CORRECTION: Paino’s installation planned for Friday, not Saturday

By the end of the week, Truman will officially install President Troy Paino, and in the first completely carbon-neutral presidential installation in United States history.

Paino said his first goal for the University is to rediscover and redefine who we are collectively and what we wish to accomplish as a university. The first step toward this goal is to bring everyone together, both campus and community, to celebrate.

The Installation activities will kick off with the Gala President’s Concert 7:30 p.m. tonight in Baldwin Auditorium. The Gala will feature many of Truman’s performing groups from the music department.

The installation on Friday will be a carbon-neutral and eco-friendly event.

The installation itself will take place at 2:30 p.m. in Baldwin Auditorium, followed by refreshments.

To promote the sustainability and eco-friendliness of the event, all documents and other necessities for the installation will be compostable or made of recycled materials, and much of the food served after the event will be local.

John Nolan, a student representative to the President’s Sustainability Action Committee, said all of the extra energy usage, including utility costs and transportation mileage, will be taken into account and a total carbon footprint will be calculated.

“Essentially the government allows manufacturers, businesses and factories a certain amount of pollution that they can pollute every year,” Nolan said. “If they use less than the allotted amount, they acquire carbon credits that they can sell to other businesses, individuals or universities that hope to offset their carbon footprint.”

Truman will be buying enough carbon credits to compensate for the entire carbon footprint of the installation event, and the money from these credits will go toward improving sustainability throughout the world.

There will be a dedication of the new sculpture on campus at 1 p.m. Friday  east of the Student Union Building’s fountain. Former University employee Margarita Heisserer donated the sculpture, called “The Dance,” by Larry Young.

Heisserer, who aided in writing the University’s original five-year plan, will speak during the dedication. This plan helped transform Truman from simply a comprehensive university to what it is today.

Saturday starts with the 5K Celebration run/1-mile walk with President and Mrs. Paino at 8 a.m. at Stokes Stadium.

Heidi Templeton, director of Public Relations, said the 5K course was designed to be fun and symbolize community and campus togetherness. The course starts at Stokes, leads participants through Kirksville and finishes with a lap around Stokes.

Applications for the 5K run/1-mile walk are available online, but registration on the day of the event begins at 7:15 a.m.  

“My volunteers and I will be ready for the onslaught of people who simply wake up and think ‘Oh, it’s a beautiful day for a run’ and decide to come,” Templeton said.

Paino will be leading the 5K run, although he said he does not expect to hold the lead for long. He said he would front the run for perhaps the first five steps.

At 1 p.m. Saturday, outside the south entrance of McClain Hall, the Presidential tree-planting ceremony will usher in the new age of Paino’s presidency. He said he hopes to use this event to reveal how integral the ideals of sustainability and environmentally friendly policy are to his administration.

Later in the day, a service opportunity is open to the entire Truman campus beginning at 1:30 p.m. by the Student Union Building’s fountain. Students can fill out an online application, stop by the SERVE office in the Student Union or show up at the fountain on the day of.

Danielle Capps, a SERVE Public Relations assistant, said the idea behind the Community Service Event is anyone can find their individual way to serve Truman and Kirksville.

“President Paino had asked us specifically to do a service event, and he wanted it to be something where Truman students, faculty and staff can all be visibly seen out in the community,” said Luke Freeland, student representative to the Board of Governors.

There are a wide array of service projects available, ranging from helping the Humane Society with a landscaping project to helping the Adair County Public Library with week-to-week tasks, and all of these projects show the Kirksville community just how much the Truman community appreciates their hospitality.

“It is important for us to realize that we have a very symbiotic relationship, especially in a community this small where Truman State is a big part of the community,” Freeland said.

The weekend will come to a close as it began, with a musical event —  the University and Community Band Fest, held from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Reiger Armory. Several faculty bands will be playing at the event.

As the celebratory events draw to a close Saturday night, Paino hopes people take away a sense of togetherness and an even greater appreciation of their education here at Truman.

“Hopefully these events will bring us together and make us better at everything we do,” Paino said. “So that we can offer an even better education to our students and ultimately produce better graduates who are ready to compete, but also able to serve their community and become leaders.”