Celebration Set to Inaugurate Dr. Washington as New President

The formal installation of L. Marshall Washington, Ph.D., as the third president of Kalamazoo Valley Community College will take place during a community-wide celebration scheduled for Friday, Oct. 19. The event is scheduled on LiveStream at https://livestream.com/accounts/27856196/KVCC-DrWashington-Inauguration.

“Celebrating the Past and Creating the Future” is the theme of the inaugural activities, which will include a 4 p.m. investiture ceremony in the Dale B. Lake Auditorium of the college’s Texas Township Campus. The ceremony will mark the beginning of both the Washington presidency and the next chapter in the college’s partnerships with key collaborators and the broader community. Academic delegates and guests from around the country are expected to join Washington’s extended family, community, civic and business leaders as well as Kalamazoo Valley students, faculty, administrators and staff to officially mark the transition of leadership to the new president.

The ceremony will include an inaugural address by Washington, brief speeches and a video presentation. Jeffrey W. Patton, chair of the Kalamazoo Valley Board of Trustees will formally install the new president.

Following the ceremony, the celebration will move to the Texas Township Campus Student Commons area for refreshments. The event is free and the public is encouraged to attend.

The celebration continues Saturday, Oct. 20 when the public is invited to meet President Washington and his family during a free event at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum, part of the college’s Arcadia Commons Campus in downtown Kalamazoo. The Saturday activity scheduled from 8:30 – 11 a.m., will include refreshments and free planetarium shows.

“President Washington is bringing a new energy to Kalamazoo Valley Community College,” Patton said. “His compelling vision, open and transparent leadership style and strong commitment to student success is already creating expanded opportunities for students and their families.” Together with his wife, Tonja, President Washington has created the Washington Make a Difference Fund through the KVCC Foundation. Community members and others can help support students with financial needs by making a gift online at www.kvcc.edu/inauguration or by contacting the KVCC Foundation at 269.488.4442. Washington, a distinguished educator and administrator, was selected as Kalamazoo Valley’s president in April by the Board of Trustees and began his tenure on July 1. He replaced Marilyn Schlack, Ph.D., who announced her retirement in the fall of 2017.

Most recently, Washington spent five years as president of New River Community and Technical College in West Virginia. He also served as vice president and CEO of Harrisburg Area Community College in Pennsylvania and was formerly the vice president of Student Services at Kellogg Community College in Battle Creek. Collegiate presidential inaugurations in the United States originated with the nation’s nine colonial colleges in the 17th century and established the custom of formally acknowledging a change in leadership at a school’s highest level. Today, inaugural activities are regarded as a public opportunity to celebrate the college’s history as it transitions into the future.

Inauguration activities are being funded by donations from generous community sponsors. For more information visit, www.kvcc.edu/inauguration.