Joyce McConnell, the 15th president of Colorado State University, will be inaugurated on Thursday, Nov. 14, at 10:30 a.m.
The ceremony at the University Center of the Arts will include remarks from CSU Board of Governors Chair Nancy Tutor, CSU Chancellor Tony Frank and McConnell, who became president of CSU on July 1, 2019. Music will be performed by the CSU Chamber Choir, CSU Student Jazz Combo, CSU Graduate Student String Sextet and CSU Faculty Brass Quintet.
Although the actual event is closed to the public due to limited space, CSU is hosting live watch parties for students, faculty and staff at the Lory Student Center and the Iris & Michael Smith Alumni Center.
For those who cannot attend the watch parties, a livestream will be available at https://col.st/inauguration.
About President McConnell
McConnell is the first woman president in CSU’s 150-year history. She is proud to lead one of our nation’s best land–grant universities and equally proud to embody the progress that CSU has made in embracing and celebrating the diversity of its campus community.
In her September Fall Address, McConnell announced a Race, Bias, and Equity Initiative to directly address the challenges that CSU is facing today. In keeping with her action-oriented leadership style, work on that initiative has already begun.
Prior to stepping into the presidency at CSU, McConnell spent more than 20 years at another flagship land–grant institution, West Virginia University. She joined the faculty of the WVU College of Law in 1995 and held progressive leadership positions thereafter.
She was appointed dean of the college in 2008 and immediately fundraised for a $36 million renovation and expansion of the college building. She also expanded the college’s interdisciplinary opportunities and implemented state-of-the-art experiential and clinical programs and facilities.
McConnell was named provost of West Virginia University by President Gordon Gee in 2014. In this role, she galvanized innovation and entrepreneurship at WVU with her creation of the university–wide WVU Idea Hub.
