As incoming freshman kicked off the fall semester with orientation and moved into dorms at Augusta University, hundreds of students gathered together Tuesday morning for an outdoor convocation on the Summerville Campus field. Students received free T-shirts and ceremonial pins while listening to welcoming speeches from a handful of AU staff, before taking a class picture for the Class of 2026.
With just over 1,000 incoming freshmen, the new additions to AU seemed excited to meet their professors, deans and future classmates before starting classes Wednesday morning. Several students mentioned their favorite part of convocation and orientation being AU’s “friendly environment” and “welcoming” staff.
“Meeting everybody was my favorite part. I mean, everybody is just so sweet here. I love it,” said freshman Simran Bhikot.
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At convocation, students and staff sang the university’s alma mater together with piano accompaniment and were encouraged to memorize it for the future.
“The singing was my favorite part,” said participant Rosan Nguyen. “I’m definitely going to learn the alma mater now.”
Bhikot said orientation allowed her to meet various people she “cliqued” with and is most excited about meeting more students through her college experience.
Bhikot and fellow freshmen, Apollo Huss, both enjoyed learning about AU’s freshmen traditions. While Huss’ favorite tradition was the ringing of the Arsenal Bell at every convocation, Bhikot’s favorite was throwing a penny in the university’s fountain, located at the entrance of the Summerville Campus, during orientation for good luck.
“I thought it was really cool,” said Bhikot. When the fountain is drained for cleaning, the coins are collected and given to the AU Foundation to help fund student scholarships.
Group orientation leaders and AU juniors, Jameiah Jones and Chalanda Cade, said they both got involved in helping with orientation and convocation to push themselves socially and meet new people.
“I’m not really a very social person, so I wanted to get more involved to get out of my comfort zone, meet new students, maybe meet some people who are in the same major. I just wanted to get more involved,” said Jones.
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Jones believes orientation encouraged freshman to make new connections, swap social media, and make group chats to stay in touch throughout the year.
“I’ve loved seeing everyone making connections and smiling, just having fun,” said Jones.
Scott Thorp, Department Chair of Art and Design said, as a parent whose kid recently entered college, he hopes freshman get a sense of community from orientation and feel a little more comfortable in their new surroundings by walking around the campuses with peers.
“We want them to have an experiential moment related to this. The kickoff is the beginning of everything,” said Thorp. “The ceremony is big in these kinds of things because you want to have those rites of passage that you went through, and this is one of them.”
As a professor, Thorp hopes the convocation gave students a sense of pride in coming to AU and made them feel more welcome in these pivotal moments of their life. To help further welcome students, Thorp explained how after the convocation ceremony, students were encouraged to stay and eat to meet their future professors and network.
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“It’s just nice to start on the right foot and officially get started,” he said. “We’re growing rapidly and we’re really excited about the new materials, courses and technology we’re implementing to expose our students to more.”
Several faculty members were hoping to make a welcoming impression on freshmen students as they mingled and discussed extracurriculars in the shade of the campus.
AU’s Provost, Dr. Neil MacKinnon, said, “It’s just a lot being thrown at them right now as freshmen, but this is hopefully the event that really stands out. It’s the only time the entire [orientation] week that the entire freshmen are gathered together, and hopefully it motivates them to stay on track to graduate in 2026 which, of course, is our goal as the faculty and staff. We want all of our students to succeed and graduate on time.”
Compared to online orientations during the COVID-19 pandemic, MacKinnon believes an online interaction is nothing compared to in-person gatherings which allow for more personal discussions and involvement. MacKinnon, also a parent of a recent college freshman, shared the importance of making new students feel welcome as over half of the freshmen are new to the CSRA area and have to readjust to being away from home.
“It’s a lot. It’s a time of tranisition, but hopefully an event like this makes them feel as though they are not alone. They not only have classmates here, but also faculty and staff that are here to support them too, we all want the same thing,” said MacKinnon.
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Dr. Kim Davies, Dean of Pamplin College at AU, said she hopes establishing connections with the staff will help alleviate students’ anxieties by making them aware of faculty’s open and constant support as both mentors and professors.
“This year in particular feels more normal than it ever has compared to previous years with COVID. It’s just really exciting to see the students and faculty out here interacting. Even the weather is ideal, and it feels like fall. It’s just wonderful to see,” she said.
Davies compared convocation to when parents first drop their kid off to kindergarten, and how convocation is similar to that first day of dropping one’s kid off for the first time.
“Just like kindergarten, no parent wants their kid to be on the edge and not talking to anyone. Convocation prevents that, the staff reach out to those who look as though they are on the sidelines and we try and engage with them so they don’t feel like outsiders,” she said.
AU features a variety of actives for freshmen all year round to ensure new attendees are included into college activities, clubs, committees, and traditions. MacKinnon emphasized their is no greater accomplishment than helping students make lifetime connections.
“The worst thing that could happen to a student is to feel like they are alone and not included, and so we’re very intentional about personal connections. About making those communities and common interests so that they can make friends for a lifetime here,” said MacKinnon. “A degree is important, but, if I think about my own college years, I think about those friends that you make that first week sometimes stick with you for the rest of your life. We certainly hope that’s the case for our students as well.”
For more information on future welcoming events hosted by AU visit: https://jagwire.augusta.edu/weeks-of-welcome-is-back-heres-how-you-can-lend-a-paw/
Liz Wright is a staff writer covering education and general assignments for The Augusta Press. Reach her at liz@theaugustapress.com
