Dianne F. Harrison

Dignitaries from across the state—including California State University Chancellor Timothy White, Assemblyman Scott Wilk and the presidents of CSU Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Channel Islands, Cal Poly Pomona and San Jose State—will be joining CSUN students, faculty and staff on Friday, May 17, as they celebrate the official swearing in of Dianne F. Harrison as California State University, Northridge’s fifth president.

Several hundreds guests are expected to attend the ceremony, formally called an investiture, which is scheduled to take place at 11 a.m. in the Valley Performing Arts Center located on the south side of the campus at 18111 Nordhoff St. in Northridge. The university’s friends and neighbors are invited to attend.

“This academic ceremony, with faculty, staff and students marching in academic regalia, is an important milestone and celebration in the life of the university,” said William Jennings, CSUN’s interim vice president for university advancement and chair of the investiture committee. “Our campus community will be joined by the CSU chancellor, trustees and presidents, as well as representatives from other universities from across the nation, as we formally celebrate the start of Dr. Harrison’s tenure as CSUN’s president.”

The investiture ceremony, themed “Unlocking Potential, Cultivating Achievement,” will feature presentations from representatives of CSUN’s students, alumni and faculty as well as members of the community. CSU Chancellor White will formally swear Harrison in.

Among those also expected to make remarks are: Lou Monville, vice chair of the CSU Board of Trustees, speaking on behalf of the board; San Jose State University President Mohammad Qayoumi, speaking on behalf of the other CSU campus presidents; Associated Students President Sydni Powell, speaking on behalf of CSUN’s students; CSUN Alumni Association President Dennis DeYoung, speaking on behalf of CSUN’s alumni; CSUN Foundation Chair Earl Enzer, speaking on behalf of the community; Veronica Grant, special assistant to the vice president for university advancement, speaking on behalf of CSUN’s staff; and Faculty Senate President and chair of the Department of Computer Science, Steven Stepanek, speaking on behalf of the faculty.

A privately funded scholarship has been created in honor of the occasion. The Dianne F. Harrison Leadership Award will recognize a California State University, Northridge freshman for his or her leadership, as demonstrated by involvement in student government or in a campus club or organization. The scholarship is designed to recognize and support the university’s emerging student leaders. For more information about the award, visit www.csun.edu/investiture/dianne-f-harrison-leadership-award-endowment.

Harrison is the fifth person to be appointed by the CSU Board of Trustees to be president of the Northridge campus. She came to CSUN from CSU Monterey Bay, where she served as that campus’ president from 2006 to 2012. She joined Monterey Bay following a 30-year career at Florida State University where she served in various capacities starting as a faculty member, dean of social work, associate vice president for academic affairs, dean of graduate studies and vice president for academic quality and external programs.

She holds a Ph.D. in social work from Washington University in St. Louis and a master’s of social work and a bachelor’s in American studies, both from the University of Alabama. Her academic and research areas of expertise include HIV prevention among women and minority populations and higher education issues related to social work and university leadership. A prolific researcher and writer, Harrison has published dozens of articles and two books.

An investiture is defined as a “formal ceremony of conferring the authority and symbols of high office.” It is held during a new president’s first year in office, or at the conclusion of the first year. It is an academic ceremony that has symbolized the pursuit of knowledge since the Middle Ages. Today, universities view investitures as opportunities to welcome a new era and celebrate as a community.

The installation of a new president is a ceremony filled with many academic traditions and protocols. It includes an academic procession of delegates from other colleges and universities, as well as the institution’s own faculty. Marchers wear the colorful academic regalia of the institutions from which they received their highest degree. Interspersed with musical selections, the event includes greetings from the university community.

During Harrison’s investiture, as with prior ceremonies for CSU presidents, the Presidential Medallion will be conferred, which is a symbol of Harrison’s responsibilities to California State University, Northridge as its president.

The investiture ceremony will be streamed live on Cal State Northridge’s website at www.csun.edu/investiture. More information about the investiture ceremony also is available at that website.