Remembering our roots
Remembering our roots
Extending Our Reach
Extending Our Reach
Making History Inauguration Held for First Alumna President By Melyssa Allen
“B
y virtue of the authority of the Board of Trustees, I commit into your hands this distinguished institution, and place over your shoulders the seal of the College, the symbol of the high office which you now hold.” With these words by Board of Trustees Chair Nancy Cheek, history was made on March 22, 2012, when Jo Allen, ’80, was formally installed as the first alumna to assume the leadership of Meredith College. The installation ceremony was the culmination of a week of inauguration events honoring Allen, who began as the College’s eighth president in July 2011. The event is traditionally held within the president’s first year in office.
Nearly 2,000 Meredith community members, higher education representatives and elected officials attended the installation ceremony for President Jo Allen, ’80.
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Allen’s kindergarten teacher, Grace Burke (Miss Grace), was one of many from Allen’s hometown of LaGrange, N.C., to attend the installation. Widener University President Jim Harris (left), President Allen and Governor Bev Perdue react as Mayor Pro Tempore Russell Stephenson announced March 22 had been declared Jo Allen Day in the City of Raleigh.
Beginning an Important Chapter at Meredith
In her inaugural address, President Allen echoed the inauguration theme, “Remembering Our Roots, Extending Our Reach.” Allen said the theme reflected her Meredith history, as well as the story of Meredith College. “Whatever other timeless messages this College conveys, we demonstrate none more clearly than the power of connections, most often connections between our roots and our reach.” Allen noted that Meredith had just begun a new strategic planning process, but indicated that preparing women for positions of leadership would continue to be a focus. “At the undergraduate level, that means educating women to develop their strengths and their talents to prepare for leadership,” Allen said. “We are discussing what this model will be, but it is already clear that our focus will draw on women’s strengths: collaboration, connection, confidence – and even a little bit of defiance.” The ceremony included greetings from state and local officials. “Today as we celebrate the inauguration of
Jo Allen, Meredith’s eighth president, we mark the beginning of an important chapter for this marvelous college,” said Governor Bev Perdue. “On behalf of the 9.5 million people who call this state home, congratulations – we expect and demand great things from you.” Mayor Pro Tempore Russ Stephenson read a proclamation from the City of Raleigh declaring March 22, 2012, as Dr. Jo Allen Day in Raleigh. The proclamation “welcomed her back to Raleigh to lead one of the city’s treasured institutions.” Prior to her appointment as president of her alma mater, Allen served as senior vice president and provost and professor of English at Widener University in Chester, Pa. Widener President Jim Harris spoke during the installation ceremony, saying “we believe Meredith College has chosen wisely … she’s the best choice because of who she is as a person.” Remembering Our Roots, Extending Our Reach
The installation ceremony was held in Raleigh Memorial Auditorium to symbolize Meredith’s original location in downtown Raleigh.
The crowd cheered as Jewel Balantine Stephens, ’34, led the alumnae procession into the installation ceremony.
Meredith’s fifth, sixth and seventh presidents, Bruce Heilman, John Weems and Maureen Hartford, attended the ceremony, representing 45 years of leadership at the College. In another nod to Meredith history, the Bible used during the presidential investiture had belonged to Richard Tilman Vann, Meredith’s second president. This Bible was one of the items sealed into the cornerstone of Faircloth Hall on the original campus of Baptist Female University (now Meredith) in 1904, and returned to Meredith in 1960. Along with delegates from higher education institutions, and Meredith faculty, staff and trustees, alumnae representing classes from 1934 to 2011 participated in the academic procession. Many other alumnae attended to show their support for Meredith’s first alumna president, including a large contingent of Allen’s 1980 classmates. “I think the energy that Dr. Allen has brought to Meredith has set the stage for the future. People are excited about what they believe she can do,” said Teri Meadows Hires, ’77. “Because she’s an alumna, she understands the mission of Meredith, and she understands the importance of women as leaders.” M eredith Ma ga zine / Spring 2012 /
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