Janet Riggs Becomes 14th President of Gettysburg College

By Nate Storey

A cloudy, windy and threatening Saturday marked the occasion for Janet Morgan Riggs’ inauguration as President of Gettysburg College. The audience gathered outside Pennsylvania Hall was not deterred, however, and Riggs’ procession was met with enthusiastic applause from students, alumni, parents, and community members alike.
Before her acceptance speech, Riggs was commended by a number of important college constituents, including former Gettysburg College presidents, representatives of the college’s student body, faculty, and support staff. Governor Tom Rendell of Pennsylvania sent a letter to be read aloud on the occasion and Mayor William Troxell of Gettysburg. Troxell stressed the history shared between borough and college and the continued effort to bridge the two entities.
Riggs was installed as president by James Weaver, the Chair of the Board of Trustees after she was told of a scholarship foundation created in her honor.
Her speech first recognized her long history with the college, first as a student, then as a faculty member, and later as an administrator, and now as President and a member of the Board of Trustees.
Riggs emphasized her strong belief in the liberal arts focus in education and noted that this focus was especially important for the future. “The liberal arts have never been more important and relevant…In fact, we will depend on future citizens who are prepared in this way.”
Riggs mentioned also that because of her views on the liberal arts, she held a panel the morning of inauguration to discuss the “enduring
value” of this educational method and focus.
In describing the role of the liberal arts education, much of Riggs’ speech involved examining the words of former Gettysburg College presidents and Pennsylvania politicians, in particular Calvin Blythe, a judge and founder of Gettysburg College in 1832.
She explained broadly her ideas for the future of the college under her tenure. “We need to demonstrate our value more clearly, that we are making good on our mission…we must do a better job of working collaboratively across institutions.”
Riggs addressed the current economic crisis that faces the college and the country. She noted that “our biggest challenge may be affordability.” Commenting that Gettysburg College is not an “assembly line,” she said that, “we need to consider ways of expanding access to this kind of education, which means assuring its affordability to more people, not fewer.”
President Riggs spoke also about Gettysburg College’s unique position in the academic world. She identified the Eisenhower Institute, the Civil War Era Studies program, and the Sunderman Conservatory of Music as the areas which set Gettysburg apart from any competition. Riggs also noted the honor code which is in place as an aspect that makes Gettysburg College special.
She finished her speech by recalling a book she had read on the beach which described “dancing from the bottom of your heart.”
“…The opportunity to lead Gettysburg College truly is the opportunity to dance from the bottom of my heart. And I invite all of you who are Gettysburgians to dance with me.”