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President Scrimshaw Inaugurated as 9th President of The Sage Colleges
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Written by Shannon Hunter, Senior Writer
Friday October 23, 2009 marked the official Inauguration of Dr. Susan Crosby Scrimshaw as the ninth president of The Sage Colleges. The inauguration ceremony took place at 1:30pm in Bush Memorial on the Russell Sage College campus in Troy, NY, after a week filled with inauguration activities and celebrations, including volunteer events and a celebration party on the Captain J.P. Cruise Line. The event had limited indoor seating, however, a tent with televisions showing a live broadcast of the event was available directly outside in Sage Park.
The event was attended not only by Sage faculty, students, and alumni, but also by presidents from surrounding institutions including Syracuse University, as well as by local elected officials including Harry Tutunjian, the Mayor of Troy, and Gerald Jennings, Mayor of Albany. President Scrimshaw’s mother, father, daughter, and granddaughter (who also celebrated her 1st birthday on that day) were all in attendance.
The two hour inauguration began with a procession starting at The Rensselaer County Historical Society on 2nd street in Troy that was led by three Sage students playing bagpipes. The stage party was led by student Marshals Amanda Levesque and Hussnain Hussain, while the rest of the procession was led to their seats by student Marshals Tess Carstensen, Mara Serven, and Daysha Brown.
Donna Esteves, Chair of the Board of Trustees, opened the proceedings, remarking that the inauguration was a “celebration of the entire community.” She was followed by “America the Beautiful,” sung by The Sage College Singers. Michael E. Bird, past President of the American Public Health Association, gave the Invocation for President Scrimshaw, and The Sagettes followed with the Russell Sage College Alma Mater. Greetings were subsequent to the Alma Mater and began with Dr. Patricia O’Connor, Professor of Psychology and Mace Bearer of the ceremony, reading the greetings of New York State Governor Patterson. Troy’s Mayor, Harry Tutunjian, welcomed President Scrimshaw to the Troy community and congratulated her. Commenting on Sage’s involvement in Troy, the Honorable Tutunjian said, “We (Troy) look forward to having Sage Engaged for years to come”.
Mayor Jennings, who had canceled his appearance earlier that morning, was able to attend and greeted President Scrimshaw as well, offering a similar message about Sage’s involvement in the Albany community, joking that “When you are talking about Sage you can’t just talk about Troy.” He was followed by William Kahl, sixth president of The Sage Colleges, and then by Lynette Robinson, Executive Director of The New American Colleges and Universities, a consortium of small, selective colleges which includes Sage. Robinson, too, congratulated President Scrimshaw and professed, “[President Scrimshaw] has used education to make the world a better place, a safer place, and certainly a healthier place.”
Donna Esteves greeted President Scrimshaw on behalf of the Board of Trustees, exclaiming, “Susan, you’re not just good, you’re the best, and The Sage Colleges deserves nothing less.” History professor, Andor Skotnes greeted President Scrimshaw on behalf of the faculty, Erin Menzer, RSC E-Board president, greeted President Scrimshaw on behalf of Russell Sage Students, and Alexander Milkman, SCA E-Board president did so on behalf of Sage College of Albany Students. Other greetings came from Hollis Dorman, President of the Russell Sage College Alumnae Association, James Kellerhause, alumnus from SCA, Carolyn Jones, alumna from Sage Graduate School, Mary Ellen Tedesco, Sage Graduate School student, and Richard Naylor, Director of Articulation Agreements for The Sage Colleges. Naylor stated that with President Scrimshaw in place, “The best is yet to come.” After Erin Menzer spoke, The Sagettes performed “Seven Daffodils”, and after Richard Naylor spoke, The Sage College Singers, joined by President Scrimshaw and her husband Allen Stern, sang “The Road Not Taken” and “Choose Something like a Star,” two Robert Frost poems set to music, both chosen by President Scrimshaw to be performed.
After the official Investiture of the President by Donna Esteves, President Scrimshaw began her Inaugural Address. She spoke of both her personal history (both her grandfathers were college professors and her grandmothers both held advanced degrees) and the history of Sage and how it came to be. Lastly, she addressed where she wants The Sage Colleges to head in the future. Working with The Sage Colleges Motto, “To be, to know, to do,” President Scrimshaw proposed a guide for The Sage Colleges. “To be excellent in academics, to know relevant skills for the 21st century, and to do – be engaged in our local and global communities,” was her proposed outlook for the future. She continued, “These concepts will guide us through our 100th anniversary and beyond.”
Her inaugural address brought the audience to their feet, with applause filling Bush Memorial for several minutes. President Scrimshaw and her husband Allen Stern again joined The Sage College Singers to perform Aaron Copland’s “The Promise of Living,” after which the procession moved out into Sage Park where cider doughnuts, hot cider, apples, and pears were provided.
The crisp fall day marked a day of history not only for The Sage Colleges, but also for the local communities and the capital district. A positive feeling and a sense of hope filled the park as students, faculty, and important community figures mingled. With so much positive change at The Sage Colleges in the past year under the direction of President Scrimshaw, the Sage community cannot help but feel excited about the success of Sage during its upcoming centennial celebrations and beyond.
Congratulations President Scrimshaw, on behalf of The Quill!
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