investiture

The Investiture of John Karl Scholz, 19th president of the University of Oregon

The Ceremony

The community is invited to the ceremony and celebration that marks the formal installation of John Karl Scholz as president of the University of Oregon. An investiture is a time for the university to celebrate the values, achievements, and aspirations of our community. The ceremony will include remarks from the president, board chair, president of the University Senate, student member of the Board of Trustees, and others. Students from the School of Music and Dance will also perform. The entire community is invited to attend; please RSVP so organizers can prepare space and refreshments for those who will attend. The ceremony will also be live streamed. Members of the UO community with a bachelor’s degree or higher are welcome to wear academic regalia to the ceremony.

WHEN: 3:30 p.m., Thursday, May 30, 2024 • WHERE: Matthew Knight Arena

RSVP for Students, Faculty, and Staff

RSVP for Community Members

Watch the Event Live

President Scholz greets members of the community during the campus celebration
Campus Celebration
The Campus Celebration will be held Thursday, May 30, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., on the EMU Green. The celebration will include music, refreshments, and a resource fair about UO programs and initiatives.
RSVP for Students, Faculty, and Staff
close up of person playing a guitar at a concert
Concert at the Shedd 
Experience the music of Jeffery Foucault in an 8:00 p.m. concert May 30 honoring John Karl Scholz. In his songwriting, Foucault combines rock, country, folk, and blues. Tickets are on sale at the John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts. 
Purchase Concert Tickets

Send the President a Message

To mark this celebration, we invite you to share warm wishes and encouragement to our nineteenth president of the University of Oregon.

investiture medallion line-art

The Mace and Centennial Medallion

The medallion and mace are official symbols of the president’s authority at the University of Oregon, and historically are presented to a new president on the occasion of their investiture. In medieval times, a mace was carried into battle by kings, bishops, and other leaders for use as a weapon. Today, it is a symbol of authority. The UO’s mace was designed and fabricated in 1981 by C. Max Nixon, professor emeritus of fine and applied arts, as a gift to the university. The use of copper, bronze, silver and walnut exemplify the spirit of the university since its founding 1876. The President’s Centennial Medallion was commissioned in 1975 to be worn by the president as a badge of office, and was created by Professor Paul E. Buckner of the Department of Fine and Applied Arts.