The Installation of David W. Leebron, Seventh President of Rice University.

Photos by Tommy LaVergne and Jeff Fitlow

The cool front that moved through Houston on the morning of Saturday, October 2, may have threatened rain, but it didn’t dampen the ceremonial spirit for the installation of David W. Leebron as the seventh president of Rice University.

The inaugural event actually began the day before with the delivery of a summons calling Leebron to the investiture ceremony. Carrying the university mace, the symbol of the university’s authority, William L. Wilson, chief marshal and professor in electrical and computer engineering, and E. William Barnett, chair of the Rice Board of Trustees, knocked on the door of the Wiess President’s House Friday afternoon.

A crowd of alumni, board members, and university officials watched as Leebron, his wife, Ping, and children, Daniel and Merissa, answered the door. Barnett formally presented the summons, a scroll tied with a blue ribbon, that read, “The Board of Trustees of William Marsh Rice University hereby summons David W. Leebron to his investiture as seventh president of the university at half-past nine o’clock on Saturday, the second of October, two thousand and four, Main Academic Quadrangle.”

The summons was followed by a reception for staff members at Cohen House and, that evening, by a reception for the inauguration delegates at the Warwick Hotel. An inaugural concert by the Shepherd School Symphony Orchestra at Alice Pratt Brown Hall capped the day’s preinaugural festivities.

When the Rice community awoke Saturday morning to gray skies, oppressive humidity, and indications on weather radar that rain would be falling in Houston just as the ceremony was scheduled to get under way, organizers and support crews scrambled to move the event from the Academic Quadrangle to Autry Court. Despite the last-minute changes, however, the ceremony began only 15 minutes behind schedule, at 9:45 am, with a Strauss fanfare performed by the Shepherd School Brass Ensemble, conducted by Marie Speziale, professor of trumpet.

The Shepherd School of Music figured prominently throughout the event: graduate student Melody Johnson sang “Veni Creator Spiritus”; the brass ensemble performed “Ceremonial Fanfare,” a work specially composed for the occasion by Arthur Gottschalk, professor of composition and theory; the Rice Concert Band, conducted by Charles Throckmorton, accompanied the academic procession and recessional; and the Rice Chorale sang the national anthem and “Alleluia.”

Barnett welcomed the audience of approximately 1,000 and representatives of more than 200 universities and learned societies. Also sharing in the celebration were the three surviving presidents of Rice University: Norman Hackerman (1970–1985), George Rupp (1985–1993), and Malcolm Gillis (1993–2004).

“This ceremony this morning, in every sense of the term, marks the beginning of a new chapter in the history of Rice University,” Barnett said. “Under David Leebron’s leadership, we will build on the great traditions Rice has established, and we will establish new ones, based on the work of our faculty, students, alumni, and staff.” He then introduced Derrick Matthews, president of the Student Association; Joanna Papakonstantinou, president of the Graduate Student Association; Kevin Bartol, president of the Association of Rice Alumni; Gloria Bean, co-chair of the Staff Advisory Committee; and Robert Patten, deputy speaker of the Faculty Council and the Lynette S. Autrey Professor in Humanities, each of whom pledged their constituencies’ support for the new president.

At the height of the ceremony, Barnett called Leebron forward and proclaimed, “David Leebron, on behalf of the board of trustees of Rice University and in the presence of this esteemed company, I have the honor and pleasure of confirming your appointment as president of the university and of admitting you to all the authority, powers, and privileges of that office. This presidential medal signifies your investiture.” Barnett placed the medal, a three-inch silver medallion hanging from two silk ribbons, one blue and one gray, around Leebron’s neck.

With the ceremonial installation complete, Leebron stepped to the lectern to present his vision for the future of Rice University.

—Jennifer Evans