Inauguration of Dr. Draud to focus on Briar Cliff and Catholic faith

By RENEE WEBB
Content and Design Coordinator

The inauguration for the 13^th president of Briar Cliff University is slated for March 12 on the university’s campus despite the fact that Dr. Matthew Draud noted this type of celebration really does not fit with his personality.

“I’m hoping to refocus the inauguration so that the focus is not on me, but rather the institution and our Catholic faith,” he said, noting he doesn’t have the kind of ego that allows him to be the center of attention very easily.

Dr. Draud, who started his position in July, believes an emphasis on the university and its Franciscan Catholic tradition will make festivities more meaningful for the campus, the community and the diocese. 

Among his special guests will be family members, his wife Michelle and their two adult children: Travis, who is the biology department head at Oklahoma City Community College and daughter, Savannah, who is a doctoral student at the University of Mississippi. His siblings from northern Kentucky in the greater Cincinnati area also plan to attend. Past BCU presidents such as Bev Wharton and Sister Margaret Wick are scheduled to be at the ceremony as are several Sisters of St. Francis.

Promising future
“In the last 10 years there has been five presidents,” he said, adding that it felt odd to him to have another inauguration after the last one was just about 18 months ago. “I debated it long and hard. As a cabinet we talked about it and in the end, we thought of this moment in time as kind of a bridge between the university’s past and what we see is our promising future. So, we thought we needed to do it.”

The BCU president acknowledged the university was at a particularly difficult financial time and the last thing he wanted was to “throw a big party that cost a lot of money.”
The inauguration, he said, will signify a change of the guard at the university.

Dr. Draud mentioned a friend of his described the role of university president well in stating that this wasn’t his presidency, he was merely occupying the role as president of Briar Cliff. The role was handled by 12 people before him and will be more after him – the friend told him he was merely a steward of the office.

Catholic focus
To ensure the induction as president is steeped in Catholic tradition, the inauguration schedule starts with 2 p.m. Mass on March 12 celebrated by Bishop Walker Nickless in Our Lady of Grace Chapel on the Briar Cliff campus.

“That is what I am most excited about – the celebration of the Mass,” said Dr. Draud, who added that the Mass has been at the core of his faith journey dating back to when he was 14 years old attending Covington Latin School.

He was a non-Catholic student who was not required to attend Mass, but a priest at the school invited him to do so.

“I was moved by the power of Communion and that inspired me to convert to the faith, which I did along with my mother,” said the BCU president. “For me, coming together in community to celebrate Mass has always nourished my spirituality and my relationship with God. Now I find that it deepens my commitment to servant leadership and our Christian values.”

After Mass, the installation will continue in the St. Francis Center located in the Stark Student Center where the installation ceremony will be held. Among those who will offer a few comments and words of support is Dr. Sandra Harper, who was president of McMurray University in Abilene, Texas, where Dr. Draud most recently served as provost.

While McMurray is a Methodist institution, he said it was interesting that both Harper and he happened to be Catholic. It had been Dr. Harper who helped the new BCU president discern about his future career plans.

Dr. Draud said his own comments will focus on St. Thomas Aquinas and what he loves about Catholic intellectual tradition.

Inauguration planning
As his big day fast approaches, the BCU president said he is becoming more comfortable with the fact that some of the attention will be placed on him.

Dr. Draud is grateful to the team of people involved in planning for March 12.

One of the key organizers is Beth Pruchniak, who is executive assistant to the president.

“We have a small but mighty team from different departments around campus. Luckily for me, Bernice Metz, who was the assistant to the president’s office for 19 years, left great notes and we’re taking several tips from her past experiences,” she said, adding that many students will also be involved in helping with the event.

With her boss not one for fuss or attention, Pruchniak pointed out it was late October when the decision was made to hold an inauguration.

“We are incredibly proud to have Dr. Draud on board and we really feel like we want to introduce him properly to the community… and we think he deserves a little fuss,” she said.

Dr. Draud has chosen “Necessary, Possible, Impossible” as his theme, which is based on the quote by St. Francis of Assisi: “Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”

Franciscan tradition
Approaching eight months as president of BCU, he said the university’s students, faculty and staff have exceeded his expectations.

He has found the students to be very engaged with an “intellectual curiosity and a passion for growth and education.” The highly skilled faculty and staff, he added, go above and beyond in the providing for the well-being of students as well as living out Franciscan values service, openness to all, etc.

Dr. Draud mentioned that only about one-third of the students are Catholic. The other two-thirds are a combination of other Christian faith denominations and non-Christian religions such as Jewish, Muslim and Hindu. And while all religions are to be respected, he said it is important for BCU to never lose its commitment to the Catholic tradition based in the Franciscan spirit.

Briar Cliff was established in 1930 by the Sisters of St. Francis as a private, liberal arts institution.

The BCU campus community and public are invited to the Mass, inauguration ceremony and reception.