Presbyterian College to Celebrate Inauguration of 20th President, Dr. Anita Gustafson
April 16, 2024
The inauguration of Presbyterian College’s 20th president, Dr. Anita Gustafson, is being celebrated this spring with a weeklong series of events commemorating the historic occasion.
Gustafson’s inauguration begins at 11 a.m. Friday, April 26, in Belk Auditorium. She will be honored by students, college faculty and staff, alumni, friends, family, and dignitaries from several colleges and universities throughout the state and region.
“Dr. Gustafson’s return to campus last fall as PC’s 20th president inspired a warm and enthusiastic welcome throughout the college community and beyond,” said Ruth Roper, chair of PC’s Board of Trustees. “Now we join together to mark this historic occasion to celebrate Dr. Gustafson’s leadership and vision for PC’s future. I am excited about this event and honored to be part of it.”
Inauguration Week kicks off Sunday, April 21, with the Presidential Day of Service – a fitting tribute to the college’s motto, “While We Live, We Serve.” PC’s Student Volunteer Services is spearheading the all-day volunteer event on campus, in the surrounding Laurens County community, and even remotely – each demonstrating the college’s heart of service.
On Monday, April 22, PC’s Ecology Club will host the True Blue Earth Day Festival from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in front of Neville Hall. Club members will offer free plants, crafts, games, and music throughout the afternoon.
That evening, the PC Chamber Orchestra will hold its spring concert, “An Alumni Celebration,” at 7:30 p.m. in Edmunds Hall. The concert will feature music directed by music department chair Dr. Richard Thomas and performed by PC students and alumni. Featured performers include current students Liliana Weathers, Lauren Smoak, and Daniel Martins and alumni Paul Peart II ’20, Collin McKinnon ’19, Jarvernique Tinsley ’20, and DeMaine Cunningham ’20.
On April 22, the college’s athletic department will host its 11th annual awards ceremony – The Presbys – at 8 p.m. in Belk Auditorium.
PC’s annual Giving Day, a campaign that calls on all students, alumni, faculty, staff, and friends to financially support current and future Blue Hose, begins on April 23 and ends 24 hours later on April 24. Throughout the day, multiple challenges will be issued to meet the college’s goal of raising $350,000 and attracting 750 donors.
At 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 23, PC alumna Wendy Stewart will speak in Edmunds Hall as the 2024 Robert M. Vance Lecturer on Business Ethics. Stewart, president of global commercial banking for Bank of America, will address doing business while maintaining a moral code in her day-to-day work overseeing one of the company’s eight major lines of business.
On Wednesday, April 24, at 7:30 p.m. in Belk Auditorium, the Presbyterian College Jazz Band will perform “To Jazz or Not to Jazz?” – a mix of rock and jazz classics directed by the director of bands and flute instructor Dr. Giovani Briguente.
On the eve of the presidential inauguration, PC faculty, staff, and students will share their commitment to the community and all things Blue Hose—to the beat and on the dancefloor—at the True Blue Gala at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 25, in Springs Campus Center.
The grand finale of Inauguration Week is the Presidential Scholarship Ball, a black-tie optional event at the Hyatt Regency in Greenville to raise money for student scholarships. The Ansley Stewart Band, led by PC alumna Ansley Stewart ’07, is the featured performer. Stewart, known around the Atlanta music scene as one of the most versatile vocalists in town, combines 1960s soul and 1980s college radio sounds in an eclectic, thoughtful, and passionate style.
For more on the presidential inauguration, go to: www.presby.edu/inauguration
