The pace of preparations quickened in May as the inauguration of George Blumenthal as UC Santa Cruz's 10th chancellor approached. Designed as a celebration of the campus's many distinctions and contributions to society, the inaugural ceremony will feature alumni speakers Kent Nagano, Reyna Grande, and Gary Novack.
The event begins at 10 a.m. on Friday, June 6, with the traditional academic procession. A prologue begins at 9:30.
In addition to the alumni remarks, the program includes a brief ceremony of investiture and Chancellor Blumenthal's inaugural address. A reception on the East Field, which will follow the ceremony, is scheduled to begin at at 11:30.
For planning purposes, no-cost tickets were made available in early May that people who were interested in attending the public ceremony could obtain. Approximately 1,000 tickets were reserved within two weeks, filling the seats available in a temporary pavilion that will be set up on the East Field. The pavilion will also be used by people attending the Student Achievement Awards ceremony later that day and several commencements on campus a week later.
For people unable to attend the inauguration, the ceremony may be viewed via a webcast that will be made available during the weekend of July 7-8. The webcast will be accessible through a link on the UCSC home page.
Blumenthal, a distinguished professor of astronomy and astrophysics, has been a faculty member at UCSC since 1972. A former chair of the UC systemwide and UCSC Academic Senate, Blumenthal was appointed chancellor of UCSC last fall. He had served as acting chancellor for 14 months prior to his appointment by UC Regents on September 19.
