At 10 minutes past 3 Friday afternoon, a line of hungry students eager to meet President Gregory Geoffroy stretched from the Campanile across Central Campus.

The kickoff to Geoffroy’s installation was a student-focused meet-and-greet attended by nearly 2,000 people. The lack of speeches or formal statements allowed Geoffroy and ISU student leaders to mingle with students.

“It’s a huge credit to [Geoffroy],” said Government of the Student Body President Andy Tofilon. “I bet he’s met more than 1,000 students today.”

Debbie Martinez, Graduate Student Senate president, said the barbecue was Geoffroy’s idea.

“This entire event is student-focused, and that is so important,” she said. “You make people happier when they feel like they matter.”

Putting the focus on students, Martinez said, challenges the “us vs. them” mentality some students have toward faculty and administration.

“This says `we do care about you and you are important,’ and that’s especially necessary now with all of the budget cuts,” she said. “We’re all in this together.”

Despite the overcast sky, the green south of the Campanile was a relaxing spot for students to pull up a spot of grass and eat.

Service was quick. Nearly 2,000 hungry people chose beef, pork or turkey sandwiches, a smorgasbord of potato chips and cold salads and an ice cream or fudge bar for dessert during the two-hour event.

The Agriculture Engineering Club brought a massive grill – a tailgate staple converted from a Jeep transportation tank – to the event.

Sheldon Stevermer, senior in agricultural engineering, said nearly 500 turkey breasts were prepared on the grill per hour. Block and Bridle and the Agriculture Education Club grilled at similar rates, cooking beef and pork, respectively.

At just before 5 p.m., 1,298 ice cream and fudge bars had been served and a snake-like coil of students, faculty, staff and administrators still stretched well beyond the end of the buffet table.

The atmosphere was festive as the Cyclone Varsity Marching Band serenaded the crowd with a chorus of “Hey Baby” followed by the ISU Fight Song. The carillon provided an encore.

“This is my first time to come to something like this,” said Yan Li, freshman in computer engineering. “It’s a good chance to meet the president.”