As Purdue University prepares to inaugurate its new president, France A. Cordova, in April, it is inviting people off campus to join the celebration online.
The university took out a large print advertisement in The Wall Street Journal this week featuring a photo of the new president and a link to a Web site for the inauguration.
The ad reminds readers that many astronauts have graduated from Purdue, with a large picture of an astronaut’s footprint on the moon. “Help us celebrate the next giant step,” the ad reads. (The imagery is fitting, considering that Ms. Cordova served as chief scientist for NASA in the 1990s.)
Other colleges have tried to make a splash online with their presidential inaugurations. Cornell University, for instance, set up a Web site for its event swearing in David Skorton, which took place in September. The site includes a history of the Cornell presidency and a video of the inauguration.
Of course, a Web site can’t replace being at a gala event. A select group of guests received old-fashioned invitations from Purdue this week inviting them to a formal ball — which we’re guessing won’t be Webcast. —Jeffrey R. Young
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