A superstitious person might have wondered if there was some kind of hex associated with becoming the 13th president of a state college located in the Witch City.
Indeed, within weeks of her accepting the post last July, Patricia Maguire Meservey was forced to announce the closing of the Salem State College library due to concerns about the building's structural integrity.
The library remains closed, but at her inauguration Friday, Meservey exuded the same quiet confidence that in eight months has made believers of many — both on the South Salem campus and in the region for which the school serves as the leading institution of higher education.
Led by Gov. Deval Patrick, more than a dozen speakers, including SSC alumni Congressman John Tierney and Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll, offered Meservey their praise and best wishes.
"Her leadership could not come at a more important time," said Patrick, who has made the strengthening of the state's public colleges and universities one of his priorities.
And that optimism was returned by Meservey, who declared Salem State "a remarkable school on the brink of true greatness, poised and very ready for its next period of growth and achievement."
Legislation is in the works to transform Salem State College into Salem State University, offering the first doctoral programs — in education and nursing — on the North Shore. Money has been appropriated for the construction of a new, $90-million academic building that will include a new library; and the support of an increasingly active group of alumni and boosters has allowed the school to acquire the former Weir Valve property on Canal Street for future expansion.
But Meservey made clear in her remarks Friday that the school's central mission — providing access to higher education for all, regardless of income; and service to the community — will not change when it achieves university status.
The first item on her agenda, she declared, is assembling the resources, both public and private, to make sure a college degree is available to anyone willing to put in the time and effort and without burdening him or her with crippling debt upon graduation.
And in order that they might find jobs close to their homes and alma mater, Meservey announced the expansion of the economic development effort begun by SSC's Enterprise Center that will include, as partners, North Shore Community College, the North Shore Chamber of Commerce and other business and government groups.
Finally, in an effort to strengthen the ties that bind SSC graduates with their community, Meservey proposed that a new "hall of fame" be established to bestow the same kinds of honors on those who go above and beyond in serving others, that are now accorded the best and the brightest in academia and the fastest and strongest in athletic endeavors.
Knowledge is a most powerful weapon against the kind of superstition that prompted the witchcraft hysteria of 1692.
According to Meservey, "It's the most powerful tonic ever created," one "that can change a single life and — in turn — move the entire world." And she's determined there will be a ready supply of that elixir available at Salem State.
