In front of an audience of over 2,500 people, Board of Trustees chair Stephen Mandel '78 presented Hanlon with the original College charter, and former College president Jim Yong Kim, now president of the World Bank, officially handed down the 66-ounce silver Wentworth Bowl.
In his inaugural address, Hanlon focused on the importance of undergraduate education and spoke about expanding Dartmouth's global impact.
While challenging the College to embrace new education technologies, Hanlon introduced two initiatives, a Society of Fellows program that will bring postdoctoral students from all disciplines to campus, and an innovation center tasked with providing resources to student entrepreneurs. College spokesperson Justin Anderson said in a statement that the initiatives will "enhance the intellectual vitality" of Dartmouth.
"Students will have highly visible role models and be able to see up close what it's like to conduct research," Anderson said of fellows program.
The innovation center will increase the College's network of entrepreneurs and provide funding and guidance to students looking to build businesses.
"The goal is to provide experiential learning opportunities and give students a world-class entrepreneurial competency, delivered by faculty and staff from across the campus and Dartmouth alumni around the world," Anderson said.
Hanlon called for the College to reduce incidences of sexual assault and binge drinking, acknowledging issues that have been heavily debated over the last few months.
The Department of Education initiated a compliance review of the College for possible Title IX violations, relating to the College's response to sexual harassment claims and the designation and notice of a Title IX coordinator.
"I challenge all students to consider whether they are strengthening our community or undermining it," Hanlon said in his speech. "Our community is strongest when we are open, safe and inclusive to all."
At the close of the ceremony, Hanlon brought the discussion back to the College's newest class.
"Give me a fulcrum and a lever, and I shall move the world," he said, quoting the mathematician Archimedes and encouraging freshmen to forge their own path.
"Find your lever, the special way you are going to make a difference," he said.
University of Michigan president Mary Sue Coleman introduced Hanlon, discussing the impact that he made at Michigan. She said Hanlon guided the institution through a period of financial instability, calling his fiscal sense the "antidote" to Michigan's financial woes.
Student body president Adrian Ferrari '14 delivered the traditional convocation speech to the Class of 2017, pointing to memories of his freshman year.
"College life will push you in a lot of different directions," Ferrari said. "There is no better anchor than the people you love and trust."
Also present was New Hampshire governor and ex-officio trustee Maggie Hassan, who relayed Dartmouth's importance to the state, calling it a "huge source of pride." She said Hanlon's background will inspire students to pursue studies in STEM fields.
The Wentworth Bowl was a noted presence at the ceremony. The silver monteith has been passed down to every president since royal New Hampshire governor John Wentworth first gave the custom-crafted bowl to Eleazar Wheelock in 1772. Hanlon jokingly likened the bowl to the Stanley Cup, which he dreamed of winning as a child.
"The Wentworth Bowl trumps the Stanley Cup every day of the week," Hanlon said, to laughter and applause from the audience.
Hanlon described the bowl as being emblematic of the College's potential "what Dartmouth might become," he said.
Prior to the inauguration ceremony, Hanlon hosted a community barbecue on Gold Coast Lawn, which saw high attendance by community members.
Dartmouth's last inauguration was held in 2009, when Kim, now president of the World Bank, became the first Asian-American to lead an Ivy League university. Kim's inauguration, which saw over 5,000 attendees, featured speeches from the then New Hampshire governor John Lynch, Brown University president Ruth Simmons, and Alan Brandt, dean of Harvard University's graduate school of arts and sciences.
Kim's inauguration speech focused on the importance of a well-rounded liberal arts education and challenged students to work toward social change and equality.
Surrounding Kim's installment as president was fear among Dartmouth community members that his academic background in science would prevent him from appreciating other academic subjects at a liberal arts institution. Kim, a physician by training, was previously the head of the World Health Organization's HIV/AIDS division. He also co-founded the nonprofit Partners in Health, which brings health care to underdeveloped areas around the world.
During his three-year tenure as College president, Kim's cut $100 million from the budget and led initiatives to reduce alcohol harm and sexual assault. He played an instrumental role in the founding of the Dartmouth Center for Health Care Delivery Science.
