Tarleton State University will be celebrating the installment of its 16th president, Dr. James L. Hurley. This celebration began on Monday, Feb. 24 and will proceed up until Saturday, Feb. 29.

Dr. Hurley has accomplished many things during his first five months of acting as president. One of which has been the advancement of Tarleton becoming a Division 1 school by signing on to the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). Another accomplishment includes establishing a partnership with independent school districts across Texas, and Tarrant County College.

The week of inauguration included an assortment of activities for students and faculty to participate in. Thursday Feb 27. will hold a Student Celebration at 6 p.m. at the Barry B. Thompson Student Center. The celebration will allow students to celebrate with President Hurley with live music from DJ Quan, food trucks and a firework show. The celebration will also include a live performance from Bart Crow, renowned country singer.

Friday, Feb. 28 will be the Installation Ceremony. During this
day, all academic courses before 1 p.m. will be postponed and allow students to attend the ceremony at Wisdom Gym at 10:30 a.m. During the ceremony, individuals such as Chancellor Sharp will speak over the ceremony and over Dr. Hurley officially being installed as the 16th president.

The celebration will conclude with an Inauguration Gala, An Evening in Purple, held in Wisdom Gym. This gala will honor the Tarleton Distinguished Alumni and Presidential Legacy Award recipients. Proceeds from ticket sales to the gala will support scholarships that will benefit high school seniors pursuing higher education, otherwise known as the Tarleton Promise.

Prior to Thursday, other events were held in conjuncture with the inauguration. On Monday, Feb. 24, a Student Health and Wellness & Revive Wellness Event was held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Recreational Center. The day ended with a Student Health and Revive Color Run beginning at 7 p.m. at the Recreational Center and the Tarleton Midlothian campus hosted Waffle Monday event for students.

On Wednesday, Feb. 26, Dr. Hurley and guests took part in Waffle Wednesday, serving waffles for students at the Barry B. Thompson Student Center from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. The Waco and the Tarrant County College – Trinity River campuses hosted their Waffle
Wednesday event for their students. The Fort Worth Campus will host a Waffle Thursday on Thursday, Feb. 27 all evening for their students.