Inauguration of CSU’s Chancellor Blake, President Frank to be held on the Oval on Sept. 17

Note to Reporters: Media parking will be provided on Isotope Drive off the Oval before 11:30 a.m. The Oval will be closed to media (and all traffic) after 11:30 a.m.

A ceremony to officially inaugurate Joe Blake as the first sole chancellor of the Colorado State University System and Tony Frank as the 14th president of Colorado State University will be held at 11:30 a.m. Sept. 17 on the Oval, the historic heart of the CSU campus. The campus, northern Colorado and statewide communities are welcome to attend.

Both Blake and Frank asked to forego the type of elaborate inaugural festivities that CSU and other universities have typically held, in favor of blending the ceremony into an existing campus event. For that reason, the public inaugural ceremony will take place in conjunction with the traditional University Fall Picnic, and for this special occasion the installation celebration is replacing the president’s yearly fall address. Both Blake and Frank will offer brief remarks as part of the inaugural ceremony.

The ceremonies will begin with an academic procession of faculty through the Oval, followed by the inauguration of Chancellor Blake and President Frank on the north steps of the Administration Building. In addition to Blake and Frank, speakers will include Chairman of the Board of Governors Patrick McConathy, Interim Provost Rick Miranda, and Chairman of Faculty Council Richard Eykholt.

The annual University Picnic will begin immediately following the ceremony. The campus and larger communities are also invited to the College Street Fair featuring interactive displays and an open house from 1-3 p.m. at The Institute for Learning and Teaching Building, 801 Oval Drive.

Again this year, the CSU Marching Band will provide entertainment, and the picnic will generate almost no non-recyclable waste.
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