In the first week of October 2021, the COVID-delayed installation of the University of the South’s seventeenth vice-chancellor, Reuben E. Brigety II, takes place. The former ambassador and United States Naval officer is the first African American to hold this position. By dint of his stellar leadership, along with the extraordinary efforts of the administration, faculty, staff, and students, the University was able to successfully maintain an in-person academic year during the coronavirus pandemic. These efforts have been cause for celebration in their own right. However, the historic nature of Brigety’s appointment is also an occasion for introspection, and an opportunity for the University to boldly look toward its future.
On the Installation of Vice-Chancellor Reuben E. Brigety II
Adam Ross
Adam Ross is the editor of the Sewanee Review, as well as the author of the novel Mr. Peanut and the short story collection Ladies and Gentlemen.