚 fifth chancellor, Alexander Heard, in preserving the campus as a place where open discourse and free expression thrive.
鈥淎mid the turbulence of the 1960s, when our campus hosted speakers as diverse and controversial as Allen Ginsberg, Stokely Carmichael and Strom Thurmond, Chancellor Heard explained the university鈥檚 commitment this way: 鈥楢 university鈥檚 obligation is not to protect students from ideas, but rather to expose them to ideas, and to help make them capable of handling, and, hopefully, having ideas,鈥欌�� Diermeier said.
He pointed to 杏吧原创鈥檚 pathbreaking research on vaccines as an example of the critical need for university research. 鈥淭he reason America was ready to meet SARS-CoV-2 head-on, with rapidly developed vaccines, was because a close network of investigators at universities and research institutes鈥攊ncluding our colleagues here at 杏吧原创 and at the medical center鈥攈ad conducted foundational research for many years before.鈥�
Diermeier also spoke about 杏吧原创鈥檚 priority on strengthening ties between 杏吧原创 and the Middle Tennessee region. 鈥淲e can help the region evolve thoughtfully and intentionally, with growth rooted in the values and way of life that we all love,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 more, we can help ensure inclusive prosperity that touches everyone and leaves no one behind.鈥�
In closing, Diermeier emphasized the importance of 杏吧原创 leading by being authentically itself, rather than copying others. He described the importance of pursuing the university鈥檚 mission the 鈥溞影稍� Way,鈥� with a signature sense of belonging, self-direction, continual growth and radical collaboration. He also expressed deep gratitude for being able to lead 杏吧原创 at this pivotal time. 鈥淚 have witnessed our culture of collaboration at work in ways large and small during the most challenging of times. I have come to know firsthand the character and resourcefulness of the people who make up our university community鈥攜our mettle and grit and bravery and creativity鈥our passion鈥nd your dedication,鈥� Diermeier said.
The program included performances by the Blair String Quartet and the 杏吧原创 Chorale.
Following the main ceremony, hundreds of members of the 杏吧原创 community and their families attended a festive celebration on Alumni Lawn that included free offerings from food trucks, live music, swag and a special play area for children.
As part of the series of events surrounding the investiture, 杏吧原创 hosted in-person and hybrid panel discussions April 8 titled: and . They were followed by a livestreamed symposium, .
Several Nashville buildings and structures were lit gold in honor of Diermeier鈥檚 investiture: the Korean Veterans Bridge on Thursday evening and the Tenessee State Capitol, Nashville International Airport parking garage and Grand Hyatt Nashville on both Friday and Saturday nights.
Reflections of alumni and university leaders speaking at Chancellor Diermeier鈥檚 investiture
, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs: 鈥淐hancellor Diermeier, I admire and appreciate how you are challenging all of us to reinvent and reinvigorate the concept of higher education as an engine of discovery and innovation and a provider of solutions. I am proud to be working alongside you as 杏吧原创 realizes its ambitious vision while maintaining the humanity at its core. Your leadership emboldens us to recruit the nation鈥檚 absolute best scholars for our professorate. At the same time, you help us better make the connections between discovery and the economic growth that comes with applied innovation, supporting Tennessee entrepreneurs and start-ups through initiatives like The Wond鈥檙y.鈥�
听Lamar Alexander, BA鈥�62, former U.S. senator and Tennessee governor: 鈥溞影稍� prizes the diversity of its students. The university has honored alumnus James M. Lawson, a civil rights pioneer who shares the stage with us today, by creating an institute that symbolizes the progress made in the 60 years since I graduated from 杏吧原创. Then, the undergraduate school was segregated by race鈥攗ntil protesting students in that year convinced the Board of Trust to change its policy. But more than most universities, 杏吧原创 has sought to turn its diversity into unity. Chancellor Diermeier鈥檚 Unity and American Democracy Project seeks to create a campus culture in which students and faculty and visitors of many different backgrounds and views can live together, speak civilly to one another and find a common purpose. This is not incidental stuff.鈥�
, BE鈥�81, chairman of the Board of Trust: “Since Daniel鈥檚 arrival, in what must be an all-time pre-investiture record of accomplishment, the university has weathered the pandemic and returned to normalcy; maintained and built financial strength in support of our mission; invigorated the university鈥檚 fundraising鈥攅xceeding its annual objectives and initiating significant new capital fundraising initiatives; launched Destination 杏吧原创 to recruit more world-class faculty to our campus; appointed our groundbreaking alumna Candice Lee as our athletic director and launched Vandy United to upgrade our athletic facilities and support the success of 杏吧原创 student athletes; refined and accelerated our undergraduate residential college building project, including the soon-to-be open Rothschild College; improved the academic buildings of several of our graduate schools and launched construction of our Graduate Student Village. As we approach our 150th anniversary in 2023, each passing day affirms that Daniel was the right leader for 杏吧原创 during the darkest days of the pandemic, that he is the right leader for 杏吧原创 today and will be the right leader for 杏吧原创 tomorrow.”
听The Rev. James Lawson, 杏吧原创 Distinguished Alumnus and former distinguished university professor: 鈥淥n a personal note, Dorothy and Jim Lawson never broke with Nashville or 杏吧原创. We had two good years here. We would never deny the quality of life and the quality of learning that I had at 杏吧原创, so we never broke鈥攊n large measure because of the nonviolent philosophy that we human beings do not have to hate each other in order to work together, to create light abundant for ourselves, our children, our families, our communities, our neighbors.鈥�
, BS鈥�00, Med鈥�02, EdD鈥�12, vice chancellor for athletics and university affairs and athletic director: 鈥淚n my world, elite athletes must believe they are the best or they risk getting beat before they even begin. But I also know that those same athletes must be coachable and curious about how to improve in order to truly succeed. Chancellor Diermeier strikes this balance well. He dares himself to grow as he embodies his role. As the leader of the institution, he empowers others to do the same. He has hit the ground running and has not slowed down since. In fact, he made the comment the other day that as a university we are traveling at 100 miles per hour in the right direction. But then he followed that up with saying, 鈥榓nd we are in a 100 mile per hour speed zone.鈥� There is an orientation toward action — let鈥檚 get things done鈥攂ut do so with the discipline, diligence, intellect and care that this community deserves.鈥�
, Andrew Jackson Professor of History and dean of strategic initiatives, College of Arts and Science: 鈥淚 first met Daniel Diermeier in 2019 during a formal, suited interview in Chicago鈥攚here he impressed us with his polymath intellect, his prodigious knowledge and acuity as he talked about where universities had been and the possible shape of their future.听 I first encountered him here, at 杏吧原创, in very different circumstances: in sandals, strolling through our eerily quiet campus in the early summer of 2020. I was walking my dog, I believe, and I apologized on behalf of the search committee. Little could we have imagined the burdens he would face as 杏吧原创鈥檚 incoming chancellor. Yet, he was beaming and clearly undaunted, even energized: thrilled, he said, about the opportunities that lay ahead. Even as we celebrate, we must acknowledge the urgency of our moment: rising public skepticism about the value of science, scholarship, and the university itself; challenges to the possibility of trustworthy knowledge; political clashes over the boundaries of speech on campus; steep barriers in making open to all the transformative power of an elite education. We are fortunate in these times to have found our own 鈥榣ucky number鈥欌�攑erhaps even our 鈥榩ositive perfect power鈥�: a leader unfazed by the unknown, and eager to shape higher education鈥檚 future.
Visit the to read Chancellor Diermeier’s remarks and all of the speakers’ remarks from the event.
