John O. Schwenn will be inaugurated as the fourth president of Dalton State College on Friday, May 1. The 10 a.m. ceremony will take place in the Bandy Gymnasium on campus.

Following a luncheon for invited guests, faculty, and staff, the dedication of the Bell Tower will take place around 2 p.m. on the quadrangle at the center of campus, followed by a Carillion concert.

Erroll B. Davis Jr., University System of Georgia (USG) Chancellor, will conduct the presidential inauguration. Also in attendance will be special guests, including Robert E. Watts, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice Chancellor for Administrative and Fiscal Affairs for the USG, and presidents and representatives from colleges and universities throughout the System, the state, and the nation.

College and university presidential inaugurations vary widely from one institution to another, but all are steeped in century-old traditions that reflect the history and traditions of higher education.

The processional march that begins the ceremony, the donning of academic regalia and the use of the college mace are all traditions which date back to the Middle Ages, making the presidential inauguration stand out as a celebratory milestone in a college’s life.

Schwenn‚ who assumed the post of president of Dalton State on March 1, 2008, follows James A. Burran, who served as president from May 1995 through February 2008.

Prior to coming to Dalton State, Schwenn served as Interim President of Emporia State University in Kansas, where he had also served as Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dean of Graduate Studies and Research, Chair of Psychology and Special Education, and Professor of Psychology and Special Education.

A native of La Crosse, Wisconsin, Schwenn received a bachelor of science degree in 1971 from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, a master of science degree in 1973 and the doctorate in Rehabilitation and Special Education with a minor in Educational Psychology in 1976, both from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Schwenn was presented the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Distinguished Alumni Award in 2005.