Convocation and Picnic Will Kick off New Academic Year

Some 1,575 incoming freshmen will be welcomed to Ithaca College on Monday, August 23, with the annual Convocation ceremony and IC Community Picnic. Convocation, which traditionally signals the start of the academic year, will be held at 11:00 a.m. in Ben Light Gymnasium. And for the second year, the ceremony will be followed by a picnic lunch designed to bring incoming students closer together with faculty, staff, and administrators.

President Peggy R. Williams will preside over Convocation and will offer remarks to members of the freshman class. Also speaking will be Jim Malek, provost and vice president for academic affairs; Herman E. Muller Jr. ’51, chairman of the Ithaca College Board of Trustees; and Nick Tarant ’00, president of the Student Government Association. The ceremony will open with a procession of faculty, trustees, and administrators in academic regalia and will feature music by faculty ensembles.

The IC Community Picnic will be held after Convocation on the academic quad. The event is intended to help build a sense of connection and commitment to the College among all its constituencies as well as to familiarize the members of the class of 2003 with their new surroundings.

Classes for the fall semester begin Wednesday, August 25.