A changing of the guard at Chapman University

Chapman University in Orange welcomed 1,540 first-year students in a convocation Tuesday that featured fireworks and music, according to campus officials.

Most notably, though, it was the last Chapman class that would be received under President Jim Doti, who is stepping down after 25 years in the leadership position at the private university.

Chancellor Daniele Struppa officially steps into the role of president in a few days.

According to the college, Doti offered this advice to the incoming students: “You’ll realize that the success of your Chapman journey will not be due to the luck of some genetic IQ pool. Nor will it be related to your race, your ethnicity, your gender or anything else you were born with. I think rather that you will find, as I have found, that your success at Chapman University will be due to number one — hard work, persistence, tenacity.”

Chapman University’s Opening Convocation on Aug. 23 was the official beginning of the university’s 2016-17 academic year. It also marked President Jim Doti’s final official appearance as leader of the institution as he steps down to return to the Chapman economics faculty on Sept. 1.

(Courtesy of Lia Hanson / Chapman University)

Meanwhile, the college is setting up celebratory events to welcome Struppa as its 13th president.

The events are as follows:

(Visit chapman.edu/inauguration for more information. The college is located at 1 University Drive in Orange.)

Sept. 25: A discussion with actor Leslie Odom Jr., who won a Tony Award for his performance as Aaron Burr in “Hamilton,” on his life and career. The talk will take place at 7 p.m. at the Marybelle and Sebastian P. Musco Center for the Arts. Admission is free, but guests must RSVP and obtain a ticket online.

Members of the new freshman class at Chapman University stand solemnly after receiving their traditional white silk stoles from their classmates. They keep the stoles throughout their college career, collecting signatures from friends, faculty members and people who make a difference in their lives, ending up with a memento of their educational journey at Chapman.

(Courtesy of Lia Hanson / Chapman University)

Sept. 27: An old-fashioned ice cream social will be held at 3 p.m. in Beckman Hall 404 of the George H.W. Bush Conference Center to welcome Struppa. Admission is free and no RSVP is required.

Sept. 28: A conference titled “The Concept of Holism” will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Merle E. and Marjorie J. Fish Interfaith Center. Experts from a variety of disciplines will explore the implications of Chapman quantum studies researchers’ discovery of “perhaps the first true example of top-down causation in physics.”

Meanwhile, Sir Roger Penrose, a mathematical physicist, mathematician and philosopher of science, will deliver the capstone address from 4 to 5 p.m. at the Musco Center.

Then at 7:30 p.m., a panel discussion titled “Through the Window of Consciousness: An Interdisciplinary Exploration” will be held. Leaders from the worlds of technology, academia and business will explore the ways in which consciousness illuminates their work and influences our lives and our perceptions of the world. The event will be held at the Musco Center. For all the day’s events, admission is free but an RSVP and ticket are required.

Sept. 29: A celebration of the arts will feature artistic collaborations among Chapman faculty in music, dance, theater and literature centered on Giacomo Leopardi’s poem “L’Infinito.” The special guest will be director Werner Herzog, who will be interviewed by Chapman associate theater professor Tamiko Washington. The event will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the Musco Center.

College officials said Struppa’s “wide academic interests often eloquently marry, like Leopardi’s, the sciences with humanities and the arts.”

Admission is free but RSVP and obtain a ticket online.

Sept. 30: The investiture ceremony at 2:30 p.m. will be the formal investment of the office and responsibilities to Struppa. A prosecco toast to the new president will follow the ceremony, to be held at the Musco Center. Attendance is by invitation only, but the ceremony will be livestreamed. See chapman.edu/inauguration for updates.