Investing In Fanfare
JMU’s $100K Inauguration Week Stresses Visibility, Encouraging Donations
Posted: March 19, 2013
HARRISONBURG — The rare event of a presidential inauguration at James Madison University — which has happened just six times since 1908 — came this year with celebrations and fanfare costing approximately $100,000.
Some of that, Don Egle, university spokesman, said would have been spent anyway for Madison Week events, a regular campus celebration tied to the school’s founding, planned this year to incorporate specific inaugural events.
The university’s typical Madison Week budget was not available Monday, Egle said.
Friday’s inaugural ceremony for President Jonathan Alger was the week’s most costly expenditure, Egle said, but he could not provide an exact figure Monday.
Last week’s weeklong celebration included 26 campus and community events, including a presidential walk to Court Square with local community leaders, community service projects, lectures and sporting and musical events.
Small touches that showed a flair for the theatrical were also a part of the festivities, including a portrait of James Madison crafted from 3,000 cupcakes and a 15-minute fireworks display that closed out the actual inaugural day.
Planning began in September for the inauguration of Alger, whose actual first day on the job as leader of the nearly 20,000-student campus was July 1.
Egle said Alger and other senior university leaders asked planners to focus on “meaningful events that were tied directly to celebrating JMU as an institution.”
“We wanted to be very good stewards of those resources,” he said.
Organizers expect the elaborate slate of events to come in under budget, according to Egle. About $20,000 was raised through in-kind support, and university groups and student organizations donated even more on top of that figure. The rest of the bill will be paid with state funds.
How colleges and universities celebrate the installation of a new president varies from school to school.
As a Sept. 30, 2011, Inside Higher Ed article points out, institutions have historically spent big bucks on festivities to honor new presidents.
‘The events often give new presidents an opportunity to interact with multiple constituent groups at once and lay out new visions or plans for the university in front of diverse audiences,” according to the article in Inside Higher Ed, a publication that covers university and college news.
That was one of the purposes behind JMU’s event, Egle said. The other major focus was on encouraging donations to the university.
“The events of last week did emphasize how important private support is, and there was a lot of work done last week that had a direct impact on our private fundraising effort,” he said. “It’s not just the university’s spending money just for a celebration.”
According to a Feb. 21, 2011, Richmond Times-Dispatch article, the presidents of Virginia State University, University of Mary Washington and Virginia State University boasted inauguration activities budgets ranging from $53,575 to $240,000.
VSU’s $240,000 inaugural budget included $140,000 from private funds and up to $100,000 in state funds, while Mary Washington spent $53,575 in private funds and money raised through ticket sales for its events, the article states.
At the University of Virginia, the inauguration of Teresa Sullivan had an estimated budget of $105,000, all financed with private funds.
Many schools, like Madison, pair celebrations with events already budgeted.
Egle acknowledged that other financial needs exist for JMU, but emphasized that inauguration and inaugural-themed events were an important item to fund, too.
“When you start talking about outlining the vision for the future and the role that everyone plays in that, that’s a very important milestone in a university’s history and last week represented that milestone,” he said. “We’re celebrating the past but we’re also recognizing the future.”
Contact Emily Sharrer at 574-6286 or esharrer@dnronline.com
Some of that, Don Egle, university spokesman, said would have been spent anyway for Madison Week events, a regular campus celebration tied to the school’s founding, planned this year to incorporate specific inaugural events.
The university’s typical Madison Week budget was not available Monday, Egle said.
Friday’s inaugural ceremony for President Jonathan Alger was the week’s most costly expenditure, Egle said, but he could not provide an exact figure Monday.
Last week’s weeklong celebration included 26 campus and community events, including a presidential walk to Court Square with local community leaders, community service projects, lectures and sporting and musical events.
Small touches that showed a flair for the theatrical were also a part of the festivities, including a portrait of James Madison crafted from 3,000 cupcakes and a 15-minute fireworks display that closed out the actual inaugural day.
Planning began in September for the inauguration of Alger, whose actual first day on the job as leader of the nearly 20,000-student campus was July 1.
Egle said Alger and other senior university leaders asked planners to focus on “meaningful events that were tied directly to celebrating JMU as an institution.”
“We wanted to be very good stewards of those resources,” he said.
Organizers expect the elaborate slate of events to come in under budget, according to Egle. About $20,000 was raised through in-kind support, and university groups and student organizations donated even more on top of that figure. The rest of the bill will be paid with state funds.
How colleges and universities celebrate the installation of a new president varies from school to school.
As a Sept. 30, 2011, Inside Higher Ed article points out, institutions have historically spent big bucks on festivities to honor new presidents.
‘The events often give new presidents an opportunity to interact with multiple constituent groups at once and lay out new visions or plans for the university in front of diverse audiences,” according to the article in Inside Higher Ed, a publication that covers university and college news.
That was one of the purposes behind JMU’s event, Egle said. The other major focus was on encouraging donations to the university.
“The events of last week did emphasize how important private support is, and there was a lot of work done last week that had a direct impact on our private fundraising effort,” he said. “It’s not just the university’s spending money just for a celebration.”
According to a Feb. 21, 2011, Richmond Times-Dispatch article, the presidents of Virginia State University, University of Mary Washington and Virginia State University boasted inauguration activities budgets ranging from $53,575 to $240,000.
VSU’s $240,000 inaugural budget included $140,000 from private funds and up to $100,000 in state funds, while Mary Washington spent $53,575 in private funds and money raised through ticket sales for its events, the article states.
At the University of Virginia, the inauguration of Teresa Sullivan had an estimated budget of $105,000, all financed with private funds.
Many schools, like Madison, pair celebrations with events already budgeted.
Egle acknowledged that other financial needs exist for JMU, but emphasized that inauguration and inaugural-themed events were an important item to fund, too.
“When you start talking about outlining the vision for the future and the role that everyone plays in that, that’s a very important milestone in a university’s history and last week represented that milestone,” he said. “We’re celebrating the past but we’re also recognizing the future.”
Contact Emily Sharrer at 574-6286 or esharrer@dnronline.com