The Inauguration of Daniel G. Lugo as the 23rd president of Trinity College will take place on Saturday, October 18, 2025. The ceremony begins at 9:00 a.m. in the George M. Ferris Athletic Center’s Ray Oosting Gymnasium.
Lugo began his service as Trinity’s 23rd president on July 1, 2025. He came to Trinity after serving as president of Queens University of Charlotte from 2019 until 2025. Lugo was named one of Charlotte’s “Most Admired CEOs” by the Charlotte Business Journal. Prior to his tenure at Queens, he served in key advancement and admissions leadership roles at three prominent liberal arts colleges—Colby, Franklin & Marshall, and Carleton.
Lisa Bisaccia ’78, chair of the Trinity College Board of Trustees, said that Lugo brings a deep passion for the liberal arts and a forward-looking approach that promises to shape the future of Trinity. “Grounded in academic excellence, strategic management acumen, and meaningful connections, his leadership will deepen our collective impact on campus, in Hartford, and beyond,” Bisaccia said. “We are proud to celebrate this important, historic milestone as one community with a sense of shared purpose and pride.”
Before entering the world of higher education, Lugo worked as an intellectual property and entertainment attorney. A first-generation college graduate, Lugo earned a B.A. in political science from Carleton and a J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School. He and his wife, TinaMarie, are the proud parents of two adult children, Michael and Amanda. Read more about Lugo here.
Inauguration Weekend will feature academic symposia, the formal installation ceremony, and a luncheon for members of the Trinity community and honored guests. The celebration will coincide with Fall Weekend, which brings together Homecoming and Family Weekend in a spirited showcase of campus life.
Symposium I: Human Creativity
11:00 a.m.–12:15 p.m.
Cinestudio
Lunch
12:30–1:30 p.m.
Raether Library and Information Technology Center, Engelhard Reading Room
Inauguration Performance: The Art and Science of Awe
1:45–2:45 p.m.
Trinity College Chapel
Symposium II: Bridging Knowledge and Practice
3:00–4:15 p.m.
Cinestudio
Reception
4:30–5:00 p.m.
Cinestudio Lobby
Inauguration Ceremony
9:00–11:00 a.m.
George M. Ferris Athletic Center, Ray Oosting Gymnasium
[View a livestream of the ceremony here]
Community Luncheon
11:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Trinity Athletics Practice Field
The formal inauguration is filled with time-honored traditions, from the academic regalia worn by the participants to the ceremonial items that symbolize the ideals of the liberal arts.
The ceremony will welcome delegates from many higher education institutions from across the nation. The program will be punctuated by music from College Carillonist Ellen E. Dickinson; the Manchester Pipe Band; the Quiet City Brass Quintet and Tympani; The Chapel Singers; and pianist David Marottolo ’21.
Greetings will be offered by the Board of Trustees; Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam on behalf of the City of Hartford; Trinity faculty, staff, alumni, parents, and students; and the Academy, represented by C. Andrew McGadney, president of Knox College.
Lugo will be presented by Walter Harrison ’68, H’18, vice chair of the Trinity Board of Trustees and president emeritus of the University of Hartford. Bisaccia will then preside over the investiture of the president before Lugo delivers his Inaugural Address.
When he is invested as the new president of Trinity, Lugo will receive into his care the Mace, the Book, the Key, and the Presidential Collar, each a symbol in its own way of the office.
The Owen Morgan Mace stands for the president’s new executive power. It was presented to Trinity in 1950 in memory of Owen Morgan, Class of 1906, who served his alma mater as a member of the Board of Fellows, as a trustee, and as a treasurer of the College. The mace precedes the president in academic processions. The Morgan Mace is made of ebony, signifying endurance; bronze, meaning power; and gold, symbolizing dignity and glory.
The Book, which has been placed in the hands of every Trinity graduate at Commencement, signifies the delegation of responsibility to the president for maintaining the educational activities for which Trinity was founded.
The Key, which symbolizes the turning over of the physical properties of the College to the president, is made of bronze and is one of the keys that turned the original huge lock in the door of Williams Memorial, the current administration building.
The Presidential Collar, which is worn on ceremonial occasions, is the visible symbol of the president’s high office and authority. The collar was presented to the College in 1953 by former President G. Keith Funston, Class of 1932, in memory of his grandmother, Maria Briggs Keith.
Read more about the symbols of the office of the president here.
Trinity College will celebrate the Class of 2026 at the College’s 200th Commencement on Sunday, May 17, with honorary degrees awarded to Commencement speaker N. Louis “Lou” Shipley '85, Joanne Berger-Sweeney, and Carolyn “Carrie” Pelzel ’74.
Julianna Boris ’26 has been awarded a Fulbright grant to serve as an English Teaching Assistant (ETA) in Taiwan, combining her academic interests with her passions for teaching and cross-cultural connection.
The 2026 Campus Life Leadership Awards were presented recently by the Office of Student Leadership and Engagement (SLE), honoring the achievements of Trinity student leaders and organizations over the past academic year.
The Trinity College Board of Trustees voted recently to award tenure to seven members of the faculty—six of whom also were promoted to associate professor. Additionally, six retiring faculty members were awarded emeriti status.
