The Inauguration of Dr. Darrell P. Wheeler

A presidential inauguration is the entire series of events surrounding the formal investiture ceremony of a new university president.  

For President Darrell Wheeler’s inauguration, the celebration of events lasts from noon on Wednesday, April 19, to noon on Friday, April 21. The festivities will be bookended by the sounding of the carillon in the clock tower atop van den Berg Hall playing the Alma Mater. 

The inauguration is a series of events marking a transition in leadership of the institution; the investiture is the formal ceremony where the newly appointed president is formally endowed with the power and responsibilities of the presidency.  

Expect an academic procession with academic regalia like Convocation and Commencement – but different! Inaugural processions include delegates from other colleges and universities and representatives from SUNY System Administration, such as the Chancellor and the SUNY Board of Trustees.  

Various constituencies of the University (students, faculty, staff, alumni, board members, retirees, friends of the University, elected officials) participate and many share greetings and congratulations during the ceremony with the new president on behalf of their constituent group. Delegates (often presidents or their designees) from other colleges and universities attend and march in the procession. The new president gives an inaugural address, laying out their priorities for their presidency.  

Expect flags, banners, pageantry and school pride! Pomp and Circumstance. Music! 

Yes, you may still be able to attend the Investiture Ceremony. A limited number of seats will be available to walk-in guests on a first-come, first-served basis. 

Doors will open at the Athletic & Wellness Center at 10 a.m. on April 20, and we encourage walk-in guests to arrive early to ensure they get a seat. If we reach capacity in the AWC, there will be overflow seating available in Lecture Center 100, where we will be livestreaming the ceremony.

No one is obligated to attend. However, inaugurations are opportunities to bring together the campus community and outside guests to celebrate the past, present and future of the University and highlight what’s unique about SUNY New Paltz.   

No one is expected to cancel classes for these events. Use your discretion. Because a presidential inauguration happens only rarely, it is certainly an opportunity for employees and students to experience a longstanding academic tradition and feel like a part of the larger New Paltz community. All are welcome but not required to attend.  

Some student leaders and international students are participating in the processional and the ceremony and may have a class conflict. Your understanding would be greatly appreciated so that these students can experience this special opportunity occurring during their college years.  

You should talk to your faculty member about your interest in attending and expect to make up any work that you miss if you attend. Classroom management is at the discretion of the faculty member.  

Inaugurations are routinely held during the business day at a time when many community members, regional stakeholders and others can participate. Campus community members often have family and other obligations during evenings and weekends. On a busy university campus, it is impossible to plan these events at a time when all are available to attend.   

The heart of the inauguration is the investiture ceremony and the community reception following the ceremony where you will have an opportunity to meet and congratulate the new president and socialize with colleagues you may not get to see often. The ceremony is being held in the Athletic and Wellness Center to make it possible for as many as 1,800 (AWC capacity) community members to attend, staff and/or volunteer for the event if they wish.   

Yes. The following events will be livestreamed:

1. Student & Faculty Collaborative Forum, led by President Wheeler: Wednesday, April 19, at 1 p.m.  
2. Investiture Ceremony: Thursday, April 20, at 11 a.m.
3. Community Impact Panel, led by President Wheeler: Friday, April 21, at 9:30 a.m. 

Watch for the livestream link to be distributed shortly before the events.

Yes. Unless you are a member of the clergy, a musician, or part of the honor guard or color guard, you must wear academic regalia. If you need to rent regalia for the occasion, the Bookstore can take your order. The deadline for ordering regalia is April 7, 2023. 

Faculty Grand Marshal
Color Guard 
Honor Guard 
Musicians
Flag Bearers 
Delegates from other institutions of higher education 
New Paltz Marching Faculty  
Principal Administrative Officers of the Institution – Vice Presidents and Deans 
SUNY New Paltz Council Members 
Foundation Board Directors and Committee Members 
Stage Party Members: including SUNY Trustee(s) and Chancellor and other speakers 
President 

Most faculty will march as New Paltz faculty. Those who wish to march representing their terminal degree-granting institution should wear a gown and hood that represent that degree and institution. They will be placed in the processional order by their institution’s founding. 

