Event Recaps

Events throughout inauguration week convened our university community to connect and to write NYU’s next chapter — together.

Jump to:

• Monday, Oct. 16
• Tuesday, Oct. 17
• Wednesday, Oct. 18
• Thursday, Oct. 19
• Friday, Oct. 20

University-Wide Reception

12:30–1:30 p.m. ET

The inauguration of President Linda G. Mills offered a momentous occasion to come together and set the stage for NYU’s third century — convening the NYU community and guests for a time-honored tradition.

A Sweet Delight at NYU Dining Halls

All day

NYU Dining Halls marked the historic 17th Presidential Inauguration with custom cupcakes at locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Brewing Connections: Free Coffee and Tea Pop Up

8:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. ET

As a post-inauguration surprise, complimentary coffee and tea was offered in the Bobst Library atrium on Wednesday morning.

NYU Faculty on the Power and Practice of Transformation

10:00–11:00 a.m. ET

Grand Hall in the Global Center for Academic and Spiritual Life set the scene for a riveting conversation with NYU faculty members, who shared how their work has propelled their disciplines, and our world. Professors Shirley Ho, Robert Montgomery, Rachel Swarns, and Deborah Willis offered perspectives, moderated by Stephanie Mehta, CEO of Mansueto Ventures, publisher of Fast Company and Inc.

Spotlights on...

Spotlight on Social Science and NYU Shanghai — Research on Americans’ Changing Social Attitudes: COVID-19, China, and Community

2:00–3:30 p.m. ET

Presenting the first joint data-collection project between NYU Shanghai and New York University, NYU Shanghai Chancellor Tong Shijun, NYU Shanghai Vice Chancellor Jeffrey S. Lehman, and NYU Shanghai Provost Joanna Waley-Cohen introduced NYU and NYU Shanghai faculty research on Americans’ Changing Social Attitudes: COVID-19, China, and Community. Audience members engaged with the faculty panel to discuss findings that the COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected Americans’ attitudes towards China, their sense of community, and their trust in neighbors, state government, and federal government.

(Faculty presenters and panelists: Xiaogang Wu, Founding Director of CASER at NYU Shanghai; Yufeng Global Professor of Social Science and Professor of Sociology at NYU Shanghai and NYU’s Faculty of Arts and Science; Michael Hout, Professor of Sociology, Department of Sociology, Director of CASSR, NYU Faculty of Arts and Science.)

Spotlight on Tech and NYU in Brooklyn — NYU Nanofabrication Cleanroom Ribbon-Cutting

4:30pm ET

Newly-installed President Linda G. Mills, Vice Provost for Research and Chief Research Officer Stacie Bloom, and Professor of Physics and Dean for Science in the College of Arts and Science Greg Gabadadze joined hosts Tandon School of Engineering Dean and Professor Jelena Kovačević, and Professor and Director of NYU’s Nanofabrication Facility, Davood Shahrjerdi, to usher in the ribbon-cutting of NYU’s newly minted Nanofabrication Cleanroom, with special video remarks from U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer. Building on the federal bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act, and as part of the NORDTECH Microelectronics Commons consortium, NYU has joined with other technology companies and universities to prototype new cutting-edge chips — enhancing multiple industries and equipping U.S. workers, communities, and businesses to win the 21st-century innovation race.

Spotlight on the Arts and NYU Abu Dhabi — Documenting a Performing Arts History

5:30pm - 7:30pm ET

This Spotlight event, sponsored by the NYU Abu Dhabi Institute in New York in collaboration with the NYUAD Arts Center, featured panelists Bill Bragin, Executive Artistic Director, The Arts Center at NYUAD; Linsey Bostwick, Director, NYU Production Lab (Former Director of Artistic Planning, The Arts Center at NYUAD); Bryan Waterman, Associate Professor of English, NYU (Former Program Head for Literature and Creative Writing and former Vice Provost for Undergraduate Academic Development, NYUAD); and Alia ElKattan, NYUAD ’20. Conversation focused on The Arts Center - Building a performing arts community on Saadiyat Island, a volume that marks the growth and development of The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi across its first seven years.

Flourishing Together: Meditation and Mindful Connections

3:00–4:00 p.m. ET

New York Times bestselling author Dan Harris led NYU students, faculty, and staff in a guided meditation before speaking candidly on how a panic attack on live TV set him on a new life path. The talk was followed by an energizing mixer, with a chance for attendees to explore Bobst Library’s recent redesign.

Time to Grow: Planting Violets in Schwartz Plaza — An Event for Kids and NYU Families

4:00–5:00 p.m. ET

To underscore the importance of NYU’s ongoing environmental stewardship — and its impact on future generations — President Mills welcomed NYU families to plant violets and a young native tree where two trees recently had to be removed in Schwartz Plaza, with help from our grounds team, arborists, and gardeners.