President Carlos Campo will be inaugurated on Friday as Ashland University maintains many time-tested traditions. 

Campo will become the 30^th president in the history of the university.  According to campus archivist Dave Roepke, the first inauguration ceremony did not take place until 1935 for Dr. Charles L. Anspach, who served as the president of the institution until 1939. 

“1935 was the first one they did, for Dr. Anspach, and it was held over in the old college gym, that isn’t here anymore, it was over by Clayton Hall,” Roepke said.  “They’ve done one for every president since then.”

One aspect of AU’s inaugurations, which are unique to the university, is the fact that many of the traditions that started a long time ago are still prevalent today. 

According to Margaret Pomfret, the vice president of institutional advancement, three main traditions have been prevalent during AU inaugurations throughout the years and will be executed at the inauguration of Campo. 

The honor of carrying the AU Mace is given to the senior-most faculty member at AU.  During this inauguration, that honor will belong to Duncan Jamieson, who began his tenure as a professor of history and political science on January 1, 1979.  The mace, which serves as a symbol of strength and scholastic integrity, is used at both religious and academic processions.  Made of wood from the old football stands at AU, the mace is meant to represent academic success, religious heritage, knowledge and renewal.

Another tradition that has stood the test of time is the academic regalia, which is worn by the university president and his academic colleagues.  Academic regalia has its roots in the universities of the middle ages and is most colorful at major academic events such as a presidential investiture ceremony.  Traditionally, the university president and his academic colleagues who are part of the platform party, or who are marching in the processional and recessional, wear robes that symbolize their advanced degrees and the institutions where they studied and began their scholarly careers.

When Campo is formally invested with the presidency of AU, he will wear a silver and gold medallion bearing the seal of his office.  He will subsequently wear the medallion on official university occasions such as commencement, at academic gatherings, or other ceremonial events.  Each president’s medallion is uniquely designed. Campo chose the Ashland seal with an eagle at the bottom and the words “cultivates the mind and ennobles the heart,” inscribed above the seal.

For Campo’s inauguration, a special guest speaker will be former Attorney General John Ashcroft.  Other speakers scheduled for the event include Jeff Sikkenga, president of AU’s Faculty Senate and a professor at the university, James Walborn, president of the AU Alumni Association, Glen Stewart, mayor of the city of Ashland, and James Coyne, the president of AU’s Student Senate. 

Roepke said that having distinguished guests at the event is nothing new. 

“They had a guest speaker too when Dr. Benz was inaugurated,” Roepke said. “It was Governor Taft, although back then he was still secretary of state.”

Roepke also says that Campo’s inauguration ceremony will be similar to the inaugurations that AU has had since the 1990s.