Lyrics and Translation
Portones Abiertos y Rostros Brillantes
Open Gates and Glowing Faces
claro que estoy contento, of course I am happy,
¿no estuvieras tú? cuando miro wouldn’t you be? when I look
a portones abiertos y veo un jardín lleno de vida, at open gates and see a garden full of life,
de buena salud y de sonrisas de rostros brillantes… of good health, and smiles of glowing faces…
enciende mi espíritu it ignites my spirit
nunca antes había estado tan excitado de estar vivo
I have never been more excited to be alive
y en el resplandor de paz que crece, and in the radiance of peace that grows,
se que cuando me entrego al dormir y el océano de noche
I know that when I surrender to sleep and the ocean of night
acúnese mis sueños, cradles my dreams,
puedo estar en solamente en un estado de ser…
I can only be in one state of being…
completamente abierto… completely open…
Reflections on Leadership
Chad DeKing ’83, Trustee
Poetry Selection
Our Deepest Fear............................................ Marianne Williamson
Rain Wilson, MFA, Artist-in-Residence, Interdisciplinary Catalyst
Reflections on Community
Mariza Rocha Gonzalez, Director of Latino/a Initiatives
Music Selection
Prelude 5 in D Major, W419............... Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887–1959)
Francis Balquin ’24, Guitar
Installation of the President
John Ammons ’83, Chair, Board of Trustees
Presentation of the Presidential Chain and Academic
Ceremonial Mace
Renae Franiuk, PhD, Professor of Psychology and Chair of Faculty Senate
Hannah Anderson, PhD, Director of Institutional Reporting and Analytics and Chair of Staff Executive Council
Mason Brauer ’24, President of AU Students’ Association
Inaugural Address
Susana Rivera-Mills, PhD, President
The Alma Mater
Aurora................................................. Ross K. Tilton, Class of 1917
Revised by Dorman Smith
Arrangement by Georgia Angevine
Aurora, Aurora, with pride in our hearts A place of true learning, and Home to the arts, With love and devotion our Voices we raise, Alumni forever, we give you our praise, Alumni forever, we give you our praise.
Aurora, Aurora, we pledge you Our faith, To live for your honor and Love you till death, When future years echo the song of your fame, We’ll sing it: Aurora, O, long Live that name, We’ll sing it: Aurora, O, long Live that name.
Benediction
The Rev. Nannette Dixon ’92, Vice President for Community Engagement and Alumni Relations at McCormick Theological Seminary
Recessional
Coronation March........................... Giacomo Meyerbeer (1791–1864)
Arrangement by Kathy L. Fishburn
Aurora University String Ensemble
Conducted by Andrea LaFranzo, BM, Ensemble Director
Please join the Aurora University community for a fiesta following the ceremony.
The celebration will take place west of the tent near Vago Field.
About Dr. Susana Rivera-Mills
Susana Rivera-Mills, PhD, is the first Latina to lead Aurora University as president since the institution’s founding in 1893.
Before taking office at AU, Rivera-Mills had been provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at Ball State University since 2018, where she oversaw all aspects of the academic mission, including supporting leadership for all academic units.
At Ball State, she played a crucial role in the development and implementation of the strategic plan and in academic innovation. Her responsibilities also included advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion; launching and supporting the Muncie Community Schools partnership; and developing and implementing Ball State’s Lifetime Learning initiative.
As a first-generation college student, Rivera-Mills understands the transformative power of education. Her goal is to create a learning environment where all students can access a high-quality education and succeed in order to reach their full potential. She remains committed to connecting universities to their communities for the benefit of both the individual student and the community as a whole.
Previously, she served in a variety of academic roles at Oregon State University from 2007 to 2018, including vice provost of academic programs and learning innovation, dean of undergraduate studies, executive associate dean of the liberal arts college, and department chair of modern languages. Before that, she was a faculty member at Northern Arizona University for 13 years.
