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

Note to Reporters: Media planning to attend the event should RSVP to Jennifer Dimas by Wednesday Sept. 16 so that special arrangements for parking can be made. Parking will be available for media on Isotope Drive. The Oval will close to all traffic at 11:15 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.

DETAILS:
Both Blake and Frank asked to forgo the type of elaborate inaugural festivities that CSU and other universities typically hold, 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 and will be available for media interviews following the event.

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.

CONTACT:
Media should RSVP by Wednesday, Sept. 16 to Jennifer Dimas at Jennifer.Dimas@colostate.edu or (970) 491-1543.
-30-