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View a Slide Show of Move-in and Convocation

The day was overcast, but the steady rainfall held off as freshmen and their parents packed UC’s Convocation ceremony on Sept. 18.

The University of Cincinnati is again preparing for an all-time record enrollment in its 192-year history as students begin classes on Sept. 21. The freshman class, projected to number as high as 6,200, is up nearly 4 percent from last fall.

At Convocation – the formal induction ceremony for first-year students – UC President Gregory H. Williams explained that the ceremony exemplifies the rituals that are a tradition in higher education. Despite the university’s traditions, he emphasized that UC is constantly changing.

“Starting now, you start your life anew,” Williams said. “You may choose to build upon your past, or you may decide to take a new direction. The hard work and first-class education you pursue at UC will allow you to create a path to the future that will fulfill your dreams. Your professors, your coursework and the friendships you will make may change you in ways you cannot even imagine today.”

UC Faculty Chair Richard Harknett surprised the crowd by announcing that the students were about to take a pop quiz at Convocation. Using personal response systems that he said will also turn up in some of their classrooms, Harknett’s “Think, Pair, Share” presentation held some fun facts about UC alumni as well as four UC professors: Linda Plevyak, an associate professor of education; Nikki Taylor, associate professor of Africana Studies; Lewis Owen, professor and head of the UC Geology Department, who had sent a taped message to the freshmen from a student study trip to a glacier; and Mary Beth Privitera, associate professor of biomedical engineering and co-director of the Medical Device Innovation & Entrepreneurship Program. Harknett then selected a student pursuing each of the individual professors’ fields of study to join each of them for a one-on-one lunch to further discuss their field and the student’s new journey at UC.

UC Provost Santa Ono; Mitchel D. Livingston, vice president for student affairs and chief diversity officer;  Sandra W. Heimann, chair of the UC Board of Trustees; and Student Body Vice President Michael Linger also made remarks at the ceremony. Linger mentioned that he was filling in for UC Student Body President Alan Hagerty, who spent the weekend flying back to Cincinnati from a study abroad summer experience in Chile. Hagerty was still able to attend the ceremony and was introduced by Linger.

The ceremony closed as first-year students were invited to attach their UC lapel pins as their class banner depicting UC’s Just Community was raised. The 52-foot-by-54-foot banner was made of 234 flags that the freshmen created during their summer Bearcats Bound Orientation to illustrate UC’s Just Community initiative to seek justice, civility, learning and scholarship.

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