One year later, Whitlock finally inaugurated

Malcolm Frisbie was uncomfortable. He was used to casual living as a faculty member at Eastern. The businessmen that surrounded him at the trusteeship conference he was attending with the Board of Regents made him uneasy. Eastern President Doug Whitlock was standing close by and asked Frisbie if he was enjoying himself, to which Frisbie replied, "not really." With a twinkle in his eye, Frisbie said, Whitlock replied back and said he loved it. He was in his element.

Frisbie's story of Whitlock's ability to adapt was just one of the tales offered up Friday afternoon in Alumni Coliseum to honor Whitlock at his official inauguration as the 11th president of Eastern.

The event brought in guests from several colleges and universities, the city of Richmond and Frankfort. Representatives from Eastern's various colleges were also present, as well as student representatives from the Student Government Association.

Whitlock first took the role of president under unusual circumstances after former President Joanne Glasser accepted the president's position at Bradley University in August of 2007, just weeks before the start of the fall semester.

A special Board of Regents meeting was called, and the board interviewed five candidates for the role of interim president. Whitlock was the standout candidate.

And while the inauguration ceremony is a traditional rite of initiation, the event took the form of a tribute as speakers recounted stories of Whitlock's character and spoke of the accomplishments he had already made in the midst of the budget cuts.

Hunter Bates, chair of the Board of Regents and master of ceremonies for the inauguration, said he had known Whitlock since serving as a student regent at Eastern in the late '80s. He said most people in attendance had known him as Dr. Whitlock or Doug, but as the board got to know him as President Whitlock, they liked him even better.

"He's been called a man for all seasons, and the last few months have proven that to be true," Bates said.

And Bates said the hardships and battles Whitlock has faced already as president have proven that he is a different type of leader.

"I don't know if Doug Whitlock is in a class all of his own," Bates said. "But whatever class he is in, it doesn't take long to call roll."

Brad Cowgill, former president of the Council on Postsecondary Education, said Whitlock was the closest thing to a human version of the movie The Bridges of Madison County you would find.

"He connects ideas with ideas; he connects people with people," Cowgill said.

Cowgill said thousands would be touched and changed under Whitlock's administration because he loves Eastern and the students who attend it.

"He lifts himself by lifting others," Cowgill said.

Student Body President David Fifer echoed Cowgill's sentiments.

"President Whitlock is committed to doing the right thing all the time, quite simply because it is the right thing to do," Fifer said.

Former Eastern President Hanly Funderburk also spoke. Funderburk, a mentor to Whitlock, joked he didn't have a speech prepared because Whitlock always wrote his speeches. He said he wasn't planning on being in attendance, but when Whitlock said he needed him there, he boarded a plane to honor his request.

Whitlock used the opportunity to award Funderburk with the Presidential Award of Merit, the highest honor bestowed by a president, and initiated him into the Society of Foundation Professors. Funderburk started the Foundation Professors program in 1987, which gives salary supplements to tenured faculty who meet the requirements for the two-year professorship.

After being sworn in, Whitlock addressed the audience with his usual brand of humor. He said he tried to be "The Great Synthesizer" by merging the last five inauguration speeches into one, but could not get it to work. He said people had mistaken his gratitude over the budget cuts for happiness. He said he was not happy about the budget cuts, or satisfied, but content that the additional three percent was the best the General Assembly could do under the current circumstances.

He said the university would prosper if its community worked smarter and used the resources available to it.

"We are not poor even if we don't have enough money," Whitlock said.

He also addressed his commitment to the 22-county region that Eastern serves, but said he didn't want that region to become a boundary for the university. Instead, he talked about a more global approach at the university. He said he wanted Eastern to work more closely with foreign organizations and try harder to create a more culturally diverse campus by attracting more international students.

He also said the university must work to adapt to the needs of students tomorrow by harnessing technology and resources as they improve. Today's best will not work for tomorrow, he added. And he said the university will not grow without teambuilding and a community effort, working not only with faculty, staff and students, but also with the city of Richmond, Madison County and the state.

Whitlock finished by reading the poem Ithaca by Konstantinus Kafavis, a Greek poet, which illustrates a person's ultimate goal to reach the city of Ithaca.

"I first found my Ithaca years ago," Whitlock said, "and her name is Eastern Kentucky University.