SXU President Keith Elder, Ph.D., MPH, MPA SXU website
On Thursday, Oct. 2, Saint Xavier University (SXU) held an investiture ceremony for the twenty-second president of the university, President Keith Elder, Ph.D., MPH, MPA, in McGuire Hall.
“I viewed the investiture as a celebration of the university and its wonderful history, and I’m honored to serve as the twenty-second president. It was really good to see the community come together,” Elder stated after the ceremony.
Elder began his term as president of SXU on March 1, 2024, so the investiture was held over a year-and-a-half after Elder officially became president of the university.
“I resisted the investiture for a long time, that’s why we did it 20 months in,” Elder said, laughing. “I believe in investitures, but I’m not the person that wants that kind of attention.”
The ceremony was held in McGuire Hall, with introductory speeches from each academic dean, the Board Chair of the Board of Trustees Tasha Henderson, CPA, and a personal reflection from Elder’s daughter. Cardinal Blase J. Cupich delivered the invocation to begin the mass.
Elder’s investiture address focused on the importance of community and “working collaboratively” here at SXU–community, as Elder described it, being a “group of individuals united with a shared purpose.”
“Even with our disagreements, diversity, and differences, we are better together,” Elder stated in an interview with The Xavierite. “Being together is our calling,” he later stated.
Elder’s investiture address also highlighted the Mercy value of student-centeredness, and he believes it must remain at the center of everything SXU does. “The students are central to everything we are doing,” Elder said.
Elder discussed the importance of the university being a place where students are adequately prepared for the work force, as well as adult life.
During an interview with the Xavierite, Elder gave a special thanks to Ethan Coe, President of the SXU Student Government Association (SGA), who delivered a speech at the event.
“His words really impacted the audience greatly when he talked about what we’re doing here and how I’m seeking to help and serve the students. I’m glad students realize that we’re only here for them.” Elder said.
Sociology professor Angela Durante, Ph.D., Assistant Vice President of Family and Community Engagement Imelda Macías, Ph.D., Vice President of University Advancement Adrian Aldrich, M.Ed., and Senior Executive Assistant to the President Donna Eastman, B.A. organized the first part of the investiture.
“[Dr.] Elder had asked us to take on different elements of community engagement,” Aldrich explained.
Aldrich shared that the event was livestreamed so that anybody could watch, and there were multiple watch parties for the investiture across campus: two in the Warde Academic Center, and one in the Graham School of Management.
After the initial ceremony in McGuire Hall commenced, there was a picnic on the Smith-Morris Quad, which began at 5:30 p.m. and was largely organized by Vice President of Student Life Katy Thompson.
The picnic also featured performances from SXU’s own Fish ‘n’ Chips, as well as one from Sheila Jackson, a soloist and native of Elder’s hometown of Troy, Alabama.
“She did a phenomenal job,” Elder said. “She sang ‘How Great Thou Art’ in the mass, and she sang ‘The Goodness of God’ in the investiture, and she just did a fabulous job.”
Elder said getting Jackson to perform at the investiture was his “only role” in organizing the event. The night concluded with a fireworks show, which began at 7:30 p.m.