YSU Sweet will be installed in October

The event will be modest compared to some at other campuses, one of the event's organizers said.
By RON COLE
VINDICATOR EDUCATION EDITOR
YOUNGSTOWN -- More than a year after becoming Youngstown State University's sixth president, David Sweet will be formally installed Oct. 19 in Beeghly Center.
Sweet, who took YSU's helm in July 2000, will be the first YSU president to have a formal, separate installation ceremony since Albert Pugsley in 1966.
His two immediate predecessors, Neil Humphrey and Leslie Cochran, did not have such ceremonies, while John Coffelt was inaugurated as part of summer commencement in 1973.
Bill Binning, chairman of YSU's political science department, leads a campus committee organizing the event.
"We've talked about it for quite a while -- Dr. Sweet and myself and other people who get involved in these sort of things," Binning said.
"We thought it would be best to get at least his senior team on board before we proceeded with the installation."
Simple ceremony: Binning and Sweet emphasized that the ceremony will be simple and include a luncheon for out-of-town guests, a procession of faculty, staff and other employees and a reception afterward.
Dr. Lee Schulman, president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, will give a keynote address.
"This is a little more modest than some," Binning said. "Dr. Sweet didn't want a big show because of budget constraints. It's essentially a celebration of the university and the history of the university."
Sweet said the installation would be paid for out of his office's discretionary fund. He said he did not know the cost.
"One of the things this is about is to establish or re-establish tradition at an institution like this that has such a rich history," Sweet said.
He said Wendell August Forge, owned by YSU trustee William Knecht, is making a special presidential medal for the event.
Ceremonies are common: Karl Schwab, public relations specialist for Slippery Rock University, said installation ceremonies are common at universities nationwide.
All 14 of Pennsylvania's state universities traditionally conduct some sort of ceremony for new presidents, he said.
Dr. G. Warren Smith became SRU president in July 1997. Eighteen months later, he was formally installed during the university's regular winter commencement.
When Dr. Luis Proenza was installed as the University of Akron's president in January 1999, the university conducted a weeklong series of forums, seminars and other events, a UA spokesman said.