Joshua McGuire, BMus'03 and principal senior lecturer in musicianship at Blair School of Music, has been named the new university marshal for Vanderbilt's Commencement ceremony. The university marshal serves as the "conductor of movement," ensuring the procession flows smoothly for all involved. It's one of the highest honors a faculty member can receive.
McGuire succeeds Cynthia Paschal, senior associate dean for undergraduate education in the School of Engineering and associate professor of biomedical engineering, who organized the Commencement procession during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as for the event's first two years off campus, at Bridgestone Arena and GEODIS Park.
"Commencement is a cherished tradition, and I'm deeply grateful to Cynthia Paschal for her dedication in guiding it through unprecedented challenges," said C. Cybele Raver, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. "As she passes the mace to Joshua McGuire, we are in excellent hands. His artistry, precision and deep connection to Vanderbilt will ensure this milestone remains meaningful for all."
The university marshal oversees virtually every detail of the procession, ensuring nearly 2,000 people-including students, faculty, alumni and guests of honor-are lined up in the right order, the various schools' academic colors are properly displayed, the faculty marshals have everything they need to serve the students, the regalia is correct, and that everyone can get to their seats efficiently and smoothly. In the case of GEODIS Park, it even means measuring the backstage areas down to the inch to determine where everyone needs to wait before they emerge onto the field.
McGuire, an opera librettist who studied conducting and now teaches aural skills, sees similarities between the Commencement ceremony and musical performance. Both require an awareness of the emotional impact of the moment, good timing and leading through collaboration, he said. "You have to be able to clearly envision a big goal while at the same time making a thousand little details link up to that big goal," he said. "So it's been a challenge in which I've felt at home."
He has no plans to reinvent the procession, however. Rather, he sees his role as a joyful responsibility to uphold treasured traditions that go back, in some cases, hundreds of years. "We're saying, here's this way of life. You've achieved this. Now you take it and you live it for yourself," he said. "A lot of meaning is being conveyed with very few words. And it's something that people who have gone through it remember for the rest of their lives. There's tremendous beauty and power in it."
One of the things at the top of his to-do list is recruiting faculty marshals to assist with the procession. "One thing that I can say to my fellow faculty-as an alumnus-is that it means more than you know when you show up," he said, recalling how touched he was to see his thesis adviser, Roy Gottfried, professor emeritus of English and university marshal emeritus (he served in the role for more than 12 years), standing on the stage as McGuire received his own diploma. "This is what they remember of you. If you're willing to come take part in that moment with them, it's a wonderful way to connect with your students."
