Inauguration Week
HCC to celebrate President George Timmons during week of inauguration festivities
Holyoke Community College will celebrate the inauguration of President George Timmons with three days of special events leading up to his investiture on Friday, April 19.
Following the Patriot's Day holiday, Inauguration Week at HCC will begin on Tuesday, April 16, as President Timmons reads to children of HCC students, faculty and staff in the college's Itsy Bitsy Child Watch center (9-10:30 a.m., first floor, Marieb Building).
From 12:30 to 2 p.m., The Campus Activities Team for Students is sponsoring a community crafting event of HCC-inspired crafts, including string art and origami.
Tuesday through Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., members of the HCC community are invited to participate in the creation of a mural on the second floor of the Campus Center led by artist Betsy Casañas, who designed and painted three other campus murals last summer. The theme of the new mural is "Our Values on Display."
On Wednesday, from 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m., in the campus courtyard, the HCC Culinary Arts Truck will be serving free light bites created by HCC culinary arts faculty and students. At the same time, inside the Campus Center, HCC will host a 413 Business Expo, featuring tables and displays from businesses in western Massachusetts.
On Thursday, from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Campus Center, Derek Estella, an academic counselor with the college's TRIO Support Services program, will moderate a panel of students and alumni talking about their HCC experiences. From 3 to 4:30 p.m., President Timmons will host "The Foundation of Our Vision," a reception recognizing the work of HCC faculty and staff.
Throughout the entire week, the college radio station, WCCH-103.5 FM, will be playing a selection of President Timmons' favorite songs, and the college community is invited to pick up free HCC green bow ties to wear in honor of President Timmons' unique personal style (third floor lobby, Frost building).
The investiture ceremony will begin Friday at 11 a.m. in the Leslie Phillips Theater on the second floor of the HCC Fine & Performing Arts building. Timmons, who lives in Amherst, started working at HCC in July. He is the fifth president in the 78-year history of the college and the first African-American man to serve in that position.
The ceremony will start in the theater lobby of HCC's Fine & Performing Arts building with a procession of faculty, staff, and distinguished guests, including presidents or their delegrates representing 29 other colleges and universities.
Scheduled to speak during the ceremony will be: State Sen. John Velis; State Rep. Patricia Duffy; Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia; Patrick Tutwiler, Ph.D., Massachusetts secretary of education; Robert Awkward, Ph.D., assistant commissioner of academic effectiveness at the Mass. Dept. of Higher Education; Carlee Drummer, Ph.D., president of Columbia-Greene Community College; Quintin Bullock, DDS, president of the Community College of Allegheny County; and Briana Beaver-Timmons, President Timmons' eldest daughter (accompanied by her two younger siblings).
Barney Garcia of Northampton, the student representative on the HCC Board of Trustees, will offer remarks. The event will also feature performances by several HCC students: Ally Carnes of Westfield will sing the national anthem; William Rodriguez-Otero of Belchertown will give a spoken word performance; and music major Chestina Thrower of Springfield will sing "Rise Up," by Andra Day, accompanied by the HCC chamber vocal ensemble.
Vanessa Smith, interim chair of the HCC Board of Trustees, will present the presidential medallion to President Timmons, who will give a special address.A community reception will immediately follow the inauguration ceremony in the HCC Campus Center.
For those interested in attending, please visit hcc.edu/inauguration24 and follow the link to RSVP.
Before coming to HCC, Timmons served as the provost and vice president of Academic Affairs and Student Affairs at Columbia-Greene Community College in Hudson, N.Y. He holds a Ph.D. in higher education administration from Bowling Green State University, a master's degree in higher education from Old Dominion University, and a bachelor's degree in financial management from Norfolk State University.
He succeeded President Christina Royal, who retired in July 2023.
PHOTO (Thumbnail): Muralist Betsy Casañas, left, will be on campus to create a special mural in honor of the inauguration of President George Timmons right. (Above) Student Trustee Barney Garcia, left, greets new President George Timmons in the summer of 2023.
