For incoming freshmen and transfer students, Monday, Aug. 24, will be “Day 1,” a shared experience in which they will come together to learn more about what it means to be a 49er.
Day One, or Day of Convocation, is a campus-wide initiative designed to formally induct new students into the UNC Charlotte academic community.
“Our Day of Convocation will strengthen community building among our students, as they will gather together to hear the unifying messages of UNC Charlotte’s core values,” said Cathy Blat, director of the University Center for Academic Excellence (UCAE) and co-coordinator for the inaugural New Student Convocation. Leslie Zenk, assistant provost, and Dennis Wiese, senior associate dean of students, are the other co-coordinators for the day’s events.
Day One will begin at 9 a.m. as students will convene at their respective colleges to hear a welcome message from their deans; attendees will receive a New Student Convocation T-shirt to wear for a group picture. From the colleges, students and faculty will proceed to Halton Arena for the formal New Student Convocation ceremony at 11 a.m.
During the roughly 75-minute event, in which faculty will march in full regalia, new students will hear welcoming remarks from Provost Joan Lorden, and Chancellor Philip L. Dubois will provide an overview of the University and its mission. Greg Starrett, professor of anthropology, will deliver a keynote address, and Mike Wilson, current member of the University’s Board of Trustees, UNC Charlotte alumnus and former student body president, will talk about the institution’s founder Bonnie Cone and how she helped shape the University. Former Student Government Association President Cameron Hurst will introduce students to the University’s honor code, the Noble Niner, which she helped co-create, and current SGA President Mitch Daratony also will speak.
Following the class picture, a student chorale group will teach the UNC Charlotte alma mater, and the Pride of the Niner Nation marching band will play the fight song. A luncheon will be provided in the food court of the Barnhardt Student Activity Center.
“Our goal is for our students to better understand what it means to become a member of the body of scholars that comprises UNC Charlotte,” Blat explained. “Research indicates that the first year of college can be the most difficult for students. Given the growth of the University, campus leaders, students and alumni expressed the need to have a ritual to observe the passage of ‘stranger’ to ‘member’ of the community. UNC Charlotte is unique, and we want our incoming students to be aware of our values and what differentiates us from other institutions.”
Blat added students will come away from the formal Day One ceremony with a better understanding of academic expectations.
“Students have a wealth of support and opportunities available to them. They truly can stake their claim to achieving academic excellence, and we want them to know that the University is prepared to support them. What they can accomplish as students is limitless; we want to open their eyes to research opportunities and ways for them to be engaged on campus and in the community,” stated Blat.
After lunch, the colleges will hold information sessions, tours and other activities for students. The majority of colleges will have opportunities for students to meet with faculty and academic advisors and juniors or seniors in various majors.
“We’re excited to see the level of interest across campus for Day One, especially from our faculty members,” Blat noted. “Many have expressed an interest in participating and are eager to meet their students and learn more about them outside the formal class setting. We think it underscores our campus’s culture of being a welcoming environment, and our faculty are committed to being partners to students’ success.”
The Office of International Programs, University Career Center, UCAE and Atkins Library also will have informational tables in the afternoon starting at 3:30 p.m. Students also will have the opportunity to connect with more than 200 of UNC Charlotte’s 350-plus student organization at the Student Organization Showcase from to 6:30 p.m. on the College of Health and Human Services/College of Education Plaza (weather permitting).
Fall semester 2015 classes start at 5 p.m. for all students.