Katrina Sargent

At least 1,800 people are expected to attend President David L. Chicoine’s inaugural events on Sept. 15.

Chicoine is the 19th president of SDSU. He took office on Jan. 1, 2007, and is the third alumnus to be president, according to the SDSU website.

The inauguration is important because it is a formal welcoming to SDSU, and it gives the city and campus a chance to fully recognize Chicoine as the president of the university, said the Students’ Association President Alex Brown.

SA is sponsoring an inauguration kickoff on Sept. 13. It will begin with a free meal for students held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on the southwest side of the Union.

At 6 p.m., everyone is invited to attend a program in the PAC. Its purpose is to formally welcome the Chicoines to SDSU.

The program features the SDSU Brassline, a diversity poetry reading presented by the Black Student Alliance, Chicanos in Action and the Native American Club and a Hobo Day presentation from the UPC and Hobo Day Committee. The program also includes a video of the Chicoines as well as a presentation of gifts from several of the colleges and student groups.

The inauguration itself will begin with a processional from the Art Museum to the outdoor Coolidge Sylvan Theatre. The ceremony will start at 2 p.m., and will be followed by an inaugural reception on the main floor of the South Dakota Art Museum.

After the reception, a barbecue will be held at 5 p.m. in the Backyard, adjacent to the Coughlin-Alumni Stadium. The event will conclude with the Cereal Bowl football game, where the SDSU Jacks will take on the University of Northern Iowa.

Governor Mike Rounds is one of the speakers scheduled for the inauguration ceremony. Others include past presidents and city and state dignitaries.

For more information about the inauguration, check the SDSU website.

Invitations for the inauguration were sent out to every college and university in the country. Some might send delegates to the event, while other schools may be represented by people in the area who previously attended other universities.

All those invited probably won’t come, but it does something for the standing of SDSU to let the country know we are significant, said Jeanne Manzer, news editor for University Relations.

“Inaugurations are held customarily during or at the conclusion of a president’s first year,” said Manzer.

Chicoine’s inauguration will be the fifth held on campus.

According to an article in the Brookings Register, 800 people listened to former-president Peggy Gordon (Elliot) Miller speak at her inauguration ceremony.

Chicoine graduated from SDSU in 1969 with a Bachelor of Science in agribusiness. He received his Master of Science in agricultural economics in 1971 from the University of Delaware and his Master of Arts in Economics from Western Illinois University. He earned his doctorate in agricultural economics from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 1979.

According to SDSU’s website, Chicoine spent 30 years working in higher education at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, filling roles such as Head of the Department of Agricultural Economics and Dean of the College of Agriculture, Consumer and Environmental Services.

“Chicoine put the Division I mindset in everybody,” said Brown.

The entire university is outlining strategic plans to meet four main goals that are related to both educational and economic gains.

Chicoine is pushing SDSU to be the best it can be by focusing on research and research opportunities, said Brown.

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