Let me first speak to inaugurations. Last year we decided to delay what would have been the more typical timing of inauguration so as to take advantage of showing Lyndon off in the glory of a Northeast Kingdom autumn, as opposed to the drab of April's mud season. Given the fall timing, I am aware of the how different my remarks will be today. For I have now walked the Lyndon campus for a year and have gotten to know the members of the Lyndon community. I have learned how hard-working they are, how committed they are to students, and how dedicated they are to making Lyndon a premiere college.
Inauguration is a time-honored tradition in higher education.
Like many academic traditions, the act of inauguration is steeped in symbolism and pomp and has become inextricably woven into the fabric of the academy. I believe inauguration is about the institution. Everyone hopes the new president will do well, and what they actually mean is that they hope the new president will do exactly what each of them wants her to do. Everyone hopes the inaugural address will be mercifully brief, and some hope the new president's tenure will be mercifully brief as well. But, in the final analysis, inauguration is really about the college.