The Inauguration of
Troy D. VanAken
Photos: Genevieve (True) Lee
20
Elmhurst College celebrated the inauguration of its 14th president on October 22 with a ceremony, a reception and an inaugural ball for students.
I
n his first 100 days in o≈ce, Elmhurst College President Troy D. VanAken engaged wholeheartedly in the community and demonstrated a passionate commitment to student success. So it was fitting that students played an integral role in his o≈cial inauguration. Students marched in the processional as flag bearers and as representatives of student organizations. Students in the Elmhurst College Choir and a brass quintet provided ceremonial music. A student read the College’s core values, and another represented the student body by oΩering a greeting to the new president. “Students are [President VanAken’s] first priority,” said Esther Pereira ’18, president of the Student Government Association, as part
of her remarks. “And he has already begun to take steps to make sure students feel comfortable and our voices are heard.” That evening, students thronged a transformed Founders Lounge for an elegant inaugural ball with the president and his wife, Annette. At the ceremony, President VanAken spoke about the College’s strengths and how they would enable the institution to not only imagine ambitious plans for the future, but also to make them a reality. “Everything I have described makes me very proud to be part of the Elmhurst College community; I hope it makes you proud as well,” President VanAken said. “We have dreamed. We have imagined. Now we will roll up our sleeves and get to work. And we will make what we imagine into reality.”