HISTORIC EVENT
ECU prepares to install 11th chancellor
East Carolina University will install its 11th chancellor, Dr. Cecil Staton, during a ceremony Friday, March 24 at 10 a.m. in Wright Auditorium. Students, staff, faculty and community members are invited to attend.
As part of Installation Week, Pirate Nation Gives Back, the first stand-alone 24-hour period focused on service and philanthropy, will take place Wednesday, March 22. It is designed to engage alumni, students, friends, faculty, staff and parents through the giving of their time, talent and treasure.
Chancellor Cecil Staton will be installed during a ceremony Friday, March 24. (Photo by Cliff Hollis)
“Giving back doesn’t always have to be money – although we certainly welcome your financial support of ECU. You can also impact your community by mentoring students or volunteering at a local hospital,” Staton said. “We at ECU want to set an example of what living our motto – Servire, to serve – looks like and to show how it benefits the greater good.” Pirate Nation Gives Back is for every facet of the university – from ECU’s 12 colleges and schools to its four foundations. In whatever way alumni and friends of the university choose to engage on March 22, ECU wants to showcase the generosity of the entire Pirate Nation. Participants are encouraged to use #PirateNationGives on social media.
“Thank you in advance for making our inaugural Pirate Nation Gives Back a meaningful day of service and philanthropy,” said Staton.
The Installation Week events will celebrate Staton who became chancellor of ECU on July 1, 2016. Before coming to ECU he served as vice chancellor for extended education for the University System of Georgia which included time as the interim president of Valdosta State University. Additionally, he was associate provost at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia and served five terms as a Georgia state senator.
A first-generation college student, Staton grew up in Greenville, South Carolina and attended Furman University. He went on to receive masters’ of theology and divinity degrees from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and a doctorate in Old Testament, Hebrew and ancient Near Eastern studies from the University of Oxford in England.
Special events marking this historic occasion are scheduled for each day during the week of March 20–24. To see a full list of activities and to RSVP for the installation ceremony or Gala visit ecu.edu/installation2017.
To volunteer, donate or download “unselfie” materials and buttons, visit ecu.edu/piratenationgives.
Installation Week events:
Monday, March 20
Reception for International faculty, staff and students
Gray Gallery, Jenkins Fine Arts Center
4–6 p.m.
Tuesday, March 21
Pirates Rock the Mall: Students Celebrating Chancellor Staton
University Mall
3–6 p.m.
Wednesday, March 22
Pirate Nation Gives Back
Day of service and philanthropy
All Day
ecu.edu/piratenationgives
Service Awards Reception
Harvey Hall, Murphy Center
5–7 p.m.
Thursday, March 23
Ribbon-cutting for Health Sciences Student Center
Health Sciences campus
1–2 p.m.
Pre-Lecture Reception
Whichard Building
5:30–6:40 p.m.
Lecture: Dr. Freeman Hrabowski
President, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
“Student Success in the 21st Century”
Wright Auditorium
7 p.m.
Friday, March 24
Installation Ceremony
Wright Auditorium
10 a.m.
Luncheon
University Mall
Noon
The Gala
A celebration of Chancellor Staton benefitting student scholarships for international experiences
6 p.m. – Tickets required