Rivera-Mills earned a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and a Master of Arts in Spanish Linguistics from the University of Iowa. Her doctorate in Romance Languages is from the University of New Mexico.
During her academic career, Rivera-Mills’ research has focused on Latino communities, Spanish language and culture, and issues in sociolinguistics, as well as online teaching and learning.
Rivera-Mills is a sought-after guest speaker and presenter on innovation and leadership in higher education, digital and adaptive learning, and the role of culture and voice in student success and professional development.
She has participated in the Academy for Innovative Higher Education Leadership (Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, and Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.); the Institute for Management and Leadership in Education (Harvard Graduate School of Education and Harvard Institutes for Higher Education); Higher Education Resource Services Summer Leadership Institute (University of Denver in Denver, Colorado); and the ACE National Women’s Leadership Forum.
About Aurora University
Aurora University traces its origins to the 1893 founding of Mendota College, a seminary in the town of Mendota, Illinois. The institution soon adopted a broader mission and moved to a new campus in the nearby community of Aurora. With this change came a different name — Aurora College — and a growing enrollment. When World War II ended, the campus population swelled again as veterans enrolled in the college’s innovative evening degree program. The 1970s and 1980s saw an expansion of curricular offerings in a number of professional fields and the awarding of advanced degrees in selected disciplines. These changes culminated in the 1985 decision to rechristen the institution Aurora University.
Today Aurora University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission to award degrees at the baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral levels. The university, which was designated as a HispanicServing Institution in 2018, enrolls approximately 5,700 degreeseeking students. AU students participate in a wide range of on- and off-campus learning experiences. They can join more than 50 musical, literary, religious, social, and service organizations and play active roles in campus governance. In addition, the university fields 24 NCAA Division III intercollegiate athletic teams.
Mission Statement
Aurora University is an inclusive community dedicated to the transformative power of learning. As a teaching-centered institution,
we encourage undergraduate and graduate students to discover what it takes to build meaningful and examined lives. Our singular goal is to empower our students to achieve lasting personal and professional success.
Statement of Core Values
Aurora University draws upon the rich legacy of Aurora College to welcome learners to our campus in Illinois and through Aurora University Online. Here all become members of an inclusive educational community dedicated to the development of mind, body, and spirit. Today, as in the past, we prize the twin virtues of character and scholarship and affirm our commitment to the values of integrity, citizenship, continuous learning, and excellence.
We will adhere to the highest standards of integrity in every aspect of institutional practice and operation. Through this proven dedication to honesty, respect, fairness, and ethical conduct, we will lead by example and inspire our students to do the same.
We will exercise the rights and responsibilities of citizenship in an educational community, founded upon the principles of mutual respect and open discourse. We will live within our means and manage our resources wisely while creating an environment that fosters teamwork and promotes service to others.
We will work and live as an organization devoted to continuous learning. We recognize that the university exists in a diverse and changing world and know that we will succeed in helping students achieve their full potential only if we realize our own.
We will pursue excellence by embracing quality as a way of community life. Accordingly, we will set high expectations for ourselves, our students, and our university.
The university’s core values are the foundation upon which our aspirations rest. They undergird our belief in the transformative power of learning. As members of the Aurora University community, we enter into a voluntary compact with one another to live, learn, and work in ways consistent with these ideals.
Former Aurora University Presidents
Several presidents served terms at what was then Mendota College.
J. Oscar Campbell (1893)
Abial B. Sibley (1894)
George V. Clum (1895–1898)
Orrin Roe Jenks, DD (1911–1933)
M. L. Gordon (1898–1901)
Nathan C. Twining (1901–1906)
Bert J. Dean (1906–1911)
Jenks’ visionary leadership as the first president of Aurora College led to the establishment of the college in Aurora, Illinois. He oversaw the construction of Eckhart Hall and college residence halls, and secured the academic and financial future of the college.
