Rob Pearigen Installed as 18th Vice-Chancellor During Service in All Saints' Chapel
On a picture-perfect fall afternoon in Sewanee, the University of the South held a service for the formal installation of the University’s 18th vice-chancellor and president, Robert W. Pearigen, C’76. The Oct. 19 ceremony started with 60 delegates from institutions around the country entering All Saints’ Chapel, followed by the University procession, which included current and retired members of the University faculty, four former vice-chancellors, members of Sewanee’s governing boards, and bishops of constituent dioceses of the Episcopal Church.
A combined ensemble made up of Schola Cantorum of the School of Theology, the Sewanee Praise gospel choir, and the University Choir offered anthems and led the gathering in hymns selected by Pearigen. The three choirs offered a setting of Psalm 133 written by Joseph Running, former University organist and choirmaster, and a moving rendition of Moses Hogan's "Lord, hear our prayer."
Cindy and Bran Potter, longtime friends of the Pearigens and pillars of the Sewanee community, led the gathering in responsory prayers written especially for the occasion by the Rev. Casey Perkins, T’22. Service Bulletin
A unique moment in this installation was a series of greetings offered to the new vice-chancellor on behalf of different Sewanee constituencies. Faculty and student trustees of the College and School of Theology, alumni representatives of the Board of Trustees and the Board of Regents, members of the Staff Partnership Council, and the Sewanee Community Council all addressed Pearigen with remarks they had personally written for the occasion. Each spoke of the hopes and expectations of their constituencies while also outlining the ways they would work in partnership with Vice-Chancellor Pearigen during his tenure. A final, more personal, greeting came on behalf of the Pearigen family
from Carolyn Pearigen, C'14, who encouraged her father in his new role to “be the one who perseveres, who continues to fish even after catching your own hand; and who continues to push for a solution even when faced with yet another problem.”
Following the greetings, Pearigen was presented for installation to Chancellor Jacob W. Owensby, who asked Pearigen, in Latin, to pledge to “faithfully perform all of the duties which pertain to the office of vice-chancellor.” Pearigen was then vested in the ceremonial scarlet-and-ermine robe of office by former Vice-Chancellors Sam Williamson and Joel Cunningham, under whom Pearigen served. When Owensby then formally introduced the 18th vice-chancellor, the entire congregation stood for a rousing ovation.
In his installation address (video | transcript), Pearigen quoted I Peter, “Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart and a humble mind,” saying that he has sensed a keen interest in the Sewanee family for holding to the values articulated in the verse and noting that it calls for a unity that is at the heart of the University motto, Ecce Quam Bonum. Pearigen expanded on the verse’s reference to heart and mind, pointing to the importance of the life of the mind and the educational mission of the University, as well as to the deep, lasting relationships formed at Sewanee and a commitment to service that exemplify the University’s heart.
Pearigen also spoke of the importance of place, quoting Eudora Welty—“Place is the fountainhead of one’s knowledge and experience”—and saying that Sewanee’s 13,000-acre campus is both “catalyst and crucible,” emboldening students to find their own way while also forging an experience that calls them to make a difference in the world. “You’ll hear me say again in the days to come, ‘The Mountain moves us so that we, in turn, can move mountains,’” Pearigen said. “That’s our calling; that’s our purpose.”
Pearigen closed by saying that in the days ahead, the University must use the lessons of its own past, now 167 years after its founding. “Our history, with its vices and its virtues, can be a source of strength and of instruction as we move forward,” he said. “We must know who we have been in order to understand what we want to be.”
Faculty, bishops, former vice-chancellors, and members of the University’s governing boards then processed through the west door of All Saints’ Chapel to the singing of the Sewanee Hymn. Outside the chapel doors, they formed two lines to cheer and greet members of the Pearigen family as the bells of the University Carillon rang.
