UPDATE: Moreland inaugurated as 21st Centre College president

UPDATE POSTED OCTOBER 15, 2021 AT 2:14 P.M.

DANVILLE, Ky. (WTVQ/Press Release) -Dr. Milton C. Moreland was inaugurated as the 21st president of Centre College on Oct. 14 in an afternoon event held in Newlin Hall of the Norton Center for the Arts that focused on the theme, “Building a Community of Inclusive Excellence.”

The much-anticipated ceremony to install President Moreland, who took office on July 1, 2020, had been postponed due to safety issues surrounding COVID-19 until the College deemed that an in-person event could take place without risk to anyone’s health.

More than 1,200 guests were in attendance, including 100 alumni representatives and institutional delegates from colleges and universities across the country, who joined with trustees and campus community members.

Looking ahead to the aspirations he hopes to achieve during his tenure, Moreland focused on a number of initiatives intended to build on the College’s existing strengths.

“Driven by our belief that the freedom and open exchange of ideas promotes a more just and inclusive society,” he said, “we will expand opportunities at this college for all of our students to be involved in applying their knowledge through experiential learning, community engagement, internships, and living and working in even more study abroad and study away locations as they prepare for their future careers.”

This unique and impactful form of living and learning will have a clear outcome, he said.

“Centre will be increasingly known for our experiential learning and co-curricular programming that provides a global perspective, enhances our students’ communications skills, refines their leadership abilities, and prepares them for a lifetime of meaningful work and civic impact.”

A new vision for a new era

Mark Nunnelly ’80, chair of the Centre College Board of Trustees, presided over the ceremony that included Kentucky Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman ’04 and Dr. Marjorie Hass, president of the Council of Independent Colleges.

“This day of celebration is an opportunity to mark a new vision for a new era,” said Student Government Association President Sarah Ali ’22 in her opening invocation. She also offered a prayer that Moreland and his wife, Dina, would “foster a commitment to intercultural sensitivity and equity, to academic excellence and to civic empowerment.”

In his welcoming remarks, Board Chair Nunnelly told the audience that “Milton Moreland is the right person at the right time to lead this great institution that has grown from strength to strength since its founding in 1819.”

In addition to complementing President Moreland for guiding the College through the global pandemic “by modelling the grace and kindness that is the hallmark of this caring and compassionate community,” Nunnelly also described how he has looked to the future.

“Rather than finding ourselves paralyzed by the grip of current challenges,” Nunnelly said, “I am immensely proud of the way Centre College has not merely managed to endure during the global pandemic but how it has thrived and positioned itself to be even stronger once we emerge from this extraordinary period.”

He listed numerous accomplishments that have already occurred in Moreland’s first 15 months in office. These include programmatic additions to expand academic offerings and impressive and strategic capital projects all supporting educational excellence. And “more are on the way,” Nunnelly added.

On the inauguration theme, Nunnelly closed his remarks emphasizing that “by embracing inclusive excellence, we aspire to assure our ability to support faculty, staff and students from diverse backgrounds by fostering a genuine sense of belonging as the foundation for an innovative and dynamic campus community that encourages excellence in all forms.”
Nunnelly then introduced Coleman, who brought commendations from the Governor’s Office on behalf of Andy Beshear and spoke about her experiences as a Centre student and graduate.

“Many of the values that have come to define me were cultivated right here at Centre. Hard work, resilience, rising to meet the moment and learning to see the world through the eyes of others,” she said.

“When I came to Centre and was exposed to a diversity of experience and thought that was different than my own,” Coleman added, “I became a better student, a more informed citizen and a more mindful leader.”

She closed with a challenge.

“Now, more than ever, our world needs thoughtful and creative leaders who can build bridges of understanding, lead through change, and address the challenges of a complex world—and who do so with empathy and compassion.”

Dr. Marjorie Hass, who previously served as president of Rhodes College when Moreland served as provost, complimented Centre as a place that focuses on the “education of the spirit.”

She described its “real curriculum” as being about “helping each student come to see that their insights and actions matter. It is about cultivating habits of the mind, such as humility, consistency, compassion and respect. It is about coming to love justice and the search for truth, to hold high the value of each human life and to know oneself deeply.”

