EMU Today

YPSILANTI – Eastern Michigan University President James M. Smith will be inaugurated as the University’s 23rd president at 2 p.m. on Thursday, March 2. The inauguration includes a day of events and celebration that marks an historic moment in the University’s history.

Inaugural events begin with the Academic March from McKenny Hall to Pease Auditorium, featuring a Parade of Nations with students carrying flags denoting many of the countries represented by students at Eastern; the inauguration ceremony at Pease Auditorium; a campus celebration at McKenny Hall that is open to all students, faculty and staff, their guests and community representatives; and, an inaugural scholarship dinner at the Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest.

The schedule of inauguration events includes:

• Academic March/Parade of Nations: Starting at 1:47 p.m. in front of McKenny Hall and marching to Pease Auditorium.
• Inauguration ceremony/Processional: Begins at 2 p.m. in Pease Auditorium.  Attendees must be seated by 1:50 p.m.
  • Grand Marshall: Sally McCracken, professor emeritus of Communications, Media and Theatre Arts, will lead the processional.
  • Mace Bearer: Ronald Woods, a professor of Africology and African American Studies, will serve as Mace Bearer in the processional.
  • Faculty Marshals: Four faculty members will serve as marshals in the processional. They are David Anderson, College of Education; Kunal Banerji, College of Business; Mary Bigler, College of Education; and Bryan Booker, College of Technology.
  • The inauguration ceremony will include remarks from President Smith along with those from Sidney Ribeau, former President of Bowling Green State University, where he worked with President Smith before becoming president at Howard University in Washington DC.

The public is invited to the inauguration, but free tickets should be obtained beforehand. Please visit the inauguration website or call 734-487-2282 to obtain tickets.

• Campus Celebration: Following the inauguration, there will be a campus celebration beginning at 3:30 p.m. in the McKenny Hall Ballroom. The public is invited to this event.
• Inaugural Scholarship Dinner at the Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest: The day’s final event will be the Inaugural Scholarship Dinner, at 6:30 p.m. The dinner reflects President Smith’s focus on providing students the opportunity to excel and graduate. The Presidential Difference Makers Scholarship will financially assist an outstanding undergraduate or graduate student at Eastern. The dinner is $150 per guest. Proceeds from the dinner, in their entirety, will benefit the Presidential Difference Makers Scholarship.

See the Inauguration Website for further details on the celebration and dinner ticket information.

About President James M. Smith
President Smith was selected as the 23rd President of Eastern Michigan University by the University’s Board of Regents on February 12, 2016. He assumed his duties as President on July 1, 2016.

Before joining EMU, he served as President of Northern State University (NSU) in Aberdeen, South Dakota since June 2009. He has been an active fundraiser and was instrumental in helping NSU obtain the largest donation in its history, a $15 million gift. Another NSU success was collaborating with the University of Jinan, in Jinan, China, to develop the first and only Confucius Institute in the Dakotas.

Smith grew up near Columbus, Ohio, in the small town of Washington Court House. He knew early on he wanted to be a teacher, having always admired teachers and enjoying school. He became an elementary and middle school teacher after earning his bachelor of science degree in elementary education, from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, in 1979. He would go on to earn a master’s of education, educational administration, from Xavier University in Cincinnati and a doctorate in educational leadership from Miami University.

Over the next 28 years, he served as an elementary school principal, a teaching fellow and assistant professor at Miami, director of the Experiential Program for Preparing School Principals at Butler University in Indianapolis, and director of the Educational Leadership Program and coordinator of doctoral studies at West Texas A&M University. Smith also was vice president for Economic Development at Bowling Green State University before heading to Northern State.

Smith’s wife, Dr. Connie Ruhl-Smith, has an impressive resume of her own. She has been a teacher, author and administrator, and has done extensive work in student retention and student academic support, introduction of international partnerships, and more.

About Eastern Michigan University
Founded in 1849, Eastern is the second oldest university in Michigan. It currently serves 22,000 students pursuing undergraduate, graduate, specialist, doctoral and certificate degrees in the arts, sciences and professions. In all, more than 300 majors, minors and concentrations are delivered through the University's Colleges of Arts and Sciences; Business; Education; Health and Human Services; Technology, and its graduate school. EMU is regularly recognized by national publications for its excellence, diversity, and commitment to applied education. For more information about Eastern Michigan University, visit the University's website.