Formal Installation Highlights Week of Inaugural Events

Thomas H. Powell will be inaugurated as the 24th president of Mount St. Mary's College and Seminary during an installation ceremony at 2 p.m., Friday, October 24, 2003in the Knott Athletic Recreation Convocation Complex (ARCC).

The event is free, open to the public and wheelchair accessible.

The installation ceremony will begin with a colorful academic procession including Mount faculty, trustees, and representatives of the student body and seminary. Also present will be delegates from colleges, universities and associations from around the country. Program participants include community leaders and the Archbishop of Baltimore and Chancellor of the Seminary, His Eminence William Cardinal Keeler.

Powell, whose appointment was announced on December 10, 2002, officially began his tenure in July. The installation ceremony marks the formal investiture during which Powell will be presented with the traditional symbols of the Mount: the official seal, the DuBois Crucifix, the presidential medallion and the mace. "I am both pleased and honored to be given this opportunity," said Powell. "The Mount is about many things, but chiefly it is about people - about talented students, staff and faculty. It was meeting the people of Mount St. Mary's and experiencing this community that convinced me this is where I should be."

Previously the president of Glenville State College in Glenville, W. Va., Powell is credited with a variety of accomplishments, including the completion of a major campus renovation, the revitalization of the college's Foundation and the development of its first annual fund program. He increased the college's endowment and initiated a program titled "A Renaissance of Shared Values," to focus attention on the key values of academic integrity.

Prior to his work at Glenville State College, Powell was a professor of education and dean at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C. (1994-99); and a professor of special education and dean at Montana State University (1990-1994).

Powell earned bachelor's and master's degrees in special education from Montana State University-Billings, in 1976 and 1979, respectively, and completed an Ed.D. in special education from Vanderbilt University in 1981. His academic concentrations included teacher education, family intervention, severe disabilities and educational technology.

Throughout his career, Powell has effectively maintained the balance between teaching and research. He has written four books, notably, Brothers and Sisters: A Special Part of Exceptional Families, and authored numerous book chapters and articles for scholarly publications. In addition to lecturing around the country, Powell is a frequent keynote speaker at professional conferences. He is also the founding director of the University of Connecticut Program for Disabilities, as well as the Sibling Information Network.

Powell and his wife, Irene, have three children: Nicholas, Thomas Henry and Cathleen.

In addition to the installation ceremony, other festivities are planned to celebrate the inaugural week, including a community-wide campus beautification day on Wednesday, October 22 and a youth festival on Saturday, October 25.