SUNY Potsdam College Council Chair June O'Neil, left, introduces SUNY Potsdam’s 16th president, Kristin Esterberg, during the installation ceremony today. NorthCountryNow.com photo by John Basham

 POTSDAM -- SUNY Potsdam today installed Kristin G. Esterberg as its 16th president and the first woman to lead the college.

SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher made the official installation in Helen M. Hosmer Concert Hall at SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music.

Presiding over the ceremony was SUNY Potsdam College Council Chair June O'Neil, an honorary member of the Class of 1999.

Esterberg was announced as the new president by SUNY trustees April 3, 2014, and began in the job last July. She had served as provost and academic vice president at Salem State University in Salem, Massachusetts. She replaced SUNY Potsdam Interim President Dr. Dennis L. Hefner, who came to the campus in June 2013 after John F. Schwaller retired following a seven-year tenure.

The event serves as the kickoff of the fourth annual Lougheed-Kofoed Festival of the Arts which runs April 24 through May 3. The LoKo Festival includes a wide array of events, including author readings, theater productions, multimedia presentations, art openings, special exhibitions, public lectures, masterclasses and concerts.