If you sign up to march as New Paltz faculty, you will be seated with New Paltz faculty. If you sign up as a delegate representing your terminal degree-granting institution, you will be seated with the delegates from other institutions.  

Yes. As with New Paltz Commencement and Convocation, we will allow staff with advanced degrees who wish to to robe and march.

Yes, you must RSVP so that we can include you in the lineup and arrange for enough seats for marching faculty inside the Athletic and Wellness Center.  

In the Student Union Multi-Purpose Room (MPR). Those participating are invited to a continental breakfast from 8:45 – 9:45 a.m. in the MPR. If you choose not to attend the breakfast, you should arrive between 9:45 – 10:15 a.m. for robing and lineup. 

The procession will leave the Student Union and travel across Parker Quad and pass between Parker Theatre and Bliss Hall to the entrance of the Athletic & Wellness Center.  

Master of Ceremonies 

Faculty Grand Marshal 

Speakers from Various Stakeholder Groups 

Elected Officials 

Vice Presidents and Academic Deans 

SUNY New Paltz Council Members 

SUNY Trustees and Chancellor 

President’s Family Representative 

President’s Former Colleagues 

We ask that you leave your valuables at home or in your office, as we do with Commencement. We will store your garment bags and any personal items in the Student Union meeting rooms (look for the one labeled New Paltz faculty) on the second floor, outside the MPR, where they will be secured by Student Union professional staff during the ceremony. You will be able to retrieve these items after the ceremony and/or after the community reception on the Student Union concourse (between the Student Union and the Dorsky Museum/Smiley Arts Building).  

Lineup for the processional will begin at 10:15 a.m. If you teach a 9:30 a.m. class and want to participate, you will need to let class out early to participate.  

We can’t guarantee that the ceremony will be over before 12:30 p.m., but we have some ways you can participate. 

If you teach at 12:30 p.m., you can certainly attend the investiture as a guest and sit in designated/reserved seats and if you need to leave early for class you can do so. This would be less disruptive than leaving the reserved marching faculty section before the ceremony ends.  

If you would really prefer to march in the processional, you will need to alert the marshals at lineup so that you are one of the last faculty to march into the AWC and can be seated separately from the marching faculty, near the back, to make an unobtrusive exit. Those in marching faculty seating will need to remain and be part of the recessional.  You may want to consider starting class a little later that day.  

Yes. There will be general guest seating in the Athletic and Wellness Center for those who do not plan to march. If you are not marching, you will not need to wear regalia. We ask that you still RSVP for the investiture ceremony. Please arrive early to allow for enough time to seat all guests ahead of the program.

Everyone participating in the procession is welcome to attend the breakfast between 8:45-9:45 a.m. but is not required to do so. Between 9:45 a.m. and 10:15 a.m., participants will have an opportunity to visit with colleagues and guests. Lineup will begin at 10:15 and step off for the processional is at 10:40 a.m. Please plan accordingly.  

You must arrive no later than 10:15 a.m. in order to robe and store any items ahead of the lineup.  

Your RSVP allows us to ensure that we have the correct counts for seating, catering and compliance with occupancy limits.   

Inaugurations are opportunities to bring large segments of the campus community together to celebrate our mission, our successes, and our future and to build a sense of belongingness and university pride.  As a milestone event in the institution’s history, it is also an opportunity to showcase the prominence of student, faculty, staff, alumni and community contributions.  It is typical for inaugural events to occur over many days in a week, providing many points of engagement and celebration.

That said, the Inaugural Planning Committee has been cost conscious. Inaugural costs are one-time expenses for the institution. The inaugural events do not use funds designated for personnel lines. Costs are managed by printing invitations, programs and signage in-house, utilizing a digital RSVP system, digital reminders and web updates, using campus food service and holding events on campus instead of employing outside caterers or paying for outside venues. Campus staff with expertise in event management lead staff, students and volunteers in planning and executing the celebration to also save costs.

Yes. The investiture will be livestreamed and we have reserved LC 100 for overflow viewing, if needed. Watch for the livestream link to be distributed shortly before the events.