Ames inaugurated as new president of Sage Colleges
Christopher Ames was inaugurated as the 10th president of The Sage Colleges during a ceremony Friday that was attended by more than 300 students, faculty, staff and members of the board of trustees, as well as community leaders and political officials.
The event, held in the Schacht Fine Arts Center theater on the Russell Sage College campus, featured performances from The Sage Singers and The Sagettes a capella group, and Robert Earl Price, a poet and playwright, recited “Chain of Change,” a poem composed specifically for the event.
“The Sage Colleges has seen its share of changes,” said Ames, who replaces Susan Scrimshaw, who retired at the end of the 2016-17 school year. “What remains constant in our makeup is a dedication to liberal learning combined with the tools to apply that learning in the workplace and in active participation in democratic society.
“What also has endured is a sense of scale at Sage. Learning unfolds on a human scale through the interaction of teacher and student and student and student. Our faculty are active scholars for whom teaching is a top priority.”
Patricia Sparrell, a 1978 Russell Sage college and chairwoman of The Sage Colleges board of trustees, presented Ames with the President’s Medallion during the ceremony.
“On paper, his credentials were very impressive,” said Sparrell, who also chaired the Presidential Search Committee. “After meeting him in person, hearing his educational principles and experiencing his practical wit, we knew we’d found the next president of The Sage Colleges.”
A reception was held following the inauguration, and a calendar of special events is slated for this week, including a conference, Creating a Culture of Mental Wellness for Schools and Communities, on Wednesday at Sage College of Albany and a poetry reading with Iris Cushing and Travis Macdonald on Thursday at Russell Sage College. For more information, visit www. sage.edu/events.