Coker College to inaugurate its 16th president on Friday
From staff reports
Coker College will inaugurate Dr. Robert L. Wyatt as its 16th president Friday at 10 a.m. in the Courtyard at Davidson Hall on campus.
The ceremony is open to the public and will be followed by a luncheon in the college’s Susanne G. Linville Dining Hall.
In his inauguration speech, Wyatt will address his vision for Coker College and its role in preparing students for professional and personal success in the 21st century. Coker College is calling this initiative “Redefining Ready.”
Among the special guests scheduled to make remarks at Wyatt’s inauguration are Jack Shewmaker, former president of Wal-Mart, Dr. J. Timothy Cloyd, president of Hendrix College in Arkansas, South Carolina State Sen. Gerald Malloy, and Hartsville Mayor Mel Pennington.
Other highlights of the inauguration ceremony will include a processional and recessional in full academic regalia of Coker College professors and delegates from 36 colleges and universities, and vocal performances by soprano Serena Hill, the Coker Chamber Singers and Lara Wyatt, the 10-year old daughter of the new college president.
Wyatt began his duties as Coker College’s president on July 1, 2009. He was previously the dean of the Breech School of Business at Drury University in Springfield, Mo.
Founded in 1908, Coker College is an independent, comprehensive college with a liberal arts core required of all students. Coker provides quality educational experiences in and out of the classroom that prepare graduates for professional and personal success. U.S. News & World Report consistently ranks Coker among “America’s Best Colleges.”