Amid tradition, pomp and pageantry, another page of Dartmouth history will be written this afternoon as James E. Wright is inaugurated as the 16th president of the College.
The inauguration of a new president has been a relatively rare occurrence throughout Dartmouth's 229-year history, and today's ceremony will mark a significant period of change for the College.
Wright himself described the impending inauguration as "an important institutional moment, when we all sort of reflect on what Dartmouth is and what we aspire for Dartmouth to be."
Today, the focus will not only be on Wright, but also on his first formal words as the president of Dartmouth, as the inaugural speech of the incoming president has often set the tone for his tenure.
Former College President James Freedman, for example, uttered the now immortal words about transforming Dartmouth into a comfortable place for "creative loners" during his inaugural speech in 1987.
Freedman has been credited with changing the face of Dartmouth's intellectual and academic environment during his 11 years at the helm -- introducing a new curriculum, achieving gender parity, as well as, establishing research opportunities through the Presidential Scholars Program and the Women in Science Project.
The ceremony itself is wrought with history. As the proceedings begin on Baker Lawn, Freedman, the outgoing president, will sit in the Eleazar Wheelock chair, which Wheelock, the first president of Dartmouth, reportedly used from 1770 until his death in 1779.
The straight-backed wooden armchair is notable for its small height, an indication of Wheelock's stature. The chair normally remains in the Woodward Memorial Room on the second floor of Baker Library and is used only during ceremonial occasions.
The exchange of three revered Dartmouth objects -- the original College Charter, the Wentworth Bowl and the Flude Medal -- during the ceremony represents the transfer of power from one president to another.
Dating back to December 13, 1769, the Charter was issued by King George III and signed by Royal New Hampshire Governor John Wentworth.
The Charter emphasized Dartmouth's dedication to non-discriminatory hiring practices and gave the Board of Trustees full authority over the College. Dartmouth still operates under the original Charter. The Charter hangs in the History Room on the first floor of Baker and is removed solely for inaugural purposes.
When Trustee Chair Stephen Bosworth '61 bequests the Charter to Wright, he symbolically places the destiny of the College into the new president's hands.
During the College's first Commencement ceremony in 1771, Governor Wentworth presented Wheelock with an engraved silver bowl. The 49-ounce Wentworth Bowl has since been passed on between presidents and their successors.
During today's ceremony, Freedman will place the Flude Medal around Wright's neck. The Flude Medal was first presented in 1785 to John Wheelock, the College's second president, as a gift from John Flude, a London broker. The medal is traditionally worn by the College president when he is in academic attire.
Embossed on its beaten gold surface are the figures of an old man and his three sons attempting to break a bundle of sticks, which according to Aesop's fable, "could not be broken together, but singly." Underneath is the inscription, "Unanimity is the strength of society."
After accepting the presidential heirlooms and delivering his inaugural address, Wright will sit in the Eleazar Wheelock chair, becoming the 16th president in the Wheelock succession.
