Presidential inauguration honors Dr. Carlos Vargas

Dr. Carlos Vargas will be officially inaugurated as the 18th president of Southeast Missouri State University Thursday, May 5. The inauguration will take place at 2 p.m. at the Show Me Center, with a reception following.

"I hope that this is an opportunity where we are able to come together as an institution," Vargas said. "I hope that this is a time when we can really think and reflect on what this institution has achieved in its history and to feel good about it. I don't want us to focus on the accomplishments of an individual, but rather of the university as a whole."

Vargas said he hopes people will spend the day reflecting on Southeast's successes, history, traditions and future. Bill Holland, vice president for university advancement and executive director of the University Foundation, was the chair of the Presidential Inauguration Committee.

"We thought it would be a great opportunity to celebrate a great year," Holland said. "It's coming at the end of the spring semester, the end of the academic calendar year, and we couldn't think of a better time to go ahead and use this to celebrate Dr. Vargas, his first year and the impact he has had on the university."

Vargas was named president of Southeast March 4, 2015, and started his duties July 1. Vargas said he still looks back at the moment he was announced as president, and said that growing up he never thought he could ever be in a position like this.

"I think one of the first things that I said was, 'I hope this day doesn't end,' because I was so excited to be selected for the president of this institution," Vargas said. "What this signals to me is almost like a recognition that yes, I was the person that they selected and that I've been here for a year and that my experience for this year has been very positive. So, I feel happy about that."

The inauguration, which is open to the public, will include a celebratory video and a processional of Southeast faculty and staff. Holland added that many representatives from other Missouri universities and colleges also will be present.

"We've invited all the four-year and two-year institutions plus private institutions from St. Louis to come, as well as SIU-Carbondale," Holland said. "All the Ohio Valley Conference representatives have been invited. Not everybody is going to come, but we've invited all the key constituency groups."

Student Government Association President Peter Jacobsen, economic professor Dr. Willie Redmond and Alumni Association President Vicki Boren will all provide welcome remarks. Board of Regents President Jay Knudtson will present the Presidential Medallion, and Dr. Tomás Morales, president of California State University-San Bernardino, will provide the keynote address before Vargas gives his inaugural remarks.

"Dr. Morales is a friend and mentor of Dr. Vargas and recommended Dr. Vargas to look into the opportunity here at Southeast," Holland said. "So there's a nice connection with that."

Various events across campus will take place earlier in the day before the inauguration. The College of Education, College of Business and School of Visual and Performing Arts will provide open houses. The Academic Hall dome will be open for tours from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., and hour-long shuttle tours about the history of campus will be offered at 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and noon.

Holland said at the Show Me Center upper concourse, students who participated in the Center for Strategic and International Studies program will present their research at 11 a.m.

"It's really a period of time, a few hours in the day, that we can take to say we actually have achieved quite a bit, and much of that will not be something that I can take credit for," Vargas said. "In some ways, I feel good about the transition that we're going through, and I sense that there's a lot of energy right now at the institution, in different ways."