Northern Kentucky University celebrates the swearing-in ceremony of Dr. Ashish Vaidya (AH-sheesh VIE-dyuh) as the university’s sixth president. Inauguration Week festivities kick off on March 26 and culminate with the Investiture Ceremony on March 29 at 2 p.m. in BB&T Arena.
NKU President Ashish Vaidya
President Vaidya began his tenure as NKU’s sixth leader on July 1, 2018. He selected a spring Investiture Ceremony to allow time to understand the campus culture and the region. Under the president’s leadership, NKU began the Success by Design process to create a strategic framework for its future. That plan, set to be unveiled to the Board of Regents in April, focuses on how the university will advance student success around the three pillars of access, completion, and career and community engagement.
“Looking back over the first 50 years, there are clear paths each president before me took to grow NKU into the powerful force it is today, and we face a promising future,” said President Vaidya.
“Our course is not one I am charting alone. Since October, we have been working together to determine how NKU will empower the futures of our students and our region, and I’m grateful for the role our campus community and our external community has held in the process. The voices of so many, through the many listening sessions and engagement opportunities, helped shape our strategic framework and our future. I’m humbled by the opportunity to lead this great institution and honored to take the oath as NKU’s sixth president.”
Empowering the Future is the theme for the President’s Inauguration Week and highlights include:
MARCH 26:
· Rockwell Automation & CBT Company Mechatronics Lab // March 26 at 8:30 a.m. // Business Academic Center // NKU unveils a new lab designed to meet the needs of industry and give students hands-on learning in mechatronics engineering
· Making Teaching Public Open Classes // March 26, classes start at 9:25 a.m. // Locations across Campus // Open classes for anyone in the community to experience.
· Regionalism Dialogue Panel // March 26 at 10 a.m. // Otto M. Budig Theater in University Center // Join the Judge Executives from Boone, Campbell and Kenton Counties as they discuss the issues challenging our region.
· NKU Men’s Baseball Game vs. Butler // March 26, Tailgate at 2:30/ Game at 3 p.m.// NKU Bill Aker Baseball Complex
· Lincoln Awards // March 26 at 6:30 p.m. // Votruba Student Union Ballroom
MARCH 27:
· Making Teaching Public Open Classes // March 27, classes start at 9 a.m. // Locations across Campus/ Click here for more details // Open classes for anyone in the community to experience.
· Diversity in Tech Panel Discussion // March 27 at 9:30 a.m. // Griffin Hall Digitorium // Leaders in cybersecurity discuss issues facing businesses and challenges in the industry.
· NKUnity Discussion // March 27 at 5 p.m. // Votruba Student Union Ballroom
MARCH 29:
· Investiture Ceremony // March 29 at 2 p.m. // BB&T Arena
President Vaidya will be sworn in as NKU’s sixth leader. The public is welcome to attend.
President Vaidya and wife, Nita
The complete list of Inauguration Week events can be found here.
President Vaidya came to NKU from St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, where he served as interim president.
He holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from St. Xavier’s College (Mumbai, India), and a master’s and a doctorate from the University of California, Davis. He is married to Nita Vaidya, a sociologist. They have two children, Jaanhvi and Avaneesh.
Click here to learn more about NKU’s previous presidents.
Founded in 1968, NKU is a metropolitan university of more than 14,000 students served by more than 2,000 faculty and staff.
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See these NKyTribune stories about Ashish Vaidya:
New NKU president embraces challenges
Goals and what drew him to NKU
