Peter O. Nwosu Inaugurated as SUNY Oswego’s 11th President

The campus, community and guests from around the world came together to celebrate the inauguration of Peter O. Nwosu as SUNY Oswego’s 11th president on Friday, Sept. 27, culminating a week of activities focusing on the institution and its future.

The inauguration featured remarks from the president and other dignitaries as well as opportunities to showcase students and other campus community members in poetry and song.

“Today marks an extraordinary moment in our collective journey, and I am both humbled and thrilled to stand before you as the 11th president of the State University of New York at Oswego,” President Nwosu said.

President Nwosu related his experience coming to the U.S. from Nigeria as an immigrant student, and how he kept the pair of shoes he brought with him. 

“Those shoes humble me, those shoes center me and those shoes remind me of the journey that brought me here, highlighting the transformative power of education,” President Nwosu said. “The students who come to us each year come in their own shoes, seeking opportunities to improve their lives and their communities. Those shoes serve as a powerful reminder of our shared purpose and the profound moral responsibility we have to ensure that every student who comes to us completes their education and goes on to serve our region, our nation and the world.”

To help serve students and the region, President Nwosu reiterated the university’s commitment to a Vision 4040 plan to double the number of degrees and quality credentials provided by SUNY Oswego from 20,000 for the previous decade to 40,000 by the year 2040. 

“Our Vision 4040 is a challenge, a powerful challenge and a call to action aimed at fostering a more educated region, enhancing upward mobility and developing the talent required for advancing our region’s economic growth,” he said.

‘Beacon of hope’

President Nwosu noted that SUNY Oswego continues to be “a beacon of hope and opportunity for individuals from near and far – a place where curiosity meets purpose,” with a focus on empowering students with hands-on learning and practical experiences to reach their fullest potential – an emphasis that goes back to the institution’s 1861 founding by pioneering educator Edward Austin Sheldon.

“As we embark on this exciting journey together, let us remember that our strength lies in our unity and our collaboration and our shared vision,” President Nwosu said. “You’ve heard me quote the African proverb which goes this way: ‘If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.’”

Keynote speaker Donald Taylor – a mentor to President Nwosu and emeritus professor from California State University, Sacramento – noted that the “university community and beyond will benefit from President Nwosu at its helm.”

“His resume … is replete with exceptional outstanding accomplishments from improving graduation rates, improving time to degree, strengthening accreditation outcomes, building quality curricula, working toward faculty productivity and fairness in bargaining, contributing to student and faculty success, improving the campus spirit and mission, giving hope and opportunity, and … those random trips to the cafeteria to sit with students, to sit with them to have lunch, and they know his name,” Taylor said. “Oswego, you are in the company of an amazing, phenomenal leader who is destined to take this university to greater heights.” 

“We, the students, look forward to working with you, learning from you and contributing to the vision you bring to campus,” Student Association President Aiden Wilson said. “Today, we celebrate your inauguration, but more importantly, we celebrate the exciting future we will build together.”

‘Passionate advocate for access’

SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. – joined by SUNY Trustee Eunice Lewin, SUNY Oswego College Council Chair Jim McMahon and SUNY Oswego Faculty Assembly Chair Gwen Kay – presented President Nwosu with the ceremonial hood and presidential medallion to officially install Oswego’s 11th president.

“Throughout his career, Peter has been a passionate advocate for access to high-quality education for every segment of our nation’s increasingly diverse student body,” Chancellor King said. 

“He has excelled as a strategic planner, leading via the power of collaboration and embracing the tool of shared governance,” Chancellor King added. “He has led initiatives to advance equity-minded student success, and everywhere he’s been he has enhanced his institutions’ reputations and realities as engines of upward mobility and community engagement.”

The talent of campus community members, at the request of President Nwosu, were among the additional highlights. Student poet Emma Deloff read her original poem, “A Step of Hope,” written specifically for the inauguration. In addition, the State Singers student vocal ensemble performed “Shine” and were joined by a student drumming group for the Swahili composition “Baba Yetu.” 

Music faculty members performed Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Exsultate, Jubilate, K. 165,” the Oswego Jazz Project faculty group played the prelude, music faculty member Amanda Li served as accompanist and sang vocal selections, and student Ben Capilets sang “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

The ceremony served as a centerpiece for Inauguration Week and Founder’s Weekend that incorporated long-standing Oswego traditions like the 20th edition of the Dr. Lewis B. O’Donnell Media Summit and the Return to Oz Reunion of Color, while launching a new major feature, an annual Sheldon Lecture on Leadership and Service with the 2024 edition featuring 1985 graduate Bob Moritz, recently retired as global chair of PwC.

For more information on Inauguration Week, visit oswego.edu/inauguration.