Reflecting on their years working together, Hass added, “As a leader, Milton has a special gift for keen-eyed clarity and an ability to look challenges squarely in the eye. Yet he remains a boundless source of optimism and energy. Over and over again, I witnessed his creative and compassionate problem solving—I often describe him as Solomon-like for the way he spots hinge points that motivate people to find common ground and row in the same direction.”

The investiture that followed Hass’s remarks involved former Kentucky Lt. Gov. Crit Luallen, a 1974 alumna of Centre College, who serves as secretary of the Board of Trustees and bestowed the presidential medallion. Then Moreland gave his inaugural remarks.

Faculty President John Wilson offered a response after Moreland’s address, and the program closed with a benediction delivered by College Chaplain Rick Axtell, who expressed gratitude to the Morelands for their “steady stewardship in an era of contagion and contention, deception and dissension,” praying that “they lead with an ethic of empathy and equity.”

Following the ceremony’s conclusion, guests joined President Moreland, his wife, Dina, their two sons, Marcus and Micah, and their daughter-in-law, Caroline, for a reception in their honor on the lawn in front of the Norton Center for the Arts.

UPDATE POSTED OCTOBER 14, 2021 AT 6:41 P.M.

DANVILLE, Ky. (WTVQ) – Centre College has inaugurated its new president.

Milton Moreland is officially the 21st president of the private college. He took office in July of 2020, but COVID-19 delayed the inauguration ceremony.

His remarks during the event emphasized his focus on integrating diverse ideas and perspectives.

“Our community flourishes when we’re agile, when we’re open to new ideas, when we engage with people who have different identities than ours, and when we pursue our curiosities,” said Moreland.

Since becoming president, Moreland announced Centre’s largest ever capitol project, the $50 million Initiative for Wellness and Athletic Excellence. Groundbreaking on the 135,000 square-foot complex will begin Friday, Oct. 15 as part of Centre’s Homecoming festivities.

ORIGINAL STORY POSTED SEPTEMBER 9, 2021 AT 5:31 P.M.

DANVILLE, Ky. (Centre Public Relations) – Milton C. Moreland will be officially inaugurated as the 21st president of Centre College in a ceremony that will begin at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 14, and take place in Newlin Hall at the Norton Center for the Arts.

“Building a Community of Inclusive Excellence” has been selected as the theme of his inauguration.

A champion of purpose-driven education, Moreland made clear in his first message to the campus community that “never before has there been a moment when a focus on purpose and meaning is more necessary in the context of education.”

He added, “I am a firm believer in the notion that learning should be devoted to higher causes and purposes well beyond our own particular interests and desires. The world needs help, and I know that Centre can and must play an important role in being a force for good to treat and heal those things that seek to undermine our health as individuals and as a nation.”

Moreland took office on July 1, 2020, at a difficult time given the challenges of the global pandemic caused by COVID-19. However, he received early and sustained praise for his efforts to maintain high standards of health and safety during his first full academic year.

In addition, Moreland has launched a comprehensive strategic planning effort since taking office, and he also announced the largest-ever capital project in the College’s history, the $50 million Initiative for Wellness and Athletic Excellence. Groundbreaking for the 135,000 square-foot complex will begin the day after his inauguration, on Oct. 15.

With Moreland’s leadership, Centre also approved a new business major, completed the renovation of the Austin E. Knowlton Center for Science and Mathematics in Olin Hall, and launched a new student success center called the Centre Learning Commons in Crounse Hall.

During 2020, Centre expanded its partnership with the Posse Foundation as well, adding a second cohort under Moreland’s guidance. The 10 new Posse Scholars are part of one of the largest, most diverse and highest-achieving classes in the College’s history.

Prior to becoming president, Moreland was the provost at Rhodes College, a role that he held for six years.

He began his tenure there in 2003 and earned promotion to associate and full professor before being named the R.A. Webb Professor of Religious Studies. A scholar of Roman archaeology and religious traditions in the Mediterranean region, Moreland also served as chair of the archaeology program at Rhodes.

The 3 p.m. ceremony will be followed by a campus reception in the Norton Center lobby.

Complete details for President Moreland’s inauguration, and a link to RSVP attendance, can be found here.