ADRIAN, Mich. — An incoming class of 645 students was welcomed by Adrian College (AC) President Jeffrey Docking, faculty and staff in a matriculation ceremony on Sunday, August 18. This year’s class, coupled with last year’s largest-ever class of 700, will push Adrian College’s enrollment to 1,900 students going into 2020. The College has had an incoming class of more than 500 freshmen each year for the past 12 years. Graduate student enrollment is at a record level this year, as well.
The matriculation ceremony officially marks the entrance of the class of 2023 into Adrian College. This year’s class includes a set of twins, multiple state champions from high school lacrosse to the National Baton Twirling Association, and two students who have served in active duty. There are 40 incoming legacy students who are directly related to an Adrian Alumni. Fun fact — one of the new students can solve a Rubix cube in less than two minutes! The students come from 24 states, four Canadian provinces, and five countries including the Czech Republic, Norway, Japan, the Netherlands and Sweden.
“Over 6,000 high school seniors from around the nation, and indeed the world, hoped to attend Adrian College this fall, and we wanted you — the most accomplished among them,” Dr. Frank Hribar, vice president for enrollment and student affairs at Adrian College said during the ceremony. “This is our day to celebrate you, our incoming class, and the talent, intellect and aspirations you bring to our community.”
Hribar noted that it won’t always be easy and will take some hard work for the students to succeed, but will be well worth the effort once completed.
“Your professors will be stimulating, challenging, and tough,” Hribar said. “Your classmates will partner with you, compete with you and teach you along with your professors. Your courses will take you in intellectual directions you never imagined. The range of academic disciplines in our college is exceptional and the pathways they can lead to are infinite. It is your job to make those connections. So, in the presence of this esteemed faculty and in the presence of your families, I encourage each of you to make academic achievement your highest priority.”
Before the ceremony, each student received a small, intricate globe marble as a token of their past achievements and acceptance to the College.
“This marble is symbolic of our desire to encourage you to understand our world and to make it better,” AC President Jeffrey R. Docking said to the students. “You will notice that on the cool little marble that the snowcapped mountains of Colorado are indeed snowcapped. The great rainforests of South America are lush green. Iceland is icy and wonderful rivers traverse through all lands. What you won’t see on this marble, what is missing, are the borders that divide. No separations between countries, no lines to distinguish war zones, no boundaries, races, religions, cultures — one planet, one human race sharing in the rich resources that God has given us.”
Docking continued, “Allow your education to build on this thought from Nelson Mandela, ‘Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.’ As representatives of Adrian College, I hope this statement will be true of each you.”
Docking told the students the day marked a life-changing experience, one that would begin at Adrian College.
“We love to see the wonder and anticipation in the eyes of all of our new students, as you anxiously await all of the amazing experiences that will define your college years,” Docking said. “You stand today on the threshold of a magical time in your life, a time of significant growth, introspection, self-awareness, challenge and opportunity — a time that you will always look back on as special years. You will make incredible friends that you will cherish the rest of your life, and meet professors who will impact you so profoundly that you will make great efforts to come back for Homecoming year after year.”
During Welcome Week, students check in and are able to meet faculty advisors and student leaders. All of the freshmen will receive a thought provoking introduction into the liberal arts. Along with things like mandatory placement testing, a course scheduling session and various advising sessions on everything from financial aid to time management, the new students will participate in events such as Meijer Mania, where they can shop ‘till they drop with special discounts, and a Community Plunge, where they volunteer at a variety of service locations in Adrian.
At the end of the week, the large freshmen class of 645 will have a group photo taken to commemorate their new beginning at AC before embarking on a two-day trip of a lifetime to explore Chicago. They will be staying in the Palmer House, a prestigious Hilton Hotel in the heart of the Windy City.
*Media in this article courtesy of Adrian College*
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