Worcester Polytechnic Institute Formally Installs Grace J. Wang, PhD, as its 17th President

Wang also announced $18.6 million in philanthropic commitments made to WPI in the last two months. The gifts, from seven generous alumni and friends of the university, include the fourth largest to the university to date and are in support of Beyond These Towers: The Campaign for Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

The commitments support facilities, WPI’s distinctive global projects program, an endowed professorship, faculty research, and undergraduate scholarships:

• Mike Abrams ’77 and his wife, Nancy, have made a seven-figure commitment, and the fourth largest gift to the university to date, to support future capital projects.
• Diran Apelian, WPI Provost Emeritus (1990-1996) and the founding director of the Metals Processing Institute at WPI, and his wife, Seta, have established the Apelian Family Armenian Project Center Endowment with a seven-figure gift.
• Steve Vassallo ’93 and his wife, Trae, have made a seven-figure commitment that lays the foundation for the Helen G. Vassallo Distinguished Presidential Professorship, named in memory of Steve’s mother, a longtime WPI faculty member.
• The remaining four gifts will support undergraduate scholarships and a faculty research fund.

Before formally installing Wang, Board of Trustees Chair William Fitzgerald ’83 addressed the president and expressed that the WPI community is looking to her leadership with confidence and optimism. “The global need for WPI’s distinctive STEM education has never been greater. Our immersive student experience, project-based learning, and purpose-driven research provide a strong foundation for you to shepherd WPI into a new era of excellence.”  

Terrence Sejnowski, PhD, a pioneering and award-winning computational neuroscientist, delivered the keynote address. The Francis Crick Chair at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, Distinguished Professor of Neurobiology at the University of California, San Diego, and winner of The Brain Prize 2024, the world’s largest brain research prize, spoke of the potential of artificial intelligence, a field in which WPI has spearheaded research and innovation for more than 50 years. “We are in the midst of a cognitive revolution that is enhancing human cognitive power in the same way that human physical power was enhanced by the steam engine in the Industrial Revolution 250 years ago.”

Speakers representing students, alumni, staff, and faculty offered their greetings to the president. U.S. Senator Edward Markey also addressed Wang and the attendees in a video. “We need bold innovative solutions for generational challenges and those solutions will come in part from the incredible minds at WPI," Markey said. "President Wang knows how the worlds of science, industry, government, philanthropy, higher education, and innovation all intersect and she knows the partnerships that must be created to advance our society. She embodies the principles that have always defined Worcester Polytechnic Institute and combines them with a modern vision to bring solutions to the challenges facing our commonwealth, our nation, and our world."

Top L-R State Senator Michael Moore, State Representative John Mahoney, Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty. Bottom L-R State Senator Robyn Kennedy, President Grace Wang, State Representative Kate Donaghue and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll

Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty delivered a message on behalf of the city highlighting the ways WPI enriches the community and expressing excitement about the possibility of additional collaboration between the university and the city. “The ongoing partnership between WPI and the City of Worcester will only be better because of Dr. Wang. and WPI will continue to make an impact that extends outside the city limits.”

Other elected and government leaders were on campus earlier today to help celebrate the inauguration. They included Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll, Worcester City Manager Eric Batista, state senators Robyn Kennedy and Michael Moore, and state representatives John Mahoney and Kate Donaghue.

During the inauguration, President Wang awarded the Presidential Medal to Diran Apelian, ScD, and Judith Nitsch ’75, PE, LEED AP BD+C. The Presidential Medal, established in 2001, recognizes individuals who exemplify the ‘technological humanist,’ an ideal at the core of WPI’s educational approach. Apelian, provost emeritus and founding director of the Metal Processing Institute at WPI, was honored for his innovative research and entrepreneurship in materials science and engineering. Nitsch, founder of Nitsch Engineering, Inc. and the first alumna elected to WPI’s Board of Trustees, was recognized for her impactful career and significant role in WPI’s sustainable infrastructure.

The inauguration featured an investiture ceremony in which Wang was presented with two symbols: WPI’s original charter from 1865, and the Presidential Medallion that features WPI’s seal, designed in 1885. Board of Trustees Chair Fitzgerald read a charge formally empowering Wang with the responsibility of leading the institution as its chief executive. While today’s inauguration represents a formal installation, Wang assumed her role as president of WPI on April 3, 2023, bringing with her a wealth of experience in academia and industry. 

WPI students contributed significantly to the pomp and circumstance of today’s event. Featured were a mosaic of Rubik’s cubes created by WPI’s Rubik’s Cube Club, an original music piece composed by a student and performed by WPI’s Brass Ensemble, and a podium floral arrangement made of LEGO pieces that was produced by WPI’s LEGO Club. The investiture ceremony was book-ended by other inaugural activities on campus. Earlier in the day, the university welcomed guests for tours of campus and its laboratories, exhibits on university history, and a showcase of student projects and faculty research. The day’s events will conclude this evening with a community event at the Sports and Recreation Center featuring dancing and music following a reception for Wang at the Rubin Campus Center.

Watch the inauguration at the link below. The ceremony begins at 59:12.