{"id":162553,"date":"2024-05-09T14:14:42","date_gmt":"2024-05-09T18:14:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/?p=162553"},"modified":"2024-05-10T16:00:45","modified_gmt":"2024-05-10T20:00:45","slug":"say-what-heard-at-the-inauguration-of-garry-w-jenkins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/2024\/05\/09\/say-what-heard-at-the-inauguration-of-garry-w-jenkins\/","title":{"rendered":"Say What: Quotable quotes from Batesies, family members, and guests at the Jenkins inauguration"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Shortly before the start of the installation ceremony for President Garry W. Jenkins on May 4 in Merrill Gymnasium, Sarah Potter \u201977, the retired longtime director of the Bates College Store, talked about the power of institutional rituals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRituals are invaluable for the sense of intimacy and community that they create,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And Jenkins\u2019 friends knew that he would take full advantage of his magic moment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor someone who is quite informal, Garry really likes rituals,\u201d said Martha Chamallas, a friend and professor emerita of law at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. \u201c<\/em>I think it speaks volumes. Garry finds pleasure in ritual because he finds joy in the people behind the institutional rituals \u2014 and he\u2019s really open to becoming your new close friend!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 1,000 Bates students, faculty, staff, trustees, presidents emeriti, and alumni, joined by 60-plus delegates and many Jenkins family members, turned out to welcome, praise, and appreciate Garry W. Jenkins, turning the Bates campus into a place of community and intimacy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking with Bates News senior writer Deirdre Stires, editorial assistant Hannah Kotheri ’26, and editorial director Jay Burns, here\u2019s what they said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Bates students<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

To serve the approximately 300 guests at the inaugural dinner in the Gray Athletic Building the night before the inauguration, Dining Services for the first time enlisted student workers for the event\u2019s waitstaff. Two waiters were Emmon Blackburn \u201927 of Nardin, Okla., and Zak Adler of Jamaica Plain, Mass.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chill place:<\/strong> \u201cJust knowing what I\u2019m representing by doing this is kind of cool, definitely. Everyone back in the kitchen knows each other and they\u2019re always making jokes. It feels like a pretty chill place really, like one big and a-little-disoriented family!\u201d \u2014 Blackburn<\/p>\n\n\n

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Emmon Blackburn \u201927 of Nardin, Okla., joined Dining Services waitstaff team for the inaugural dinner for President Garry W. Jenkins. (Rene Roy for Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Fancy vest<\/strong>: \u201cI helped set up this event on Wednesday, so by how formal everything was, I got a sense that it was pretty important. Just the fact that I’m wearing this fancy vest tells you that it\u2019s a big event! It\u2019s super cool that Garry is in touch with the student body and you see him all around campus.\u201d \u2014 Adler<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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On Saturday morning shortly after 10:30, the academic procession moved from Commons to Merrill Gymnasium for the installation ceremony, where the Bates College Orchestra, featuring many students, performed William Grant Still\u2019s <\/em>Festive Overture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Big deal<\/strong>: \u201cThere\u2019s definitely a lot of pressure to perform my best today. This is a big deal. Being a part of the ceremony is truly an honor.\u201d \u2014 Joel Keith \u201927 of San Francisco, Calif., who played the trumpet <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nerve wracking<\/strong>: \u201cI feel in shock. I\u2019m so excited to support Garry and be a part of this historic moment. Yes, it\u2019s nerve wracking to perform today, but I\u2019m proud to represent the college. Music is powerful, and having this event is important; it brings people together.\u201d \u2014 Jade Pierce \u201927 of Dracut, Mass., who played the viola in the orchestra<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Full circle<\/strong>: \u201cIt\u2019s not every day something like this happens. The students know President Jenkins; he takes the time to get to know students. Today feels more like a personal connection, like a full circle moment.\u201d \u2014 Maddy Ewell \u201924, a neuroscience major from Ridgewood, N.J., who played the violin<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surreal<\/strong>: \u201cIt\u2019s really cool how often we see President Jenkins around campus. He\u2019s just so present among the student body. It\u2019s surreal to see him officially become president after all of these months leading the college.\u201d \u2014 Mavy Ho \u201926, a neuroscience major from Gorham, Maine, who played the violin<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Featuring many students, the Bates College Orchestra performed William Grant Still’s Festive Overture during the installation ceremony on May 4, 2024. (Rene Roy for Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Shortly before the 10:30 a.m. start of the ceremony, students made their way from breakfast in Commons to the gym. