By Donna Ullrich-Eaton
U-M-Flint
U-M-Flint Chancellor Charlie Nelms will set the pace for inaugural activities in his honor Oct. 19–21 by joining in the Chancellor’s Challenge run/walk that kicks off festivities Oct. 19.
Three days of public activities are planned to celebrate Nelms’ installation as Flint’s fourth chancellor.
The events, organized around the theme of “Excellence in Unity: Setting the Course for the Twenty-first Century,” open with the run and conclude with the inaugural ceremony Oct. 21.
This is the first inauguration in the 38-year history of the branch campus. The event, sponsored by the Faculty Council, also provides an opportunity to welcome Nelms and his wife, Jeanetta, to the community.
President James J. Duderstadt and the Board of Regents will preside over a formal ceremony in Whiting Auditorium, according to foreign languages Prof. Douglas E. Miller, chair of the Council and organizer of the ceremony.
“Amid the many difficulties Flint has experienced over the past 20 years, it has not often been noted that Flint has actually been home to one of the great success stories in American higher education—the establishment and growth of U-M-Flint,” Miller says.
“The inauguration highlights this success, a tribute to the combined efforts of the University of Michigan and the Flint community.
Inauguration committee chair Harriet Wall says planning efforts focus on events that will “celebrate the accomplishments of our faculty, students and alumni.”
“We hope the community will join the campus in welcoming our new chancellor and working with him to set the agenda for the future,” adds Wall, professor of psychology. “The inaugural activities highlight the academic, cultural and social importance of the Univer-
sity for the Flint community.”
Other activities include a concert sponsored by the Music Department’s Invitational Chorale; a special performance of the Theatre Department’s season opener, Dancing at Lughnasa, followed by an afterglow featuring the Music Department’s jazz ensemble; a day of faculty symposia and student and faculty exhibits and presentations; and a pre-inauguration ceremony reception.
