Christina Lee, Head Photography Editor

At President Maurie McInnis’ inauguration last Sunday, her speech struck a tone of unity between Yale and New Haven, though with less emphasis on the city than former President Peter Salovey’s inaugural address.

McInnis’ speech made four references to the city, mostly gestures made in broad strokes that characterized the city in partnership with Yale, braving challenges and marching forward together. In comparison, Former University President Peter Salovey in 2013 dedicated three minutes in his speech to an address on town-gown collaborations.

“Together with our home city of New Haven, we have weathered the storms of every moment, the ‘breeze of public criticism’ and the winds of change,” McInnis said.

The presidential inauguration came as higher education institutions across the nation face criticism from the federal administration, a decline in public trust and potential funding freezes. Several of Yale’s peer institutions have already faced funding cuts.

McInnis previously told the News that while she originally hoped to lay out a more ambitious vision plan in her speech, given the current political backdrop, she chose not to. Instead, her speech would reflect on Yale’s history and values, as well as muse on its future.

Yale’s outreach to New Haven extended beyond McInnis’ speech, however. In the week before her inauguration, the Yale Alumni Association and United Way of Greater New Haven led dozens of volunteer events, open houses and local partnerships to celebrate the town-gown community, drawing over 250 Yale and community volunteers.

McInnis and Salovey on town-gown

In his inauguration speech more than a decade ago, Salovey sought to probe “new directions in [Yale’s] alliance with New Haven,” calling for fresh entrepreneurial and intellectual partnerships.

In particular, he encouraged students to contribute more to the “local idea economy.” After graduation, he hoped, “they can remain in New Haven and play active roles as civic, arts, and business leaders.”

He ended his New Haven segment with several driving questions for his term: “How can we create a local ecosystem that supports entrepreneurs? How would a one-hour train between New York and New Haven change the intellectual and educational biosphere of our campus and city?”

Though the University’s relationship to New Haven could be at times tense as late as 2020, when Mayor Justin Elicker rose to the mayoral office, the signing of a 2021 agreement to increase Yale’s voluntary contribution to the city ushered in a wave of friendly public appearances between public officials and University leaders. In February, Elicker called on McInnis to increase the voluntary contribution.

Last week, in her speech, McInnis recounted how she “found a second home in New Haven” during her time as a graduate student, spending her leisure time exploring the city’s pizza spots and staying up late at Toads.

Near the end of her speech, McInnis quoted a New York Times article that named New Haven among the “52 Places to Go in 2023.” In it, Alexander Lobrano, travel writer and Connecticut native, promoted the city’s history, culture and food scene.

“There’s a reason the New York Times called us a ‘home to tinkerers and rebels.’ We don’t sit still. We don’t sit back,” McInnis said, following a segment referring exclusively to Yale. “We are a university in motion, always seeking out the next frontier. It’s why New Haven has become a global hub of biotechnology and innovation.”

Yale is not mentioned in Lobrano’s article, but McInnis told the News that she saw “Yale as part of New Haven” and that is why she said “us.”

Elicker, a spokesperson from UNITE HERE and two New Haven alders did not respond to requests for reactions to McInnis’ address and the Elm City’s role in the inauguration weekend. 

Like Salovey, McInnis also emphasized Yale and New Haven’s close unity in her speech.

“Hand in hand with the city of New Haven, we will create a vibrant, thriving community where our mission — our purpose — is renewed with each new member we welcome, each discovery made and idea exchanged, each new graduate who carries Lux et Veritas into the world,” she said. 

Inauguration community programming reached hundreds

Leading up to McInnis’ inauguration, the Yale Alumni Association and United Way of Greater New Haven organized New Haven Community Days, a week of volunteer activities and open houses to commemorate the bond between Yale and New Haven.

The volunteer teams assembled 540 toiletry kits for Haven Free Clinic, distributed 200 pounds of clothing donations, served food to 351 families, and wrote 60 handwritten letters to seniors, according to Mara Balk, Yale Alumni Association’s associate director for volunteer engagement.

Overall, the groups organized 18 volunteer activities on campus and in the city, including a book drive, gardening work days and read-aloud events for children.

Community Days programming also featured 43 open houses across the city that welcomed all visitors — like a “New Haven all-access pass,” YaleNews wrote. Open houses at Harkness Tower and various art galleries — Yale University Art Gallery, 63 Audubon Gallery and NXTHVN — saw “lively turnout” or were at capacity, according to Alexandra Daum, associate vice president of the Office of New Haven Affairs.

On the first community day, McInnis visited local vendors at CitySeed’s Farmers Market and read to young students with New Haven Reads. Ahead of her inauguration, McInnis also spent time showing her family around town, she told the News.

According to Balk, McInnis explicitly requested there be a volunteer component in her inauguration activities.

The success of the Community Days programming was not unprecedented or uncommon, Balk noted, but rather characteristic of the “mutual respect” and history of collaboration between Yale and New Haven volunteer agencies.

On April 3, McInnis spoke at Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce’s annual meeting, and she hosted the first Seton Elm-Ivy awards ceremony of her term last Tuesday.

“Yale’s and New Haven’s successes are inextricably linked. I look forward to building on our progress and strengthening our centuries-old bond, and I will be sharing more details as we do this work together,” McInnis wrote to the News.

Since July 2024, McInnis has served as the University’s 24th president.