Photos by Maddie Kauffman
Oct. 26, 2019, Cecilia McCormick, J.D., was formally inaugurated as Elizabethtown College’s 15th president at the Leffler Chapel and Performance Center.
Many people attended the event, including Etown faculty, staff and students, the Board of Trustees, delegates from a variety of universities and colleges and family, friends and colleagues of McCormick.
Before her time at Etown, McCormick held a variety of positions at Thomas Jefferson University (TJU), Johns Hopkins University and Widener University. She served as the academic lead for the merger of TJU and Philadelphia University in July 2017. She also has extensive legal experience.
It was not just these credentials that made McCormick a “clear choice” for Etown’s next president, Board of Trustees Chairman Robert Dolan said, but her clear commitment to Etown’s values.
In its 120-year history, Etown has had only 15 presidents to date. “Few have stood where [McCormick] stand[s] today,” PA State Representative David Hickernall said. He emphasized that it was a historic day, especially because McCormick is Etown’s first female president. According to the American Council on Education, only 30 percent of college presidents were women as of 2016.
McCormick wants her actions and decisions, not merely her presence, to be a challenge to the status quo. She “arrived at Etown in full force” this summer, President of Faculty Assembly April Kelly-Woessner said. To her, McCormick had “unprecedented innovation” and started her work immediately, disregarding the “honeymoon period” that most college presidents experience when they first take office.
The inauguration featured two guest speakers: Dean of Erivan K. Haub School of Business at Saint Joseph’s University Joseph DiAngelo and former Chief Human Resource Officer of Johns Hopkins University Charlene Hayes.
“McCormick was one of those special students you knew would be successful,” DiAngelo said. He explained that what makes McCormick a great leader is her desire to create and embrace change.
Hayes, a former colleague of McCormick, told a story of how she and McCormick bonded over a mutual love for dragonflies. Like dragonflies, she said, McCormick looks forward to the future, has a great sense of humor and moves with grace and elegance. Most of all, she is “ready to make a difference,” Hayes said.
After she was formally installed as president, McCormick gave the inaugural address. Her speech contained humor and humility throughout, as well as an excitement to see Etown grow as a higher education institution. For Etown to evolve, she explained, “change must happen at all levels.”
Regarding service, McCormick wants to engage with the Elizabethtown community.
“Service is a part of who I am,” she said, “and service is a part of Etown.”
In order to empower students, she promised to “listen and be open to new ideas.” She said she looks forward to the future of Etown and to getting to know the students.
McCormick received a standing ovation after giving her address.
Current Etown students share McCormick’s excitement for her position as president. Senior Gareth Saunderlin was impressed by McCormick’s speech, saying she is “respectable but relatable.” Junior Elizabeth Fondelier expressed her enjoyment of the event, stating that McCormick is a “sweet lady” based on the handful of times they had met.
Excitement for McCormick was most apparent after the inauguration concluded. A long line of people formed outside of Leffler Chapel waiting to talk with McCormick, and she took the time to meet them before going to the reception. Even as she looks to the future, McCormick stays in the present to show her love for Etown.
