The President receives many invitations to attend inaugurations and special ceremonies at institutions of higher education around the globe.
When he is unable to attend, we work to identify a suitable substitute. Often, faculty who have a meaningful affiliation with the inviting institution, or a local alumnus/a, are asked to represent Harvard.
Delegates deliver congratulatory greetings on behalf of the University and participate in various activities, including a traditional academic procession. Since those institutions participating in the academic procession are typically arranged by founding date, the Harvard delegate often leads the procession.
In the period between July 1, 2017 and June 30, 2018, Harvard was invited to participate in 50 presidential inaugurations and anniversary celebrations throughout the U.S. and abroad, and 34 delegates were sent to represent Harvard at these events. In the few cases when we were not able to identify an appropriate representative, our office sent a letter of congratulations to the celebrating institution. Feedback is consistently positive, and delegates often report how honored they were to be asked to represent the University.
