College to inaugurate 25th president
April 2, 2010

A week of celebration will mark the inauguration of Dr. Dan McAlexander as the 25th president of LaGrange College. From pomp and circumstance to softball and service, the events April 12-18 will celebrate the life and purposes of this 179-year-old institution.

The focal point will be the installation ceremony at 10:30 a.m. April 16 on the Lewis Library plaza, when Dr. McAlexander will be officially installed as president. It will begin with an original fanfare written by Lee Johnson, Fuller E. Callaway Professor of Music.

Following the processional and remarks from members of the campus community, greetings will be extended to the new president by three special guests representing the communities served by the college: Lynette Robinson, executive director of the New American Colleges and Universities, representing higher education; Bishop Mike Watson of the North Georgia Conference, representing the United Methodist Church; and Mayor Jeff Lukken of the city of LaGrange, representing the city and region.

The program also includes the official presentation of the presidential medallion and an address by the newly installed president.

However, the week will begin at 7 p.m. Monday, April 12, at Price Theater with the Waights G. Henry Lecture featuring two internationally known Bible scholars.

Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan will be featured during a lecture Monday evening and a panel discussion the following morning at 11:15 a.m. in Price Theater. Their topic will be “To Walk in the Presence of God.” Authors of numerous books and frequent guests on all the major television networks, both are considered leading figures among today’s historical Jesus scholars.

The LaGrange Symphony Orchestra will pay tribute to the week’s significance and recognize current and past college presidents at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Callaway Auditorium during its “Voices of Spring” concert.

On Wednesday, a service of celebration and prayer will be at 7 p.m. at First United Methodist Church, preceded at 6:40 p.m. by a concert featuring organist Dr. Larry Wolz, Professor of History and Vocal Pedagogy at Hardin-Simmons University. A candlelight tour of the campus will be at 8 p.m., beginning at the College’s Chapel.

Dr. Drew Clark, Associate Professor of English at Auburn University, will present the Jennie Lee Epps Memorial Lecture at 11:15 a.m. Thursday at Price Theater. He will speak on “The Bible as Literature.”

Putting faith into action, a day of service will be hosted on Saturday. Participants will roll up their sleeves and join in a cleanup at West Point Lake, whose shoreline has suffered from recent flooding upstream.

The week will conclude at 3 p.m. Sunday when the LaGrange College Singers present their spring concert at Callaway Auditorium.