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Feeling lucky<\/strong>: \u201cSince there have only ever been eight other presidents during the college\u2019s history, it\u2019s so special to be a part of one of the classes that has the opportunity to witness this type of historic moment. It\u2019s so special to see a president inaugurated. I feel so lucky.\u201d \u2014 Janney Halperin \u201926, an environmental studies major from Meredith, N.H.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the installation ceremony, members of Bates Student Government served as student delegates, including Zain Ali \u201927 of Lebanon, Ohio, and Mariam Almzainy \u201927 of Madaba, Jordan.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fantastic<\/strong>: \u201cIt feels like a once-in-a-lifetime event for a college student and a really fitting way to end the year. It\u2019s so nice to see all these people who are related to Garry or who want to be here in one way or another. I think it\u2019s going to be a fantastic, fantastic day.\u201d \u2014 Ali <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inspiration<\/strong>: \u201cLast night was the dinner for all the people who were involved in the inauguration and all of these comments that we heard about Garry just showed us what a great man he is. That gives me inspiration to reach peace, to provide people with hope, and the positive influences we are looking for in this world.\u201d \u2014 Almzainy<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Bates Student Government co-presidents Dhruv Chandra \u201925 of Kolkata, India, and Rebecca Anderson \u201924 of Boone, N.C., offer welcomes on behalf of Bates students. (Rene Roy for Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We all belong<\/strong>: \u201cYou have signaled repeatedly that we all belong here, all have a place here, all have a contribution to make and a mark to leave on this college that we all care for so deeply.\u201d \u2014  Rebecca Anderson \u201924 of Boone, N.C., in her and Student Government co-president Dhruv Chandra’s shared welcome on behalf of students<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Bates faculty and staff<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Pretty powerful<\/strong>: \u201cThere\u2019s so much evidence about how much the students admire Garry and just already love him and everything about him. Yes, he goes to lots of things on campus. But they love him for his admiration of our principals and his commitment to education and because he wants to be president of a liberal arts college. That\u2019s pretty powerful.\u201d \u2014 James Reese, the associate dean for international student programs and a member of the Bates staff since 1977<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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James Reese, associate dean for international student programs, glances at President Garry W. Jenkins during his welcome on behalf of Bates staff. Reese has been a member of the Bates staff since 1977. (Rene Roy for Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

New and possible<\/strong>: \u201cRituals of hope and joy are just lovely things for a college to acknowledge and lean into. It\u2019s a really beautiful day to think about what\u2019s new and what\u2019s possible.\u201d \u2014 The Rev. Brittany Longsdorf, the college\u2019s multifaith chaplain<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pass the baton<\/strong>: \u201cIt\u2019s fantastic when you pass the baton and a fabulous person picks it up from you. It\u2019s been wonderful to see the welcome that Garry has given to all the incoming delegates, the alums coming back, the trustees, and how thrilled everybody is, and to see the welcome that Garry has received from this community.\u201d \u2014 President Emerita Clayton Spencer, Jenkins\u2019 predecessor, one of two former presidents, with Elaine Tuttle Hansen, who took part in the installation ceremony<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moving forward<\/strong>: \u201cThis is an exciting and historic day for the college and certainly a day that we are celebrating not only Garry Jenkins, but also the institution, and our tradition, and our history and how we envision that history and tradition moving forward.\u201d \u2014 Gwen Lexow, associate vice president for Title IX and Civil Rights and the delegate for Knox College, where she is an alumna and a trustee<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Directness<\/strong>: \u201cWe see in you the curiosity and thoughtfulness and openness to the ideas of others that we center in our teaching, inside and outside the classroom. And we appreciate the directness with which you address the complexities and injustices of the current moment.\u201d \u2014 Professor of French and Francophone Studies Mary T. Rice-DeFosse, from her official welcome on behalf of the Bates faculty<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Professor of French and Francophone Studies Mary T. Rice-DeFosse carries the Bates mace as the senior member of the Bates faculty during the recessional on May 4, 2024. (Rene Roy for Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Renewal<\/strong>: \u201cMy initial thoughts are: It\u2019s a new beginning, a different administration, and I\u2019m looking forward to what Garry has to bring. And already he\u2019s brought a wonderful energy of renewal and excitement.