SDSU Campus and Community Invited to President Adela de la Torre's Inauguration

The investiture of SDSU President Adela de la Torre, to be held 2 to 4 p.m. (PST) will be broadcast via COX South County and Poway, and Channel 23, COX North County - Channel 18. The event will also be streamed live online. The San Diego State University campus and surrounding community are invited to honor the university’s history and celebrate President Adela de la Torre as she formally takes the helm as the first female Latina president of SDSU on Thursday.
The inauguration will be held April 11 on campus and includes three major events. 

• The day begins with an Open House from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. featuring a Student Research Symposium Showcase at the Parma Payne Goodall Alumni Center. 
• The presidential investiture ceremony will be held at Viejas Arena from 2 – 4 p.m. This ceremony formally charges de la Torre with the responsibilities and authority of the president. 
• Immediately following the ceremony, SDSU will host a Campus and Community Celebration from 4 – 5:30 p.m. at Hepner Hall on the Campanile Walkway. 

Student Research Symposium

The Open House and Student Research Symposium create an opportunity for the community to learn about the academic work of SDSU students. Participating student researchers were selected from the nearly 500 students who took part in this year’s Student Research Symposium in March. They include Shannon Farnsworth, who was received the President’s Award at the symposium and will be moving on to the CSU-level competition. The students will present their work, giving them the chance to experience sharing and talking about their research and also giving the community a chance to understand the variety of research taking place at SDSU. 

Student Performers

Students from all over SDSU will come together on April 11 to honor de la Torre, and a number of them will play an important role in the ceremony. The investiture will feature artwork and musical performances by students from the College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts. The musical performances will include “The Star-Spangled Banner,” “This Is Me” from “The Greatest Showman,” and a classic Mexican Bolero song entitled “Solamente Una Vez,” translated as “Only Once.”
First-year theatre performance major Laura Sandoval and fourth-year music major Joseph Durant will perform an original arrangement of “Solamente Una Vez” as a duet, accompanied by the SDSU Symphony Orchestra. The song, sung entirely in Spanish, holds great personal meaning for President de la Torre and the performers alike.

Presidential Medallion

At the investiture, de la Torre will be wearing an original medallion created for the event by SDSU student RexArthur Ramos. He designed the circular hand-crafted medallion to feature a number of symbols representing the university’s history as well as de la Torre’s background and role. After the inauguration, the medallion will become a part of SDSU Special Collections and University Archives.

Reception Desserts

As the first Latina female president of SDSU, de la Torre is no stranger to diversity.  To allow students, staff, faculty and the community an opportunity to sample a taste of the diversity on campus, SDSU held a competition to select desserts for the Campus and Community Celebration. Nearly 200 students submitted their favorite desserts recipes and stories explaining what the treat means to them. Among the 22  internationally flavored desserts to be served at the celebration is one  made from a recipe submitted by de la Torre—a favorite that reminds her of her time as a young girl learning the traditions of Mexico.   President de la Torre’s inauguration is set for Thursday, April 11.