Inaugural Greeting Contest
You are invited to participate in a campuswide contest to present greetings to Chancellor George Blumenthal on the occasion of his inauguration as the tenth chancellor of UC Santa Cruz.
If you are a currently enrolled undergraduate or graduate student or a staff member at UC Santa Cruz, submit your greeting entry no later than Monday, May 5th and you may be chosen to present your greeting representing undergraduates, graduate students or staff at Chancellor Blumenthal's June 6th inauguration ceremony.
About Greetings at Inauguration Ceremonies
Inaugural ceremonies are invested with hundreds of years of ceremony and tradition. Chancellor Blumenthal's event will reflect these traditions and incorporate new ones, too. One of the traditions we will observe is the offering of greetings from constituencies invested in the success of the new chancellor and the institution. The event planners have added a new twist to the tradition of greetings brought from undergraduate and graduate students as well as staff.
Undergrads, grads and staff who would like to participate can submit a brief (300 word) greeting to Chancellor Blumenthal on behalf of their constituencies incorporating the criteria developed by the selection committee. The selection committee will choose a greeting from each of the three groups; the individual who submitted the selected greeting will deliver it at the inauguration ceremony. The elected representative of the group, e.g. the Student Union Assembly Chair, the Graduate Student Association President and the Staff Advisory Board Chair will introduce selected greeters at the ceremony.
Texts and videos of greetings will be posted on the UCSC Inauguration website following the ceremony.
For examples of greetings presented by undergraduates, graduate students and staff at sister institutions' recent inauguration ceremonies, you might visit the following web sites:
Greeting Criteria
- 300-400 words (longer greetings may be disqualified)
- greeting should be reflective of the group you are representing, not just your personal thoughts, although a personal anecdote may serve to share aspirations and goals shared by the group
- message should be forward-looking, focused on the future of the campus and the goals of current and future undergraduates, graduate students or staff
- greeting may offer a challenge to the new chancellor as he assumes the campus leadership role and moves UCSC into its next era
- message should be genuine, communicating a voice that is compelling and engages the listener
- participants must be currently enrolled undergraduate or graduate students or active status staff employees
Deadline
Greeting entries must be submitted no later than Monday, May 5, 2008 at 5:00 p.m.
Selected greetings will be announced no later than May 16, 2008
How to Submit Your Greeting Entry
Submit your entry electronically to the Inauguration Greeting Selection Committee at the following email address:
inaugurationgreetings@ucsc.edu
Include your name, address, telephone number and email address.
Questions
Contact Assistant Vice Chancellor Catherine Faris, University Relations (cfaris@ucsc.edu or 831-459-2941) for more information about the contest, the criteria or inauguration planning in general. You may also wish to visit the inauguration web site (inauguration.ucsc.edu) to learn more about inauguration planning.
Contact the undergraduate, graduate and staff leaders to learn more about greeting content or to discuss ideas:
- Chair Christi Suchil, Student Union Assembly (chair.ucsc@gmail.com)
- President Chelsey Juarez, Graduate Student Association (cjuarez@ucsc.edu)
- Chair Eric Grabiel, Staff Advisory Board (eric@ucsc.edu)