{"id":5523,"date":"2026-01-21T11:22:43","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T16:22:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/winter-2026\/features\/the-next-chapter\/"},"modified":"2026-02-17T10:01:24","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T15:01:24","slug":"the-next-chapter","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/winter-2026\/features\/the-next-chapter\/","title":{"rendered":"The next chapter"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cI offer an important message to the Trinity community,\u201d\u00a0President Daniel G. Lugo<\/a>\u00a0said during his Inaugural Address. \u201cWe must no longer whisper our pride. In an age when higher education must prove its value, Trinity will proclaim it. We do not simply educate; we cultivate leaders of conscience and consequence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Students, alumni, faculty and staff members, trustees, family members, community partners, honored guests, and delegates from higher education institutions from across the nation gathered on October 18, 2025, in the George M. Ferris Athletic Center\u2019s Ray Oosting Gymnasium to celebrate Lugo\u2019s installation as the 23rd president of Trinity College.<\/p>\n

Chair of the Board of Trustees\u00a0Lisa Bisaccia \u201978, who led the ceremony, said, \u201cThis occasion marks a milestone in Trinity\u2019s 202-year history\u2014the passing of the torch that will light Trinity\u2019s future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Greetings were 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 in Galesburg, Illinois.<\/p>\n

Arulampalam said that the stories of Trinity and the City of Hartford are deeply intertwined. \u201cIt\u2019s an incredible history of coexistence and mutual benefit,\u201d he said. He described Lugo as an \u201cinnovative, compassionate, and visionary leader\u201d who is already working on developing new partnerships with the city.<\/p>\n

Faculty Secretary\u00a0Garth A. Myers, Paul E. Raether Distinguished Professor of Urban International Studies and director of the\u00a0Center for Urban and Global Studies, spoke on behalf of the faculty. \u201cWe commend you for dedicating your career to leading liberal arts colleges,\u201d Myers said. \u201cWith a spirit of shared purpose, we stand united with you and look forward to collaborating on Trinity\u2019s next generation of excellence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Manuela Rod\u00e9s \u201926, president of Trinity\u2019s Student Government Association, delivered a greeting from the students. \u201cWhat excites us most about President Lugo is his vision for a Trinity that is not only\u00a0academically excellent but also inclusive, innovative, and deeply connected to the world around us,\u201d Rod\u00e9s said.<\/p>\n

McGadney\u2014Lugo\u2019s friend and former colleague\u2014said that he referred to Lugo as \u201cthe smartest person in the room\u201d when they worked together at Colby College. McGadney said of Lugo, \u201cAs a first-generation college graduate, he knows firsthand the transformative power of a liberal arts education and will work tirelessly to ensure current and future Trinity students experience that power.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lugo was officially presented by\u00a0Walter Harrison \u201968, H\u201918, vice chair of Trinity\u2019s board and president emeritus of the University of Hartford: \u201cDevoted to liberal learning; admired by his faculty and staff colleagues at his previous institutions; experienced in understanding and excelling in two critically important functional areas for any college\u2014that is, admissions and advancement; and a proven presidential leader with a record of accomplishment and success, Dan Lugo is the right leader at the right time,\u201d Harrison said.<\/p>\n

Bisaccia presided over the investiture of the president before Lugo delivered his Inaugural Address, which touched on the strengths of Trinity\u2019s faculty, students, and alumni, as well as its connections with Hartford and its commitment to academic freedom. \u201cEducation is not just a ladder but a bridge between where we begin and the full measure of who we might become,\u201d Lugo said. \u201cIt is with a spirit of gratitude that I look to our future and that I invite you to do the same. Be the believers who forge the path for Trinity to achieve its fullest potential. . . . To all who believe in Trinity\u2019s promise, hear me clearly: The time is now, the work is ours, and the future is bright.\u201d<\/p>\n