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Portrait of Sarah C. Mangelsdorf

THE INAUGURATION OF

Sarah C. Mangelsdorf

The University’s Eleventh President

An inaugural celebration

Sarah C. Mangelsdorf makes her way to the stage during her inauguration ceremony in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre. (University of Rochester photo / J. Adam Fenster)

In a ceremony filled with tradition, music, laughter, and optimism, Sarah C. Mangelsdorf was formally invested Friday afternoon as the University of Rochester’s 11th president.

“The University of Rochester was built by the people of Rochester,” said President Mangelsdorf in her inaugural address. “We are not just a University in this community. We are a University of this community.”

Full coverage of the ceremony

Inauguration ceremony and remarks

On October 4, the University celebrated the inauguration of Sarah C. Mangelsdorf as Rochester’s 11th president with a ceremony in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theater.

President Mangelsdorf’s prepared remarks

Inauguration features musical premiere by Emmy-winning composer

Beal ’85E and his wife, Joan Beal ‘84E established the Beal Institute for Film Music and Contemporary Media at the Eastman School of Music in 2015. Beal’s composition “The Pathway” premiered at the inauguration.

The Ying Quartet is the string quartet-in-residence of the Eastman School of Music. The ensemble formed at Eastman in 1988 and includes original members (and siblings) cellist David Ying ’92E (DMA), violinist Janet Ying ’93E, and violist Philip Ying ’91E, ’92E (MM), as well as violinist Robin Scott, who joined the ensemble in 2015.

The musical centerpiece at the inauguration of President Sarah C. Mangelsdorf on October 4 is a work by one of the contemporary masters of musical storytelling, Jeff Beal ’85E. The Eastman School of Music’s internationally recognized Ying Quartet performed the piece.

Read an interview with Beal

The mace, charter, and seal:
A ceremonial start

The University mace, newly engraved with the name of Sarah C. Mangelsdorf, was handed to the 11th president at her inauguration ceremony on October 4.

For generations, three ritual objects—the University mace, charter, and seal—have been the centerpiece of the presidential inaugural ceremony. Across many decades, these same insignia have invested authority in presidents with wide-ranging leadership styles, each of whom has also shaped their own ceremony—as President Mangelsdorf did with hers on October 4.

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Questions? Contact Us

If you have questions about the inauguration, please email Inauguration@rochester.edu or call (585) 275-3297.