Courage was the cornerstone of Deborah Ford’s acceptance speech Friday as new chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.

“How will we embrace our future with courage?” she asked the audience in the campus cinema. “We must collaborate, communicate and cooperate.”

Ford was formally inducted by UW Board of Regents President Kevin Reilly as the school’s sixth chancellor since the campus opened in fall 1969. Her first working day here was Aug. 3. She came from the University of West Florida, where she was vice president of student affairs.

More than one person has asked why she left Florida for Wisconsin. The opportunities at Parkside were to blame, she said.

Ford recalled how she began to seriously mull life in the Badger State when some of her students at West Florida presented a class project on Wisconsin.

“They talked about Wisconsin growing people, growing jobs and growing communities,” she said. “I thought I’d like to be part of that.”

Ford also spoke about the school’s founders gathering the courage to establish a new campus here.

“We’ll have the courage to keep their dream alive,” she said.

Parkside closes its 40th anniversary celebration week with a gala beginning at 6 p.m. today in the grand ballroom of the Student Center. The community work of Fran Jaeschke, Rita Tallent Picken and Harriet Wyllie will be honored.

Ford outlined how she wanted to work with Parkside faculty and staff and the community to mesh the school’s strengths with local occupational, cultural and other needs.

Ford said Parkside also needed to help local high schools increase their graduation rates and students’ college readiness, and boost the community’s overall education level. The campus must work to help more minorities get into college, more students to qualify for entry, more to be able to afford to attend and boost graduation rates.

She promised to sit in on athletic contests, classes, student groups and cultural events to develop ties on campus.

Ford also mentioned President Kennedy’s response that his program to land a man on the moon was important because it was difficult to do.

“So let’s go to the moon and shoot for the stars,” she added. “We’ll test and challenge ourselves, aspire to achieve something great. We’ll do it because it’s hard. Have courage with me, and let us begin today.”