Theodore (T. P.) Stephens ’29, DD (1933–1962)
Stephens led the school’s unprecedented growth, introduced expanded curriculum offerings to meet community needs, acquired North Central Association accreditation, and built a campus that included a strong athletic program and facilities to house the increasing student population.
James E. Crimi ’38 (1962–1973)
A model of character and scholarship, Crimi emphasized the liberal arts tradition, rooted in faith. He fostered academics, arts, and athletics; opened a new science building, library, and gymnasium; and supported the growing choir and theatre programs.
Lloyd Richardson, EdD (1974–1978)
Under Richardson’s tenure, the college thrived. He introduced new programs, such as computer science, maintained focus on faith and service, and supported a vibrant arts community with the addition of Perry Theatre.
Alan Stone, DMin (1978–1988)
Aurora College became Aurora University under the leadership of Stone. He guided expansion of academic programs, introduced new graduate degrees, and fostered internship experiences. Stone revived the football program and led the college to join the NCAA.
Thomas Zarle, PhD (1988–2000)
Zarle continued the university’s growth. He guided the institution into an affiliation with George Williams College, opened Dunham Hall and the first home to the Schingoethe Center for Native American Cultures, and fostered partnerships between the university and the community.
Rebecca L. Sherrick, PhD (2000–2023)
Under Sherrick’s leadership, AU experienced record growth and the campus expanded with nine new buildings. She championed initiatives for students underserved by higher education, established AU’s first doctoral program, strengthened athletic programs, and enhanced offerings in the arts.
Presidential Chain
The presidential chain prominently features gold ivy leaves. Early in the 20th century, John W. Beach, professor of Greek and Latin, suggested that ivy leaves growing on the outside of Eckhart Hall could be awarded to students showing exceptional academic achievement each semester. In 1932, Aurora College created the Gold Ivy Leaf Award, which is still awarded to outstanding students every year. Medallions tell the story of Aurora University; they feature a torch and a lamp of learning, a powerful testimony to our understanding that education is a source of illumination and truth. Two medallions find their final expression in the Aurora University emblem encircled with the signature AU blue.
Academic Ceremonial Mace
The university mace was designed to represent the founding schools of Aurora University, including Aurora College. The mace, originally a weapon used in the Middle Ages, has become a symbol of order and authority over the centuries. The design of the center head of the mace includes the university seal. The mace is carried by a university official in the processions that begin and end academic exercises, such as convocation and commencement, and immediately precedes the president.
Board of Trustees
John D. Ammons ’83, Chair
Jonathan Birkey ’19
Hilary K. Brennan ’83
Matthew J. Cannon ’94
Thomas L. Choice
Douglas J. Craft ’75
Chad A. DeKing ’83
Austin M. Dempsey
Charles B. Doss
David R. Edelman
Ronald M. Hem
Chriss Johns
Amir K. Kirkwood ’94
Brian V. Konen
Gerald Palmer
Scott B. Palmer ’72, ’83, ’02 HON
Hilary A. Rantisi ’93
Myron J. Resnick
Susana Rivera-Mills
MaryMargaret SharpPucci ’83 GWC
Ann Sheets ’77 GWC
John D. Simms Jr.
Michelle P. Simms
Brian D. Stading ’85
Thomas T. Stuhley
Odie Washington ’72
Linnea A. Windel ’97, ’22 HON
Board of Trustees, Emeriti
James E. Benson
David R. Bergman
Donald A. Churchill ’68, ’85
Farrell L. Frentress ’64, ’71 GWC
Joanne B. Hansen
Michael K. Keefe
Donald E. Kieso ’58, ’03 HON
John F. McKee
Ruth A. Mendius ’67
Calvin R. Myers ’64
Thomas R. Scott ’61, ’63 GWC
David K. Stone ’67
Frank K. Voris
Thank you for joining the Aurora University community in celebration of our 14th president, Dr. Susana Rivera-Mills. Now we move forward with a steadfast vision to ensure all students are afforded opportunities for success.
This is Aurora University’s… Future Promise.
