In with a bang: Inaugural ceremony mirrors president’s experience and vision

By Torleif Sorenson

Nobody who attended the inauguration of Metropolitan State University’s sixth president, Dr. Sue K. Hammersmith, on Friday, Oct. 2, can say the affair was dull, staid or lugubrious. While it echoed traditional university ceremonies, there were some refreshing and eye-opening differences—the kind that mirror the differences between Metropolitan State University and every other public university in Minnesota.

The ceremony at Founders Hall Auditorium literally began with a bang, specifically the striking and musically satisfying drumming and singing from the Tinta Wita Takoja (Prairie Island Grandchildren), led by Al Childs. This drumming group is one of several that preserve the Prairie Island culture through the newer generations of the Mdewakanton Dakota Sioux, so their presence was both welcome and symbolically appropriate on this Friday afternoon.

One of the more touching parts of the ceremony was when Prairie Island Spiritual Leader Winfred Red Cloud spoke and displayed the dancing staff that would be used as Metropolitan State’s official ceremonial mace. With a rugged voice and penetrating eyes, Red Cloud commented, “We break barriers today. So many things are going on in the world; we need to stand together and be strong.”

Given that some people like to stress diversity and the differences between people, the call from this Dakota Sioux elder to “stand together,” with an emphasis on courage and strength, was particularly endearing and well-received by the gathered audience.

Passing a new baton
Formal university ceremonies (commencements, inaugurations and so on) usually include a ceremonial mace, baton or staff that reflects centuries-old tradition of formal and military processions. No such tradition existed at Metropolitan State before Dr. Hammersmith became president, so she and her husband, Dr. Allyn Uniacke, commissioned artist Dick Mindykowski from Wisconsin to create a “dancing staff” for the occasion.

Mindykowski, a member of the Lac Courte Oreilles tribe who reside across the north central United States, created a beautiful hand-carved staff decorated with French beads, beaver and muskrat fur, leather and antler remnants from deer and horse hair; his art deliberately reflects the earth’s four orders: physical, plant, animal and human. Mindykowski further explained that, in Ojibwe tradition, the muskrat is well-understood to represent industriousness and critical thinking, while the beaver is considered intelligent and hard-working. Given the demographics and experience of Metropolitan State’s student body, which includes many working adults, Mindykowski’s artistic symbolism is very appropriate, not just refreshingly different.

President Hammersmith and her husband have presented the dancing staff to the University with the intent that it become part of future ceremonies and belong to the University’s permanent art collection.

“Game changers”
Minnesota State College and Universities system’s (MnSCU) chancellor, Dr. James McCormick, commented on some of President Hammersmith’s roles at the most unique of MnSCU’s seven state universities. St. Paul’s mayor, Chris Coleman, then made a humorous comparison between Hammersmith and new Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre, calling both “game-changers from Green Bay.” (President Hammersmith was most recently provost and vice president for academic affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.) In an interesting and humorous verbal lapse, the mayor referred to the school as “Metropolitan University” during his comments, during which he emphasized the importance of Metropolitan State and the school’s service and accessibility to residents of St. Paul.

Sweet music and words of wisdom
As the musical bookend to the Tinta Wita Takoja, the Excelsior Gospel Choir, directed by Minnesota State Representative Bobby Joe Champion (D-58B), actively engaged the gathered audience in a spirited-yet-lovely urban gospel setting of Psalm 150. The final line of text, written by an anonymous psalmist, says, “Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord!” The choir certainly delivered with joy, vocal strength and especially some jazz-flavored finesse from the choir’s four accompanying musicians. One Metropolitan State staff member brightly commented afterward, “You can tell that these guys are seriously talented!”

They should be; the choir was nominated for a Grammy award in 2003. Dr. William Sederburg, commissioner of the Utah System of Higher Education and a long-standing friend of President Hammersmith and Dr. Uniacke, spoke extemporaneously about his experiences with Dr. Hammersmith, and how she seemed destined to become a university president. Sederburg told a few charming stories about how Hammersmith would approach her superior and say, “These are the things you need to know, Mr. President.”

Sederburg also emphasized Hammersmith’s track record of community involvement, saying, “This lady understands what it means to be a steward of place.” Dr. Hammersmith then described her own background as being unlikely for her current path, but in addition to her natural curiosity and nurturing parents, she talked about the third component she needed to succeed—opportunity.

And while dispelling some myths and explaining that Metropolitan State University is not an open-enrollment school, one statistic drew an audible gasp from the audience: The largest single source of students at Metropolitan State is… the University of Minnesota.

Welcome to the real world
Hammersmith explained that amongst other things, Metropolitan State students (95 percent of whom transferred here) describe the faculty and courses as being more challenging and demanding than at other institutions, in part because of the smaller class sizes. She quoted one graduate student who said her coursework here is far more challenging than was her first master’s degree at the University of Minnesota.

The new president credited the mix of resident and community faculty members, and how Metropolitan State students—unlike their counterparts elsewhere—have the opportunity of taking courses taught by vice presidents from Honeywell International and the Mayo Clinic, along with experienced law enforcement professionals like St. Paul Police Chief John Harrington. Hammersmith also mentioned the quality of courses and classroom work, citing recommendations and preferences from organizations like the Minnesota Society of Certified Public Accountants. She then outlined some of the goals and challenges both she and the entire University face, including expanding online course offerings, growing enrollment and other mandates from the governor and MnSCU. Noting how enrollment at Metropolitan State is already up 20 percent in the last three years, she said that one major challenge is to accommodate this growth with diminishing resources.

Looking ahead
So it was with a strong vision and some clearly stated goals and mandates that Hammersmith concluded her remarks. After another stirring performance by the Excelsior Gospel Choir that served as the ceremony’s recessional, everyone attended the reception in the Great Hall of New Main.

Incidentally, at a time when all MnSCU universities’ budgets are being tightened, it is worth noting that the costs of the ceremony and reception were covered by private donors; no University or state money was used for this event. Combined with the efforts of volunteers and the presence of her family, friends, professional peers and two talented groups of musicians, Dr. Sue K. Hammersmith’s presidency at Metropolitan State University certainly has started not with dull formality, but quite literally with a bang.