PULLMAN, Wash. Incoming Washington State University students and their parents are invited to join faculty, staff and administrators at the University Convocation to be held at 10 a.m. Aug. 22 at the Beasley Performing Arts Coliseum.
Convocation is one of the events taking place in the Pullman campus during the Week of Welcome (WOW), starting Aug. 20. Classes at all four of WSU’s campuses in Pullman, Spokane, Vancouver and Tri-Cities- will begin Aug. 25.
The University Convocation is designed to welcome new students and faculty to the WSU learning community and mark the beginning of their WSU experience. Additionally, the event will demonstrate some of the school’s history and traditions. New students will also receive their entering year pin and their commemorative program and bookmark
This will be the first convocation for WSU new Provost and Executive Vice President Steven L. Hoch, who will address his first incoming class. Other speakers include WSU President Elson S. Floyd; Andrew Appleton, director of Global Studies and associate professor of political science; Luci Loera, dean of students; and Sydney Wheeler, a junior political science/pre-law major with a minor in global studies.
This is the first time a student will address new students during convocation. “We wanted to include a student among the speakers and expose the incoming class to a peer’s real life experience at WSU,” said Luke Jones, assistant director of New Student Programs.
“We looked for students who have impacted communities in a positive way, and Sydney had led the humanitarian project “Take Your Shirt Off For Malawi” during which she and a small group of students got the entire campus involved in donating over five-thousand shirts for an orphanage in Lilongwe, Malawi.
“Our goal with Convocation is to get students excited about the school year and encourage them to look forward to graduation, which is the next time they will all be gathered together in such a manner,” said Jones.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, at approximately 11 a.m., faculty, students and staff are invited to attend another WOW event, the 24th All-Campus Picnic on the Mooberry Track. Food is free for all faculty, staff and students carrying their WSU Cougar Card.
Other WOW events include the Bash in the Grass, Parent University, the WSU Price is Right, Up All Night, a service project, Conexion, The SRC Backyard Bash, Leadership Speaker Will Keim and Cougfest, among other.
For the full list of events and schedules visit the Week of Welcome Web site at www.wow.wsu.edu.
More information on Convocation is available at http://www.wsu.edu/convocation/.
