Jeffrey Howard
At a breakfast with community leaders, President Matt Parlow joined elected officials, trustees, local dignitaries, and community members to celebrate his inauguration as Chapman University’s 14th President. Standing before a courtyard filled with civic leaders, business executives, and university supporters at the Hilbert Museum of California Art, President Parlow began his remarks with gratitude and purpose.
“We deeply value the relationship that Chapman has had, continues to have, and will have with this special city that we’ve called home for more than 70 years,” Parlow said. “It’s an important relationship. A strong Orange is a strong Chapman, and a strong Chapman is a strong Orange.”
President Parlow extended his remarks to Chapman’s growing campuses and connections across Orange County. “Our Rinker Health Science Campus is a hub for groundbreaking medical research and innovation. Irvine provides an ideal environment for our health sciences students to explore these exciting fields and to grow as researchers and healthcare professionals. We are also proud to partner with the city of Anaheim, which is home to Chapman Grand and now Chapman Court, where so many of our students live.”
President Parlow highlighted Chapman’s strong community partnerships, noting that students are deeply involved with several local nonprofit organizations that make a tangible impact in the region. Among them are the Friendly Center, The Hub, and the Orange Homegrown Farmers and Artisans Market, which is hosted on campus and cherished by the community. These collaborations, he emphasized, reflect just a glimpse of the meaningful work happening in Chapman’s own backyard.
Congressman Lou Correa, representing California’s 46th District, was on hand, and as a part of his comments, welcoming and congratulating President Parlow, he spoke to the positive future he sees with Chapman and the community.
“The role of Chapman University is to keep opportunity alive,” he said. “It is a great educational institution that I believe is surrounded by the new Ellis Island of the United States. Today, we are all here to welcome you and to sign the social contract with you that we will continue to help you keep Chapman a strong institution and stronger in the future.”
Orange Mayor Dan Slater echoed Congressman Correa’s view of Chapman’s important past and bright future under President Parlow.
“Chapman arrived in Orange 71 years ago,” noted Slater. “Chapman has been an anchor institution in Orange since then, and it has been thrilling to watch it blossom into the revered institution it is today. Chapman is a community. It’s our community, and I, for one, cannot be happier for this moment.”
“I’ve had the opportunity to meet Matt Parlow on several occasions,” Mayor Slater went on to say. “And I can tell you that he is a visionary who cares deeply about Chapman, about people, and about our collective success.”
President Parlow concluded the event with remarks thanking the elected officials, public servants, and community leaders assembled and reaffirmed his commitment to a continued partnership in driving the communities in which we operate to new and greater heights.