\u201d \u2014 Associate Professor of American Studies Myron Beasley, who marched with his faculty colleagues in the academic procession<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reassembled campus<\/strong>: \u201cIt\u2019s fun to see the campus reassemble itself for an event like this that really is about celebrating the joy of community. It\u2019s fun to see how many people are coming here, seeing the indoor track rearranged into an event space that\u2019s not for getting really sweaty! It\u2019s really marvelous. It\u2019s great.\u201d \u2014 Associate Professor of History Joe Hall, who marched with his faculty colleagues in the academic procession and also sang in the Maine Music Society Chorale<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Associate Professor of History Joe Hall (center, in blue hood) sings with the Maine Music Society Chorale during the installation ceremony on May 4, 2024. (Rene Roy for Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Energy and joy<\/strong>: \u201cI\u2019m so excited to have Garry and to have this moment. He just has so much energy, and joy, and love, and care.\u201d \u2014 Melanie McGuire is director of information services for Bates Human Resources and was the delegate for Thomas College, where she earned an MBA<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Set apart<\/strong>: \u201cOur rituals, whether an inauguration or graduation or reunion, are what help set colleges apart from so many other organizations and businesses.\u201d \u2014Kerry O\u2019Brien, who retired as the Bates assistant dean of the faculty in 2022<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Bates alumni<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Bursting with pride<\/strong>: \u201cMy classmate who is here and I, we both said our hearts are just bursting with pride. We feel such promise, like this is a promising time for Bates. Having Garry Jenkins here, what a great step forward for us. I\u2019ve never felt so proud to be a Batesie. I grew up in Portland, a poor kid, and Bates gave me everything.\u201d \u2014 Marjorie McCormick Davis \u201976, the delegate for Vanderbilt University, where she earned a doctorate, who teared up as she offered her comment<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bates is people<\/strong>: \u201cBates is not the buildings, it\u2019s the people. And I see that in Garry. He reinforces the reason people went here: we\u2019ve alway had minorities, always had women. And I\u2019m hearing that both from parents and also from students.\u201d \u2014 Chuck James \u201978, member of the Bates Alumni Council who met Jenkins recently at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., hosted by the Benjamin Mays Black Alumni Society, for which James serves as treasurer<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Monumental moment<\/strong>: \u201cI think it’s a monumental moment for the school in a time of a lot of change: in education, in the world. Just to be the ninth president in the long history of this school is pretty extraordinary. He’s just a great leader. So I just wanted to be here and be part of the event.\u201d \u2014 Bill Carey \u201982, member of the college\u2019s Cheney Society, which comprises former members of the Bates College Board of Trustees<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best person<\/strong>: \u201cIt\u2019s such a wonderful moment of community, so many different people coming together to celebrate just a momentous occasion: the ninth president of Bates and also our first Black president \u2014 which is of personal great importance to me \u2014 and, by far, the best person for the job. I think that\u2019s what we\u2019re most excited about.\u201d \u2014 Lance Matthiesen \u201985, a member of the Board of Trustees and the Benjamin Mays Black Alumni Society<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lance Matthiesen \u201985, a member of the Board of Trustees, talks with President Garry W. Jenkins (right) during the inaugural dinner on May 3, 2024, and Jenkins’ cousin Darrell Terry (left). (Rene Roy for Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A testament<\/strong>: \u201cThis is a really historic moment and I’m just really proud to be here as an alum and I\u2019m really excited to see what Garry ends up doing at Bates. Having the first Black and gay president is both historic and really important. But I also think it speaks to Bates’ legacy and dedication to diversity and inclusion. I think it\u2019s a testament to that.\u201d \u2014 Ashleigh Dior Coren \u201907 of Takoma Park, Md., on campus this spring to teach a Short Term course on museum interpretation and storytelling <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Garry Jenkins\u2019 family and friends<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

A good fit<\/strong>: \u201cI\u2019m proud, of course. And he\u2019s worked hard. He\u2019s very grounded and always prepared. Bates is a good fit for him. He\u2019s very interested in education and students and people, and there are things he wants to accomplish. And I think he\u2019ll do them here. Walking through the campus, the smiles on the students\u2019 faces and, sometimes, they comment how glad they are he\u2019s here, that he is here for them and they feel it.\u201d \u2014 Leslie Jenkins, mother of Garry W. Jenkins<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Garry Jenkins\u2019 mother, Leslie Jenkins, blows a kiss to her son after his heartfelt thanks to her and his father, Garry C. Jenkins (left). At right is Jon Lee, Garry Jenkin\u2019s husband. (Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Blessed to be embraced<\/strong>: \u201cGarry and I are thrilled to be part of the Bates community and blessed to have been embraced so warmly by everyone in it, not only today but every day since he was first named as president last March. We look forward to deepening our relationship with the college and community in the years ahead.