The installation of Kenneth Long as East Stroudsburg University’s 14th president last month was accompanied by all of the pomp and circumstance that one might expect at such an occasion.

ESU faculty and visiting faculty representing a number of other colleges and universities were regaled in their academic finery - flowing colorful robes, some with funny-looking hats. The various colors are representative of the academic disciplines and degrees of the wearers, traditions stretching back into the 12th and 13th centuries.

I was thinking to myself as I watched the august ceremony unfold whether these relics of the past have perhaps outlived their usefulness and whether the time has come to have the ceremony more focused on the future rather than ages old symbolism.

The installation of the university president comes with such an optimistic tone that it is sometimes difficult to remember that universities are under constant attack by politicians for what they are teaching, so a new president must walk a fine line between advocating for academic freedom, diversity and inclusion and be careful not to be so strident that politicians will swoop in to call for their heads. Being a largely blue-collar school, ESU has escaped some of the disruption and controversy prevalent at other institutions of higher learning across the country.

Long is the first black president in ESU’s 130-year history. It began in 1893 as a normal school that prepared teachers for their careers. The 14 state universities, which make up the state system today, have come a long way from those early days when two-year degrees were initially awarded.

As with all university presidents, Long must observe tradition while being innovative and nimble, especially in the face of declining enrollment, which had dropped at our state schools to such an extent that six of them coalesced into two institutions.

In what has been called “the biggest change in the state system’s history,” Bloomsburg, Lock Haven and Mansfield have become one entity known as the Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, across the state, California, Clarion and Edinboro have become Pennsylvania Western University.

There was some original talk about East Stroudsburg and Kutztown merging into one, but nothing ever came of it. There is still concern about ESU’s declining enrollment, which has dropped to close to 5,000, whereas once it was at more than 7,000.

Long succeeds his mentor, Dr. Marcia Welsh, who served as ESU president from 2012 until 2020, and who is the university’s only female president. Long was named interim president while a national search was conducted for her successor.

The state’s Board of Governors chose Long last November to become president, and he has been serving in this capacity ever since. Last month’s inaugural is a largely ceremonial event whose role, among others, was to introduce the new president to the local and educational communities.

Welsh hand-picked Long to be vice president for administration and finance in 2014. During the nine years he has been at ESU, Long has gotten strong marks for being able to involve himself in the college and community. In her keynote address at his inauguration ceremony, Welsh called him a “back to basics person who is honest, open, transparent and thoughtful.”

Pat Ross, chair of the ESU Council of Trustees, credits Long with navigating the college successfully through the COVID-19 pandemic. Ross also said Long has an “unparalleled level of commitment to our students and institutions.”

Some academics grumbled in private that Long does not have a Ph.D or other doctor degree just as almost all college presidents do, but Long comes from the business side rather than from the academic ranks as virtually all of his predecessors had. Many have said that ESU and other state universities must reinvent themselves to make their product more salable to prospective students who question the value of an expensive college education, so having a business savvy person in the top spot could be the right move for the times.

Although it’s early, Long seems to have fostered a better relationship with the college community than either Welsh or her predecessor, Dr. Robert J. Dillman. Both of them had ongoing spats with faculty leadership. In fact, the faculty union voted “no confidence” in Dillman in 2011. Two years later and after Dillman had retired, 86% of the faculty rated Welsh “unfavorably.”

A major task for Long is to get the faculty on board with his vision. In 2021, Long announced a commitment to create a campus environment free of discrimination, harassment and racism, and he said he remains steadfast in this quest to achieve this goal.

By Bruce Frassinelli | tneditor@tnonline.com

(Editor’s note: Frassinelli is a 1961 graduate of ESU, who earned his master’s degree there in 1969.)

The foregoing opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board or Times News LLC.