Some 1,200 Guests to Attend Nov. 20 Investiture of the Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider, C.M.

Local and national dignitaries from religious, educational, political and professional arenas are expected to join the DePaul University community at the inauguration of its 11th president, the Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider, C.M., at 6:15 p.m. Nov. 20 at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph Street, situated in Chicago’s Millennium Park, the city’s newest architectural and botanical wonder.

In an hour-long ceremony that includes the premiere of an original musical composition, a tribute by a 35-member orchestra, a dramatic performance, and proclamations of welcome from city and state officials, the president of the largest Catholic university in the country will be officially installed.

The inauguration will begin with a colorful, robed procession headed by university marshal Tom Donley, a professor of economics and president of DePaul’s Faculty Council, bearing the university’s mace. The mace is used ceremonially as a symbol of civil, ecclesiastical and academic authority. The university’s mace was designed by Joseph Luiz Rameriz of Axis Mundi Studios in Chicago. The processional will include delegates from other educational institutions, university faculty, Vincentian fathers and brothers of the university, members of the board of trustees and students, alumni and civic representatives.

Inside the 1,600-seat theater, 100 special guests – including the president’s party, university leadership, and the two living presidents who have preceded Holtschneider – will take seats on the stage. At the top of the program is the premiere of an inaugural fanfare, composed for the occasion by Kurt Westerberg, chair of the musicianship department of DePaul’s School of Music. An ensemble of faculty, staff, students and alumni will perform a dramatic, aural collage from an array of voices representing DePaul. The invocation will be given by the Very Rev. James E. Swift, C.M., provincial superior, Congregation of the Mission, Midwest Province, and the orchestra will perform “America the Beautiful” while digital images highlighting DePaul’s diversity will be shown on a large screen.

Attorney John B. Simon, chair of DePaul’s Board of Trustees and partner at Jenner & Block, will carry out, along with immediate past president, the Rev. John P. Minogue, C.M., and the university’s ninth president, the Rev. John T. Richardson, C.M. – who will fly in for the occasion from his teaching post and home in Kenya – the investiture ritual to install the new president. During this traditional ceremony, Holtschneider will be presented the Chain of Office, a medallion symbolizing the authority conferred as a sacred trust by the Board of Trustees upon the president as the chief executive officer of the university. The newly commissioned piece was created by renowned Chicago silversmith William N. Frederick and features the university seal cast in silver and suspended from a chain with links to the heraldic symbol of each of the university’s eight colleges and schools. He also will be presented with a copy of the institution’s mission statement as a reminder of his personal mission as president.

Once installed, Holtschneider will deliver the inaugural address. The final benediction will be given by Francis Cardinal George, archbishop of Chicago.

Following the recessional, the evening will culminate in a gala reception in the Imperial Ballroom of the Fairmont Hotel, 200 N. Columbus Drive. The theme of the reception is “Chicago’s Neighborhoods,” which will feature savory food stations representing the city’s multitude of ethnic enclaves. A jazz ensemble, string quartet and duo on flute and harp will provide the musical entertainment during the reception.

DePaul’s inauguration evening is the centerpiece of a week’s worth of activities celebrating the occasion, including men’s and women’s basketball games and a Sunday mass at St. Vincent de Paul Church. The celebration opens Nov. 17 with the premiere of the “President’s Book Club.” The discussion will center on Joseph P. Nye’s “Soft Power” and is expected to provide university-wide discourse on U.S. foreign policy. The author will participate in the book discussion via satellite feed from approximately 4:10 p.m. until 4:40 p.m. The discussion will be facilitated and led by the university’s Vincent de Paul professors, a group of experienced and exemplary faculty members who committed themselves to teaching introductory undergraduate courses as part of a new program created to engage senior faculty with students at the beginning of their college experience.

DePaul is the largest Catholic university in the nation and the largest private university in Chicago. Of the 10 largest private institutions of higher education in the country, all except DePaul are classified as research extensive universities, making DePaul the nation’s largest university with a primary mission of teaching and service.

Editors’ Note: Television news media interested in covering the inauguration should contact DePaul’s Media Relations Office in advance. The book club meeting will be held from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the DePaul Center, 2250 N. Sheffield Ave., Room 120.