LEWISTON, Idaho – Dr. Cynthia Pemberton will be inaugurated as the 16th president of Lewis-Clark State College during an investiture ceremony on Oct. 19 starting at 10:30 a.m. in the college’s Silverthorne Theatre, located inside the Administration Building.
The theme of the hour-long ceremony is “Honoring our past, Inspiring our future” as it coincides with the college’s 125th anniversary. The event is also part of LCSC’s Homecoming Week.
LCSC will host the Idaho State Board of Education meetings on Oct. 17-18 and board members are scheduled to stay for the ceremony, which is free and open to the public. Anyone planning to attend should RSVP by Oct. 5.
The State Board of Education selected Pemberton as LCSC’s president on April 5 of this year and her first day in office was July 1. She replaced Dr. J. Anthony (Tony) Fernandez, who retired in June after serving as the college’s president since 2010.
Pemberton came to LCSC after two years as vice president for academic affairs at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, Colo. Prior to joining Colorado Mesa, Pemberton served as the provost and vice president for academic affairs at Dickinson State University from 2012-2016. Before this, from 1998-2012 she held a number of positions at Idaho State University, including associate and interim dean of the graduate school.
Originally from Medford, Ore., Pemberton earned her bachelor’s degree in biology and psychology from Willamette University in Salem, Ore., and later earned her master’s in interdisciplinary studies: physical education, psychology, and nutrition at Southern Oregon State College (University). She received her Ed.D. in education leadership at Portland State University.
She began her academic career in 1984 at the University of Nevada in Reno and also taught at Truckee Meadows Community College. In 1989, Pemberton moved back to Oregon serving as assistant athletic director, head women’s and men’s swim coach, faculty and later senior women’s administrator for athletics at Linfield College in McMinnville.
Pemberton is also a two-time Fulbright awardee. She spent a year in the Republic of Malta (2011-2012) on a Fulbright Scholar award, and more recently, a month in the Kingdom of Jordan on a Fulbright Specialist award serving as an educational leadership consultant to Jordan University of Science and Technology.
Following the investiture, there will be a Picnic with the President at noon-1 p.m. in the LCSC Student Union Building. The annual event is part of LCSC’s Homecoming celebration and also is free and open to the public, but RSVP is required by Oct. 5 through the link listed above.
To learn more about LCSC’s 125th anniversary, visit the anniversary website at 125.lcsc.edu.