With a near capacity crowd and a theme of "Living the Promise," Tuesday's inauguration ceremony at UC Riverside started with the lively sound of the bagpipes ushering faculty and UC administrators into the Student Recreation Center and ended with the crowd standing in celebration as Timothy P. White officially became the campus' eighth chancellor.

The ceremony included comments from Richard Blum, chairman of the UC Regents, University of California President Mark Yudof, chancellors from other UC campuses, as well as greetings from faculty, staff and students of UCR.

The ceremony also included the poetic address of keynote speaker and professor of creative writing Juan Felipe Herrera, who like Chancellor White, is a first-generation college graduate.

"In a time of walls, UCR is such a boundless and powerful poem," Herrera said. "I see it in my students, I hear it in their voices. UCR is verse by our students, written in many alphabets of breath, cultural meters and social stanzas, lines that amble and rhyme, stories of humble homes and hard work familias, narratives jeweled with radical landscapes and multi-vocal registers."

Music included the deep, booming voice of Karen Wilson, UCR alumna and assistant director of the UCR Gluck Fellows Program, who sang "America the Beautiful" and the UCR alma mater; and Peruvian panpipe music from the UCR group Mayupatapi.

With his wife Karen and three of his four sons watching from front row seats in the audience, White told the crowd that he is ready for the challenge of leading the school as it continues its role as a major economic driver in the region and the state.

"Living the promise means realizing the potential in each of us and for all of us, and solving the issues of tomorrow through knowledge - its communication, discovery, translation, application, and preservation," White said to more than 1,100 people in the audience, including staff, faculty, students, UC chancellors, community leaders and members of the University of California Board of Regents, who are holding their business meeting on campus this week.

"I am inspired by the opportunities before us, sobered by the importance and complexity of the issues that confront us, comforted by the brilliance, aspiration and support of the people around me, and humbled by the opportunity to serve each of you as Chancellor of this wonderful place at this important time," said White.

A reception followed the event, which included citrus tasting and entertainment from the UCR Mariachi Mexicatl and Folklorico Mexicatl.

Related links:

Inauguaration photos, video and details

Read the inaugural address