Anita Borja Enriquez sworn in as 12th president of the University of Guam

Anita Borja Enriquez was formally installed as the 12th president of the University of Guam at an investiture ceremony at the UOG Calvo Field House. Chief Justice Robert J. Torres administered the oath of office; Enriquez repeated the pledge to support the constitutions and laws of the United States and Guam and to conscientiously discharge her duties as president.

The ceremony featured recorded messages from Guam leaders, including Governor Lourdes Leon Guerrero, Lieutenant Governor Joshua F. Tenorio and delegate James C. Moylan, who praised Enriquez’s experience and pledged continued support and partnership. Thomas W. Christ, the university’s immediate past president, introduced Enriquez and highlighted the university’s response to recent crises and its growing research portfolio.

In her acceptance remarks, Enriquez reflected on her upbringing as a first-generation college student and on the role of community in shaping her values. “I am you, and you are me,” she said, framing a pledge to make the university accessible and responsive to students and the island community. She described a strategic focus on partnerships, island-centered scholarship and workforce development and highlighted several planned campus projects.

Enriquez and Christ cited recent institutional indicators: the university now serves roughly 3,000 students; UOG has produced more than 20,000 graduates; federally funded research at the university has grown to “more than $24,000,000 per year,” and university-related activity contributes, the address said, “more than $350,000,000 per year” to Guam’s economy. Enriquez also noted four new campus buildings that the university expects to see over the next two years, including a student success center, a water and environmental research institute, a school of engineering facility, and a health and nursing annex.

Ceremonial elements included presentation of the presidential collar (designed by Professor Rick Castro and carved by Jill Beneventi and apprentices) and the university mace, described as symbols of academic authority and continuity. Chairperson Sandra H. McKeever presented the University of Guam charter — received Dec. 17, 1968 — and reviewed the charter’s three core purposes: instruction, research and public service, which the president is charged to advance.

The event closed with a benediction and an invitation to a celebratory reception. Organizers noted the presence of community partners, regional university leaders and federal partners among attendees and livestream viewers.

Next steps discussed in the speech centered on implementing Enriquez’s strategic priorities through partnerships with regional institutions, expanding research and workforce programs, and advancing the capital projects announced during the address. No formal board votes or policy decisions were recorded during the ceremony; the investiture was ceremonial and administrative in nature.