ELON COLLEGE – – Despite steady rains from Hurricane Floyd, Elon College formally installed its eighth president in a Wednesday morning ceremony that featured a speech by Gov. Jim Hunt.
Hunt, who had planned to travel to the college by airplane, was forced to come by car to the private coeducational college with 3,900 students. “I just barely got here,” he said.
In his speech, Hunt noted the progress that the state has made in education, particularly higher education. But he said more can be done and challenged the state to be first in the nation in education by the end of the next decade.
Lambert chose the theme of pride and progress for his 10-minute speech in Koury Center that attracted about 2,000 people, including higher education leaders from colleges and universities nationwide.
“Pride at Elon grows out of an ethos that students and learning are at the very center of all that we do. It is unacceptable here for any student to fall through the cracks, to go unnoticed, to fail to receive the support to realize his or her full potential,” said Lambert, who took office Jan. 1.
“The promise of the 21st century will challenge our students to cope with change at a dizzying pace,” Lambert said. “A solid liberal arts and sciences foundation is the highest and best preparation we can give them.”
Lambert, a New York native, came to Elon from the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse, where he was provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs.
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