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After spending nine months engaging with University of Tampa faculty, staff, students, alumni, parents, trustees and friends, Teresa Abi-Nader Dahlberg will be ceremonially welcomed as the University’s 11th president during inauguration events on Monday, March 31, to Tuesday, April 1.

The days’ events will honor University history and traditions, reflect on UTampa’s educational mission, celebrate the University’s role in the city of Tampa, and look toward the future under Dahlberg’s leadership.

On Monday, March 31, the inauguration ceremony will begin at 9:30 a.m. at Falk Theatre on the University campus, where members of the University community and invited guests will gather to hear speakers from inside and outside the UTampa community. Dahlberg will deliver an inaugural address that will focus on her strategic vision moving forward.

Inaugural delegates from various institutions will attend. Guests will also be treated to a performance by UTampa’s Opus choir. Traditional aspects of UTampa presidential inaugurations, such as the presentation of the mace and medallion, will be included in the program as well. 

Given seating capacity limitations in Falk Theatre, the ceremony will be livestreamed and watch parties will be held around the University campus.

Following the inauguration ceremony, at approximately 11:30 a.m., a post-ceremony celebration, along with an Ars Sonora concert, will be held in the Sykes Plaza on campus.

The celebration turns to the broader campus community with an Academic Symposium and Showcase at 2:30 p.m. in the Gordon Theater in the Ferman Center for the Arts. Moderated by Stephanie Russell Krebs, UTampa vice president for student affairs and strategic initiatives, the symposium will feature a special panel discussion on the future of higher education with university leaders, including Dahlberg; Susan R. Wente, president of Wake Forest University; Victor Boschini, chancellor of Texas Christian University; and M. Brian Blake, president of Georgia State University.

On Tuesday, April 1, the inauguration events continue at 9 a.m., when President Dahlberg will plant a memorial tree on campus along Poe Parkway in front of the Vaughn Center. The tree will replace a grand oak that was lost during Hurricane Milton, and will symbolize Dahlberg’s commitment to sustainability, to putting down roots in Tampa, and to strengthening UTampa’s foundation for future generations. 

Then, starting at 10 a.m., Dahlberg will host meet and greet inauguration photo opps for students, first in Sykes Plaza (10-10:30 a.m.); in the Grand Center (10:30-11 a.m.) and in the Vaughn Center (11-11:30 a.m.).

Lastly, showing Dahlberg’s focus on building the University’s endowment and funding student scholarships, she will host a scholarship luncheon from noon to 2 p.m. in Fletcher Lounge in Plant Hall. Dahlberg will focus on the Spartan Alliance, a new University program that provides support and scholarship assistance for local Tampa Bay area students.

Officially, Dahlberg’s UTampa presidency began on June 1, 2024. Dahlberg came to UTampa from Texas Christian University where she served as provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. In addition to being TCU’s chief academic officer, Dahlberg was also a professor of both computer science and engineering. She has more than 20 years of experience in higher education as a faculty member and an administrator and has been known especially as an advocate for student success, innovative academic programs and inclusivity initiatives.

Dahlberg succeeded Ronald L. Vaughn, who served as UTampa president for 29 years. For more details about inauguration events, visit www.utampa.edu/inauguration.