Hartwick College to install new president Saturday

Oct. 21—A conversation with political strategist David Axelrod kicked off a three-day celebration at Hartwick College leading up to the installation of Darren Reisberg as the 11th president in the college's 225-year history.

Axelrod was the former chief strategist and senior advisor to President Barack Obama and was the founding director of the University of Chicago's non-partisan Institute of Politics, of which Reisberg was the first director.

Axelrod said Reisberg was recommended to him and, after speaking to him, said "he won me over. Darren is brilliant and humble. He's interested in what others think. He's a warm, funny person. I get a lot of credit for the institute, but I don't know if it'd be such as a success without Darren."

After a few words about Reisberg, Axelrod sat down with Professor of Political Science Laurel Elder and discussed the 2022 mid-term elections, polarization and the need for hope in our democracy. During the conversation, Axelrod encouraged the college students in attendance to vote, talked about how the issue of abortion could change the outcome of the election and the need for Democrats to show they know the concerns working class Americans have.

Axelrod said he believes the Democrats will lose the majority in the House of Representatives, but is unsure about the Senate, depending on who wins in Pennsylvania, Nevada and Georgia. He said only two other times in the past 90 years has a president's political party been able to keep the majority — 1934 during the Great Depression and 2002 while the nation was at war.

Elder asked Axelrod about Obama's campaign. "In 2007 we were told it was a fool's errand," Axelrod said. "People said he won't get elected because he's Black and people aren't ready to elect the first Black president. We never ran on that platform. We focused on the war, the ongoing economic crisis." He said Obama went to the states most politicians overlook and was the first Democrat to win Indiana since 1964. "He almost won Montana. He won Iowa. He didn't write those states off," he said.

Thursday's conversation also discussed the rural and urban divide briefly, and a longer discussion will take place at 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 21, during an academic symposium titled "Bridging the U.S. Rural and Urban Divide: Hartwick College Takes On The Challenge" in the Anderson Theatre, a media release said. A panel of Hartwick faculty, staff, and students will discuss the different life experiences the Hartwick Community — from both rural and urban settings — bring to campus, and how those experiences impact daily life and interactions. The panelists, representing a wide variety of perspectives, will examine the challenges and opportunities of living and working on the diverse campus. "Given the well-documented urban — rural divide in the contemporary U.S., this panel will ask what the community can do to reach mutual understanding, respect, and unity," the release saod.

The main event, the inauguration of Reisberg, will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 22, under a tent on Frisbee Field on the campus. "An event of this magnitude has not been held in this location in many years, reviving a previous Hartwick tradition," the release said.

The ceremony combines a series of special guests and musical performances — including the debut of a commissioned work — meeting Hartwick traditions, including bookending appearances by the Broome County Celtic Pipes & Drums and the ringing of the Hartwick Bell. Hartwick students, alumni, faculty and staff will all be formally represented throughout the event. Delegates from 30 colleges and universities will also be in attendance.

Guest speakers include Oneonta Mayor Mark Drnek, SUNY Oneonta President Alberto J.F. Cardelle, Daniel Diermeier, chancellor of Vanderbilt University, and Joseph Neubauer, former chair of the University of Chicago Board of Trustees and former CEO of Aramark Corporation, the release said.

After the ceremony will be The Big Blue Bash, featuring a barbecue lunch, raffles and giveaways, held at noon in the Commons and Stack Lounge in Dewar Union. All inauguration attendees are welcome.

Guests are also invited to take in one of several athletics events taking place on Saturday. Men's and women's swimming and diving will host a meet at 9 a.m. in Moyer Pool in the Binder Physical Education Facility. The football team will take on the SUNY Brockport Golden Eagles at 1:30 p.m. at Wright Stadium, and women's soccer will host Nazareth College at 2 p.m. on Elmore Field.

Each day during the inauguration celebration, the Stevens-German Library will host an archival exhibit featuring items from previous Hartwick inaugurations. The Yager Museum of Art & Culture will have a new exhibit, "Front Row Center: Icons of Rock, Blues, and Soul," featuring images taken by concert photographer Larry Hulst. The museum will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily.

The main inauguration events will be livestreamed via the website, the release said. Visit the page the day of the events for the link, and additional information. Questions can be directed to inauguration@hartwick.edu.

Vicky Klukkert, staff writer, can be reached at vklukkert@thedailystar.com or 607-441-7221.