Gallery > President's Inauguration - and Related Festivities... (24)
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Honorable guests and speakers included John W. Rowe (Chairman of the Board of Trustees, IIT; Chief Executive Officer, Exelon Corporation), who served as the Master of Ceremonies; John Kallend (Associate Dean of Armour College; Professor of Materials Engineering and Physics), who served as Grand Marshall for the ceremony; Lew Collens (President Emeritus, IIT), who conferred the position to Anderson; and Jared Cohon (President, Carnegie-Mellon University - Anderson's former home), who delivered the keynote address.
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President John L. Anderson thanked the esteemed speakers for their words, and the IIT community for their support. He shared some of his thoughts and goals for his presidency, including making the university even more widely recognized as one of the top engineering schools in the country.
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At the conclusion of the ceremony, the crowd gave our new President their official, warm welcome - a standing ovation!
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As the honored guests recessed, students from the VanderCook College of Music played on, with the majestic compositions of Gustav Holst. (Watch for more details about VanderCook in the coming days, and the opportunities available there for IIT students!)
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After the ceremony, the fall festivities began! (Special thanks to my colleague, Thalia, for snapping some great photos of the afternoon events.)
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I don't think we could have asked for a more beautiful day for the annual pumpkin launch competition. Here, the hundreds assemble in front of Crown Hall, ready to toss...and to dodge...
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Some last-minute tinkering is always welcome.
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Matching t-shirts and team spirit in the foreground, and the power of inspiration further back - see if you can spot someone's little brother joining in on the operation.
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Nope, the competition here isn't guessing the pumpkin's weight (they're all around 20 pounds); it's designing a machine to launch that veggie far, far across the field!
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Delicious caramel apples, as well as hot chocolate and apple cider, were free for all, and much-enjoyed.
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Distracted by the shiny new t-shirts, this fellow perhaps doesn't realize that his team is aiming to launch their pumpkin towards the Sears Tower.
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Local reporters share details in order to better carve out their stories (oh...bad pun alert). Anyway, you've got to love that they work well as a team - watch the news this week for their full event coverage!
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A quieter pursuit, perhaps, but undoubtedly just as festive! Many pumpkins ended up smashed on campus; others went home well-carved and cared for.
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More teams' tees.
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"The Mouse Trap" - what an affectionately named invention! Though, I suppose, not the cuddliest of creations...
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Umm...mayhem?
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...and we have lift-off!
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Calling for reinforcements...
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...and letting another one loose!
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I think this photographer's moving in for a post-crash close-up - or, at least, I hope he is. Otherwise it looks like the pumpkin broke upon his head!
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Wow, what a line-up! Those scholars mean business, their arsenal is mighty, and those pumpkins are toast.
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The remains of the day: a sad sight?
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One last shot at year-long bragging rights before the students retire to supper...in the dining hall, not on the field. We hope to see you on-campus next fall for yet another installment of IIT's annual pumpkin launch competition!