NEW ORLEANS — Dillard University announces the theme of Inauguration Weekend on January 27th-29th, Activating Our Commitment: Continuing a Legacy of Leadership, a celebration welcoming Dr. Rochelle L. Ford, APR, as the eighth President of Dillard University.

Dr. Ford’s vision is to improve campus facilities, enhance faculty and staff recruitment and retention and booster fundraisers to support student degree completion. She is also seeking to leverage Dillard’s academic programs and centers to address health disparities.

The list of events below comprise Dillard University’s Inauguration Schedule and chronicles Dr. Ford’s movement throughout the weekend:

Friday, January 27, 2023 

• Investiture Ceremony

• Time: 12:00 pm

• Location: Dillard University: Lawless Memorial Chapel (2601 Gentilly Blvd. 70122)

• Information: Dr. Rochelle L. Ford, APR, will be sworn as the eighth President of Dillard University.

Saturday, January 28, 2023

• Community Call to Service and Health Fair

• Time: 10:00 am

• Location: Dillard University: Student Union (2601 Gentilly Blvd. 70122)

• Information: Dillard University’s Office of Community and Church Relations, in partnership with DePaul Community Health Centers and Aetna, will host the 2023  Community Call to Service during inauguration weekend on Dillard’s campus. The event will consist of a free health fair, which will include mental health care resources and free healthcare screenings and information, in addition to a school supply giveaway for students in kindergarten through eighth grade.

• Dillard University Residential Facility Groundbreaking

• Time: 1:00 pm

• Location: 4141 Norman Mayer Ave. 70122

• Information: In November 2022, Dillard University closed on a loan to build a residential facility that will be located near the campus, where a previous

University apartment complex once stood. The new 200-bed residence hall will be located less than a mile from campus. The closing marked the culmination of a six-month process with the U.S. Department of Education’s Historically Black College and University Capital Financing Program which provided the University with a $41 million loan to complete the project.

This effort is one of the ways the University administrators are activating on their commitment to its students to create a living, learning and serving community where they will be cultivated into leaders. The construction project is part of the University’s effort to demonstrate resilience and contribute to the community through economic development. Students, faculty and staff will be able to live and learn together outside of the classroom and put their lessons into action to uplift Gentilly. That the facility itself will promote: Sustainability, Broadband, Safety, Economic development - hiring local talent and students interns, Health and wellness.

Dillard University, located in New Orleans at 2601 Gentilly Blvd., is a private four-year liberal arts historically black institution with a history dating back to 1869. For more information, please visit www.dillard.edu. Also, follow us on Twitter, Facebook @DU1869 and Instagram, Dillard University.