GRANVILLE -- For the members of the Class of 2010, their parents and Denison's faculty, staff and administrators, Thursday (Aug. 24) seemed like a day that needed an extra few hours to be able to accomplish all the scheduled activities. It was also a day of "first times" for many parents and their children. For most, preparations for the long-awaited day had been ongoing through the summer as roommates got to know each other in e-mails and made plans about needed appliances, color schemes and ways to meet in person. Some traveled via airlines from as far away as Singapore to arrive; others squeezed into SUVs piled high with treasured possessions and drove across the country, and a few just came up the hill from their home town of Granville to become Denison students. Another August Orientation was underway, and it was filled with anticipation, a bit of trepidation, curiosity and delight.

The day's events were carefully orchestrated by Dean of First-Year Students Laurel Kennedy and her staff, with moving-in assignments divided alphabetically into hourly time slots starting a 8:30 a.m. Parking lots behind the first-year residence halls were swamped with cars, students and parents who were greeted by smiling August Orientation staffers who helped unpack vehicles and carry items up to the students' new homes.

During the morning, the first-year class picked up student IDs and temporary meal passes, signed up for campus employment and registered their automobiles. In the afternoon, the newcomers learned about University-provided student services at an Information Fair. Parents attended a Q&A session about residence life, campus policy and student activities. Many visited the gallery in Cleveland Hall where the exhibition "Dissonance and Harmony" featured works by incoming students, faculty and staff. The exhibition was the first event in a year-long investigation of how progressive change occurs in a wide range of settings - personal, sociopolitical, artistic and scientific.

After a quick dinner in Huffman or Curtis Dining Hall, students arrived at Swasey Chapel promptly at 6:15 p.m. for a brief information session before forming a two-by-two line to proceed to their class induction on the Fine Arts quadrangle. As the Swasey bells pealed, heralding their arrival, the new class followed Director of Admissions Perry Robinson and Dean Laurel Kennedy across Chapel Walk and down the steps to the Cleveland Hall arch.

After passing beneath class banners that represented years of Denisonians who preceded them, they walked through a passageway created by members of the faculty dressed in full academic regalia as a brass quintet on the Burke Hall balcony played the processional music.

President Dale T. Knobel began the induction ceremony by ringing the nickel and silver Denison bell that was forged in 1855. Chelsea Mikula '07, president of Denison Campus Governance Association, congratulated the new class on becoming part of the long history of Denison students who are characterized by academic excellence, civic service and lifelong bonds of friendship with their classmates. She then invited Vice President for University Resources and Public Affairs Julie Houpt, representing the Society of the Alumni, to present the 2010 class banner to Katherine Hickman (Granville) and Shihzen Jia (Singapore) who came from the nearest and most distant homes to be part of the class.

Chair of the Faculty Joan Krone, who also is Benjamin Barney Chair of Mathematics and Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science, spoke to the audience about the intellectual life at Denison and its tradition of a liberal arts education. She then introduced the Fanfare for the Class of 2010, an original composition by Assistant Professor of Music Ching-Chu Hu, which will be played once again at their commencement in 2010.

President Knobel then returned to the lectern to address the new students. He reminded them that Denison is celebrating its 175th anniversary this year. He told the young men and women in the audience that their years at Denison would be the beginning of their adult life as they grew to better understand themselves and others and made the very best use of Denison's education in the liberal arts. President Knobel, flanked on the podium by Vice President for Student Affairs Sam Thios and Provost Keith Boone, asked the students to rise for their induction into the class of 2010.

After the induction, Melissa Nevola '07 sang the alma mater and then was joined by members of the newly inducted class as they raised their voices “To Denison,” the music that would come to symbolize some of the most important years in their lives.

Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in rigorous scholarship, civic engagement, and the cultivation of independent thinking. Denison's chapter of Phi Beta Kappa was established in 1910. Dale T. Knobel is Denison's 19th president.

For press inquiries:

Name

Barbara Stambaugh

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Director, Media Relations

Primary Email

stambaughb@denison.edu

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(740) 587-8575