Dear friends of Campbell University,
This issue of Campbell Magazine features coverage of Inauguration Week 2026 and my installation as our University’s sixth president. To all our readers who participated in the events of that historic week, I extend my heartfelt thanks.
For you, the pages that follow provide an opportunity to relive moments from our wonderful celebration of 139 years of higher education in Buies Creek. To others who were unable to attend, I invite you to read through the stories of how we paid tribute to our past, how we mobilized energy around our present, and how we dared to dream about our bright future. It truly was a grand week, and I offer here some personal reflections on what it was like to become one of the authors of this storied institution’s next chapter…Campbell 6.0.
Our founder, J. A. Campbell, never had an inauguration when he launched Buies Creek Academy in 1887. That means the events of March 2026 constituted only the fifth such investiture of a new president at our school. Infrequency lends some historic weight to occasions like this, and we made sure to carefully plan a week’s worth of activities that showcased the breadth of what makes Campbell distinctive.
We began, intentionally, with a worship service in Butler Chapel. As one campus family we gathered in that beautiful space on a Sunday evening to pray for one another. We gathered to sing songs of praise and hope, songs that speak to our sense of calling at Campbell. It was particularly special to me to hear a choir’s perfect rendition of Dan Schutte’s “Here I Am, Lord.” That was one of those moments that you close your eyes, breathe it all in, and give in to the goosebumps. I love that song, and it provided an inspirational start to our week. So, too, did the scriptural message for the evening: Do justice. Love mercy. Walk humbly with God.
Other highlights from Inauguration Week included an academic lecture in my discipline of political science, provided by Dr. Peter Francia from East Carolina University. Later that week, a small but engaged audience indulged my lifelong fascination with political science once again by joining me to watch the movie, Darkest Hour (2018), that portrayed Winston Churchill’s fierce spirit and unique leadership as Britain’s wartime prime minister. We also dedicated time during the week to showcase student scholarship at the Campbell University Academic Symposium. I was grateful for the invitation to provide the keynote address for that symposium, during which I shared key lessons from my own career as a researcher.
As if this wasn’t enough, Inauguration Week also featured the dedication of a plaque honoring the history of our newly named Founders Oak on Academic Circle. We simultaneously planted a Legacy Tree across the circle to dedicate ourselves to future growth at Campbell. We convened a Day of Service, with scores of students, faculty and staff engaging in projects across campus and around the community. More than a thousand hungry Camels then enjoyed a BBQ picnic and concert in Saylor Park.
My biggest worry heading into Friday’s formal Installation Ceremony was that, well, we wouldn’t have any students in attendance. After all, it was a Friday afternoon on a gorgeous, warm Spring day in Buies Creek … why would they stick around for a stuffy academic ritual?
Yet, somehow, they did.
We had 1,600 people in attendance for the oath of office and for my “Campbell Forward!” address. In my remarks, I underscored a message familiar to those who had heard me speak before: “Campbell University 6.0. A new chapter. New possibilities. Renewed energy. An indomitable will to grow, to lead with purpose, to serve with humility, to honor and live out our faith. … Let us lead Campbell forward, together. And let us do it now.”
It was a grand week, indeed.
A week to celebrate Campbell’s rich history. A week to thank all of those who have helped build this amazing institution. A week to rally around our shared mission. And a week to rededicate ourselves to the building of something special here in Buies Creek, in Raleigh, and wherever Camels call home.
Thank you, Campbell family. It’s so good to now, officially, be with you.
Dr. William M. Downs,
President