3240 Fort Road • Toppenish, WA 98948
(509) 865-8500

Date:		February 22, 2018
Contact:		David Mance, Media Relations Coordinator, 509-865-0731 or mance_d@heritage.edu

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Heritage University announces events to celebrate the
inauguration of its third president

Toppenish, Wash. –  Heritage University is hosting a series of events over the course of three days that celebrate the inauguration of Andrew Sund, Ph.D. as its third president. Dr. Sund will be formally installed as president on Friday, March 16, 2018. The Installation Ceremony at Heritage will begin at 10:00 a.m. in Smith Family Hall, and will be followed by a reception at 12:00 p.m.

Inaugurations are as much a celebration of the universities and the communities they serve, as they are of the incoming president. The inauguration celebration honors the Heritage mission, history, community and the people we serve. Pre-installation ceremony events include the President’s Inauguration Prelude on Wednesday, March 14 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Heritage University. We will honor our relationship with the Yakama Nation and the founding of Heritage University by two Yakama women, Violet Lumley Rau and Martha Yallup, along with Sister Kathleen Ross, with the dedication of the permanent installation of the Heritage tepee. The tepee will be a learning center and significant part of the Heritage campus. Brunch will be served following the ceremony.

Also on Wednesday, March 14, Heritage University and Columbia Basin College will celebrate their shared commitment to providing access to higher education to all, with a reception in the CBC Courtyard from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends of the universities are invited to the reception to welcome Dr. Sund.

On Thursday, March 15, K-12 educators from throughout the ESD 105 and ESD 123 region are invited to the Yakima Valley Educators Luncheon. At this luncheon, we will celebrate the men and women who dedicate their lives to educating our young people. This event will take place in Smith Family Hall at Heritage University from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

The President’s Inauguration Jubilee will be held Thursday evening, March 15 at the Seasons Performance Hall in Yakima from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. This event will feature an evening of art and culture that celebrates the richness of the Yakima Valley and the people who call this area home. This multicultural repertoire of music, poetry, and dance features some of our community’s most talented artists. A pre-show reception will feature a gallery filled with works by local artists and Heritage University students. Tickets for the Jubilee are $50 each and can be purchased at heritage.edu/inauguration.

Dr. Sund joined Heritage University as its third president on July 1, 2017. He succeeded Dr. John Bassett, who retired after serving as president for seven years. President Sund came to Heritage University from St. Augustine College in Chicago, where he served as president from 2008 to 2017. Before St. Augustine, Dr. Sund was Dean of Workforce and Community Education at Olive Harvey College, one of the city colleges of Chicago, from 2004 to 2008.

Dr. Sund received a Bachelor’s degree in History and Philosophy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a Master’s degree in History from Northwestern University, and a Ph.D. in Educational Policy and Administration from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Sund is married and has three children. His wife Norma and his school-aged son moved to Yakima with him. His two adult children remain in Chicago.

The public is invited to attend all of the inauguration events, and are encouraged to RSVP at heritage.edu/inauguration. For more information, contact David Mance at (509) 969-6084 or mance_d@heritage.edu.

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Heritage University is a non-profit, independent, regionally accredited institution of higher education offering undergraduate and graduate education across the state of Washington. Visit our website, www.heritage.edu