Community invited to attend CMU Presidential Investiture ceremony

To formally confer the symbols and authority of the Central Michigan University presidency to Neil MacKinnon, the CMU Board of Trustees will hold an investiture ceremony at 10:00 a.m., Friday April 4, in Plachta Auditorium.

The board unanimously appointed MacKinnon to be CMU’s 16th President in September 2024.He began his tenure November 1.

Investiture ceremonies are common during the first year of a new president’s tenure and serve as a way for the president to share their vision for the institution. It also is an opportunity for the university community to gather and celebrate new leadership.

President MacKinnon will describe the power of higher education and its impact on individuals and communities during his investiture speech. He also will share his thoughts on transformation and innovation at CMU — and the reasons he is optimistic about the university’s future.

The CMU Board of Trustees invites students, faculty, staff and alumni along with civic and government leaders, representatives from other colleges and universities, and the community at large. Many of President MacKinnon’s colleagues, friends and mentors from previous institutions also will attend.

Other speakers at the ceremony will include Michigan Association of State Universities Chief Executive Officer Daniel Hurley and individuals speaking on behalf of CMU students, alumni, and faculty and staff.               

Todd Regis, chair of the CMU Board of Trustees,  will preside over the investiture ceremony and will present the presidential medallion alongside Trustee Vice Chairs Denise Williams Mallett and Regine Beauboeuf.

Chair Regis also will share the winning pattern from the campuswide vote to choose an official CMU tartan. The tartan will be used at several presidential and university events to display CMU maroon-and-gold pride.

All who attend the investiture ceremony are invited to a post-event reception with the president and university leaders in the Powers Hall ballroom.