Photo by Matthew Hicks MSH Photography
Dr. William Tsutsui was inaugurated into the Ottawa University presidency on October 23. The inauguration was a celebration welcoming Tsutsui to Ottawa University, featuring speakers that included the university’s former chancellor, the board of trustees, the student body and a member of the Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma, among others.
The mayor of Ottawa spoke words of encouragement to the new president and wished him luck. The representative of the mayoral office of Surprise, Arizona, also welcomed him with kind words and words of encouragement. The former chancellor welcomed all the speakers and spoke of fond memories of the old president, and how many good memories the new president will make. The board of trustees representative also spoke of how much the board of trustees believes that Tsutsui is a perfect fit for Ottawa University and holds the same values that the institution holds. The Second Chief of the Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma honored Tsutsui with a blanket from the tribe and wished him good luck on his presidency. The president of the student body spoke about how excited students re to welcome him to Ottawa University.
Tsutsui spoke toward the end of the ceremony of his great expectations about his presidency and how excited he is to be at Ottawa University. The ceremony closed with a prayer and good wishes toward the new president. After the ceremony, the new president talked and shook hands with members of the audience and the people who were a part of the ceremony.