August 14, 2018 | UHCL Staff
University of Houston-Clear Lake will host the investiture of President Ira K. Blake Thursday, Sept. 20, 2 p.m., as the culminating event in a week of activities commemorating President Blake’s 2017 appointment to the post. She is UH-Clear Lake’s fifth president, its first woman and the first African-American to be appointed to the university’s highest office. The theme for the event is “Transcending Expectations,” a focal point for President Blake since her arrival.
Investiture events at universities are traditional ceremonies that formally mark the transference of the authority and symbols of the office to the new president, usually within his or her first year. President Blake’s formal installation as UHCL’s new president will take place in the university’s Bayou Theater, 2700 Bay Area Blvd., Houston. It will include a procession of delegates from other colleges and universities as well as from within UHCL.
Participants in the processional will wear the traditional academic regalia of their own academic institution. The event is open to the public and is an opportunity for the community and the university to usher in a new era in UHCL’s history.
President Blake’s investiture ceremony will conclude with a meet-and-greet reception following in Atrium I of the Bayou Building.
UHCL’s Investiture Week begins Monday, Sept. 17 with an historical exhibit, a panel discussion with UHCL charter faculty, and an alumni panel event in which graduates share their stories of their professional paths and callings. Other events throughout the week include UHCL Constitution Day Celebration and a Health and Wellness Fair in UHCL’s newly opened Recreation and Wellness Center on Sept. 18.
On Sept. 19, the arts at UHCL will be showcased from 5:30 to 8 p.m., beginning with vignettes of faculty and student performances in the Bayou Theater and followed by a reception in the newly expanded UHCL Art Gallery. During the reception, Assistant Professor of Art and Design Lauren Kussro will give a talk about printmaking and photogravure techniques, which will be highlighted in the featured gallery exhibition of artist Jonathan McFadden titled “Let Me Be Part of Your Search History.” Investiture Week will culminate on Sept. 21 with the Bayou Theater’s 2018-19 season opening concert, “Mercury: Vivaldi vs. Paganini.”
President Blake holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from George Washington University, a master’s degree in educational psychology from San Francisco State University, and a second master’s degree and doctorate in developmental psychology from Columbia University. She has spoken and published extensively on the topics of language, literacy, culture, ethnicity, socialization and child development.
