Wayne State formally installs Espy as university's 13th president

Detroit — Accelerate the mobility of students, empower health for urban neighborhoods and fuel innovation for competitiveness are the three pillars that Wayne State University President Kimberly Andrews Espy outlined Monday as part of a "prosperity agenda" she wants the university to drive for the community.

"After months of reading, listening and engaging with our faculty, students, staff, alumni, community leaders and so many university friends, I see a cornerstone for our collective aspirations: an agenda to drive prosperity for our community," Espy said. "This agenda is not a set of goals or ideas that live on paper; rather, it is a living promise, a commitment to action, for all who Wayne State touches. A focused purpose for our collaborative work to further aprosperous future for our students, our graduates and our community."

Espy made the comments during her formal installation as the university's 13th president and first female leader. Espy picked up the reins Aug. 5 from former President M. Roy Wilson, who stepped down last year after serving Wayne State for 10 years. 

Hundreds of people gathered at the Detroit Film Theater inside the Detroit Institute of Arts to celebrate WSU's new president, who has been in office since August, and hear her vision for Wayne State's future.

"Pomp and Circumstance" was among the songs played as WSU representatives filed in procession into the Detroit Film Theatre, clad in green and black robes, for the formal ceremony known as an investiture, an academic tradition dating to the Middle Ages.

Accelerating mobility, Espy said, "deepens our purpose as a university of opportunity, fundamental to generations since our founding and reflected in so many in this room.

"We know what mobility is here in Detroit," she said. "Mobility takes you to a different place than where you started. With a Wayne State degree, mobility means generational change, an education that changes the life trajectory of our students and spawns a legacy of future impact and benefit for generations to come."

Empowering health for urban neighborhoods, Espy said, "extends well beyond our academics."

"As a top-tier public research university in the heart of our vibrant city, we must confront the real health challenges of our urban families who we live next to, and work with, every day," she said.

Fueling innovation for our competitiveness, Espy said, is a "fitting purpose in a city that has defined invention for the past century."

"In an ever-evolving world, and particularly in our region, the motor of progress is the spirit of creation," Espy said. "Wayne State can nourish this spirit by fostering an environment where ideas bear fruit, where entrepreneurship flourishes and where our region thrives as an innovation hub for 21st century commerce. The next generation will have their turn to lead, and it is our duty to arm them with the tools and, as importantly, the creative spirit of innovation they will need. These leaders have and will come from Wayne State."

"We need to build on Michigan's legacy of remarkable makers to fuel a sustainable 21st century future," Espy said as she concluded. "Let's work to have Wayne State shine for the world to see. ... Let's write Wayne State's next chapter together. Let's transform more lives. The future rests on the many generations to come."

Among those who spoke during the ceremony were Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, Wayne County Executive Warren Evans and Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, who said Wayne State is connected to almost every success story in Michigan. All welcomed Espy and her leadership.

"When she talks, you learn that she has an exciting and attainable path forward for our university, our city and state," said WSU Provost Laurie Lauzon Clabo. "And, in typical President Espy fashion, we all get to play a part in the success story. It's an exciting, inspiring time. And I hope that, like me, you cannot wait to see what's next."

Espy's husband of 35 years, Paul Kaufmann, also delivered a salutation during the ceremony, recognizing her and their seven grown children.

"Here is what I know for Wayne State University," said Kaufmann, an attorney. "President Espy will stand by you and for you. Like a preschooler overlooking the globe. She will stand tall for you. ... With your help, we will bring out the better angels of our nature."

Espy previously said enrollment will be one of her key issues, and she will do more to "communicate our value."

"We have some challenges to get the word out about how affordable it really can be," she told The Detroit News during one of her first interviews earlier this month.

WSU Boar President Shirley Stancato noted that it was a historic day for Espy and the university.

"As we celebrate the formal transition to a new president, we also celebrate the tremendous accomplishments of the university as a vital and vibrant institution in the heart of a vital and vibrant city," Stancato said.

After the ceremony, WSU Board of Governors, university officials, Detroit residents and others continued the celebrations in the DIA's Rivera Court and Great Hall.

kkozlowski@detroitnews.com