\u201d \u2014 Jon J. Lee, Garry Jenkins\u2019 husband and the delegate for his alma mater, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Giving everything: <\/strong>\u201cGarry has been a champion for liberal arts education for 37 years. I can recall the exact number of years because this high achiever wrote a book about the college admissions process at 16 years old! He will give everything in his heart to serve Bates and its staff and faculty and guide this esteemed institution to continued success.\u201d \u2014 Garry Jenkins\u2019 brother, Chris Jenkins, from his toast at Friday\u2019s inauguration dinner<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harness the power<\/strong>: \u201cPeople think of transformational leaders as people who changed institutions or organizations, but that\u2019s not what I mean here. Garry loves institutions and actions that transform people. He will not try to change Bates, but instead will seek to harness the power of Bates and see how it transforms the lives of its students.\u201d \u2014 Donald Tobin, a longtime friend and former colleague of Jenkins\u2019 at the Moritz College of Law at The Ohio State University, in his toast to Jenkins<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Embodied inclusiveness<\/strong>: \u201cLong before the word became fashionable, Garry embodied inclusiveness. He’s a generous spirit who gives people leeway to make mistakes and he knows that not everyone is always their best self. But there is a difference between being tolerant and inclusive and being compliant. What makes Garry truly inclusive is that he actually has very little tolerance for people who aren’t kind, for people who lie, or for people who are dismissive of other people.\u201d \u2014 Martha Chamallas, professor emerita of law, Moritz College of Law at The Ohio University, in her toast to Jenkins<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Higher education delegates, colleagues, and guests<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Awesome collision<\/strong>: \u201cI spent an enormous amount of time at Bates growing up. I had a radio show at WRBC, I practiced with the Bates ultimate team all through high school. So it\u2019s really fun to be on a campus that I love, representing my own alma mater, and it’s just kind of this awesome collision of all of my worlds.\u201d \u2014 Luke Livingston, who grew up in Auburn and is the founder of Lewiston-based Baxter Brewing Co., is an alumnus of Clark University<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ethical and impactful<\/strong>: \u201cThrough Bates and all that the Bates community represents, Garry\u2019s ethical and impactful leadership, rooted in the liberal arts and an enduring set of values and humane capacities, will know no limits. Congratulations, Bates College, on being on the Jenkins journey!\u201d \u2014 Wendy Raymond, president and professor of biology at Haverford College, Jenkins\u2019 undergraduate alma mater, who offered the traditional welcome on behalf of the academy<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Wendy Raymond, president and professor of biology at Haverford College, offers the traditional welcome on behalf of the academy. (Rene Roy for Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Not luck, but brilliance<\/strong>: \u201cOn the one hand, I want to say Bates is so lucky to have Garry Jenkins as its president, but I don\u2019t think it\u2019s luck. I think it\u2019s brilliance on the part of your search committee and your board. It\u2019s just the right person in the right place at the right time. He is a problem solver. He is transformational in a way that makes other people do their absolute best.\u201d \u2014 Susan Krinsky is executive vice president for operations and chief of staff of the Law School Admission Council<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We gathered brief quotes from 30-plus attendees at the inauguration of Garry W. Jenkins, everyone from Bates student waiters and musicians to the new Bates president’s mom.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":148,"featured_media":162486,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_hide_ai_chatbot":false,"_ai_chatbot_style":"","associated_faculty":[],"_Page_Specific_Css":"","_bates_restrict_mod":false,"_table_of_contents_display":false,"_table_of_contents_location":"","_table_of_contents_disableSticky":false,"_is_featured":false,"footnotes":"","_bates_seo_meta_description":"","_bates_seo_block_robots":false,"_bates_seo_sharing_image_id":0,"_bates_seo_sharing_image_twitter_id":0,"_bates_seo_share_title":"","_bates_seo_canonical_overwrite":"","_bates_seo_twitter_template":""},"categories":[4,7],"tags":[12334,12349,12192],"class_list":["post-162553","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic-life","category-alumni","tag-garry-w-jenkins","tag-jenkins-inauguration","tag-say-what"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162553","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/148"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=162553"}],"version-history":[{"count":27,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162553\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":162730,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162553\/revisions\/162730"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/162486"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=162553"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=162553"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=162553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}