On April 27, Michael Brophy was inaugurated as the sixth president of Marymount College after a weeklong celebration of the institution's 75th anniversary founding by the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary.
Representing the congregation, Sister Joan Treacy, a college trustee, said the new president who came to Marymount last August embodied two of the Sisters' bedrock principles: education and justice for all. "Dr. Brophy's vision for Marymount is very much the continuation of our original vision," she said.
The 43-year-old native New Yorker was formally installed and presented with the presidential medallion by W. W. Castor, chairman of the college's board of trustees. After, in his inaugural address, he pledged to maintain Marymount's tradition of being a "student-centered" institution of higher learning that nurtured the personal, moral, spiritual as well as intellectual growth of young men and women.
"I pledge to respect and foster Marymount's Catholic heritage while maintaining a tradition of welcoming all students of race, creed, class or culture," he declared, adding that he embraced the college's commitment to living in an ethical, responsible way while being a thoughtful and caring member of society and the world.
"Marymont College is blessed with the Catholic tradition that is grounded in a desire for social justice and a commitment for compassion, humility and inquiry."
The soccer field ceremony was held in a white tent on a windy bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The procession of black-robed faculty members was led by flag-waving international students from Canada, Hong Kong, China, South Korea, Scotland, Brazil, Britain, Japan and other nations.
During the Friday afternoon ceremony, there were readings from the Old Testament along with the works of Kipling, Shakespeare and Wordsworth. The college's new alma mater, "Marymount - "A Light for All to See," was sung.
Brophy received plaques from representatives of City Councilmember Janice Hahn and California Assemblymember Mervyn Dymally. And he introduced his wife Tara, and their children Sullivan, Myles and Ella.
"It is our responsibility to present students with an empowering environment that is grounded in a Catholic tradition of excellence, inquiry and an appreciation for what makes us human," he said. "We present students with faculty and staff who serve as mentors and role models, inspiring students as they fulfill their potential as human beings."
Neil Chhabria, student body president, agreed, reporting that Marymount's new president had already made a good impression by attending a variety of college events, sitting quietly in the back of classrooms and chatting informally with students on campus.
"After meeting with Dr. Brophy many times," he said, "I can competently say that the future of Marymount lies in good hands."
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