This tradition “signified my dedication to this institution and my acceptance of the responsibility that comes with the office of president,” he told an overflow crowd of more than 900 members of the Union community and distinguished guests.
Asserting that Union College is “well-hewn to make a difference in our time,” Ainlay reflected on the many educational innovations that were born at Union, one of the nation's oldest colleges, and the long line of notable graduates, including U.S. President Chester Arthur; Gordon Gould, inventor of the laser; George Westinghouse; and Kathy Magliato, one of a handful of women heart transplant surgeons in the nation today.
“Because of its history, Union must be more self-conscious and self-critical about what it does,” Ainlay said in his inaugural address.
“Because of its history, Union must set the bar of accountability high. Because of its history, Union has an obligation to lead as it confronts today's educational challenges. And similarly, Union students and graduates, too, have a responsibility to be more self-conscious and self-critical, to hold themselves to a high standard and to make a difference in the world they inhabit.”
Ainlay, 55, said the College was well-positioned to confront today's challenges, including fragmentation “in a world marked by conflict and misunderstanding.
“Education at its best has the potential to play a key strategic role in counteracting polarization by emphasizing the value of dialogue, helping students understand difference without reducing it to ‘a matter of perspective' and celebrating mutual respect,” he said. “This ethos-a commitment to a common educational cause despite difference-must animate our educational endeavor today. If not higher education, where? If not a school called ‘Union,' what college or university?”
It's also critical to prepare students for the challenges engendered by globalism, Ainlay said, by building upon Union's 212-year history of providing a solid liberal arts education. “We will need to draw on this ethos of innovation and instill it in our students as we try to meet the demand for individuals who are capable of imagining solutions well outside prescribed ways of thinking,” he said.
“Bound to high ethical standards” Citing Union alumnus William Seward, Class of 1820, Ainlay emphasized the need to educate men and women who will be engaged citizens, bound to high ethical standards and willing to place personal interests second to the common good. Seward expected to get the Republican nomination for President in 1860, but was crushed when he was passed over in favor of Abraham Lincoln, in part because some feared his opposition to slavery made him unelectable.
Yet Seward overcame his disappointment and campaigned tirelessly for his former political foe, and eventually he accepted Lincoln's offer to be Secretary of State. He became one of Lincoln's most trusted advisers and is credited with helping shape Lincoln's position on slavery, which led to the Emancipation Proclamation.
“We must find ways of getting in students' way, creating space for them to think about the very meaning of the common good, what it means to submit to a cause that transcends personal ambition,” Ainlay said. “If not possible in a place in the shadow of William Seward, then where?” Ainlay cited the achievements of other noted alumni, including leaders from the sciences and engineering, like Baruch Blumberg, winner of the Nobel Prize in Medicine for his discovery of the hepatitis B virus; Solomon Deyo, chief engineer for the first New York City subway; and Kate White in the world of publishing. He also called to mind many composers, authors, directors, producers and screenwriters who have made their mark on the world.
Ainlay was officially installed by President by Stephen J. Ciesinski, chairman of the College's Board of Trustees, who presented him with the school medallion and the seal of Union University. Ainlay also is the chancellor of Union University.
“President Ainlay could not wait to join Union, and we could not wait to have him here,” Ciesinski said. “To those of us on the Board of Trustees, the selection of President Ainlay was one of the most satisfying decisions we have made. President Ainlay represents the best in a college president: that rare combination of incredible scholarly credentials, superb administrative skills, a spirited and engaging fundraising style and the ability to connect with nearly everyone he meets.”
The inaugural celebration was planned by William Finlay, an associate professor and director of the Yulman Theatre. As the College Marshal, he carried the gold-headed walking stick of the Rev. Dirck Romeyn (1744-1804), a leader in Union's founding and a College Trustee. Praise for the new president Guests at the installation ceremony included delegates from 60 colleges and universities and from 20 learned and professional institutions. Members of Ainlay's family, including his wife, Judith Gardner Ainlay; their sons, Jesse and Jonathan; and Ainlay's mother and mother-in-law also were on hand.
William R. Brody, the president of Johns Hopkins University, told Ainlay the best advice he could give him was to take time to interact with the students. “They are the reason the college exists,” Brody said. “And perhaps after your first year in the job, you will decide to teach a seminar or class. There you will find that the best ‘great reward' of your job is to experience first hand the incredible talent that Union College is nurturing to become the leaders of the 21st century.”
James Davison Hunter, the LaBrosse-Levinson Distinguished Professor of Religion, Culture and Social Theory, University of Virginia, introduced Ainlay as someone who is “intellectually committed and academically dedicated” and “a man of extraordinary decency.” Hunter emphasized his longtime friend's “integrity, fairness, kindness and deep, humane sensibility.” He was quick to add that Ainlay, with whom he has traded pranks over the years, “was no stick-in the-mud,” but a fun-loving individual, as well.
Throughout the morning, numerous speakers representing a wide spectrum of the Union and academic communities gave praise and support to Ainlay in moving and often humorous tributes to the man they know as teacher, scholar, friend and colleague.
Their praise was also a celebration of Union's history and its role in higher education as an innovator and breeding ground for a distinct line of achievers that includes top political, legal and educational figures of the past two centuries, from President Arthur to 13 governors, 16 generals, seven U.S. Cabinet members, more than 200 judges and no less than 90 college presidents.
Calling education “the lifeblood of this country,” Richard E. Roberts, Class of 1950, noted, “Union alumni are so proud of their College and their fellow alumni, who have helped this wonderful country become what it is today.”
After meeting Ainlay only 10 months ago, Roberts said, “I have never been influenced more by anyone. What Stephen has brought to Union is a kindness and a thoughtfulness and a courage to make decisions. That combination is very hard to beat.”
Brian C. Gulack, Class of 2007 and president of the Student Forum, welcomed Ainlay as “the patriarch of our wonderful Union family.” He spoke of his auspicious beginnings with Ainlay, when the president-elect asked a group of students how they felt about their college. “From that second I knew that Dr. Ainlay cared about students, and that's what Union needs,” Gulack said. Linda N. Stanhope, associate professor of Psychology and chair of the Faculty Executive Committee, said she was “excited about today's new beginnings and ready to work side-by-side with our new president.”
John Brademas, president emeritus of New York University and a Regent for New York State, described Ainlay's combination of “humane sympathy and intellectual rigor.” A native of Indiana, Ainlay earned his bachelor's degree in sociology from Goshen College, and both his master's and Ph.D. from Rutgers University.
The former vice president for academic affairs and professor of sociology at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., Ainlay assumed the presidency at Union July 1. He succeeds Roger Hull, who served 15 years before stepping down in June 2005. James Underwood, professor emeritus of Political Science, served as interim president last academic year.