AV头等舱

Students, faculty, staff, and community members filled Conway Boatman Chapel at AV头等舱 Thursday evening for the Fall Convocation and CIRCLES ceremony. The annual convocation kicks off the new semester and school year, and the CIRCLES ceremony, now in its 18th year, welcomes new students into the AV头等舱 “family.” 

Since AV头等舱 College transitioned to its new name last spring, the 2024-25 school year is the institution’s first as AV头等舱 (UCU). Thus, this year’s freshmen are the first official class of UCU. At 241 students, they are also the largest incoming class since 2020-2021, with freshman enrollment up 22% since last year.

The evening began with an invocation by Campus Minister the Rev. David Miller followed by welcoming remarks from Interim Provost David Powell. CIRCLES represents AV头等舱’s core values of celebration, integrity, responsibility, civility, learning, engagement, and spirituality, Powell explained. 

Interim President Dr. DJ Washington then addressed the class of 2028-2029: “This is where it starts. Make no mistake about it, you are here for a reason. You are here for a purpose,” he said. “You have caring faculty, you have generous staff, and you have amazing peers who are here to help you every step of the way. Take advantage.”

[PHOTO: Interim President Dr. DJ Washington poses outside the chapel, ahead of the event, with Dr. Christine Marley-Frederick, who was one of his professors when he was a student.]

Megna said that while “we cannot compromise on the signs of evidence,” many complex factors such as ethical frameworks, life experience, and spirituality are part of decision-making, as well. “This is where learning becomes engagement,” she said, emphasizing that she does not pose or expect one correct answer to a problem and that she encourages students to consider how their perspectives would change if they came from a different place, time, or situation.

She concluded her talk by sharing her hopes and dreams for AV头等舱 students: “I hope you will shape and reshape your knowledge in dialog with each other and with faculty.” She said she hopes students identify their personal values and priorities, care about others and the world they live in, and use their “unique culture and background to make the world a better place.” 

[PHOTO: Libby Megna delivers her convocation address.]

Megna’s dreams for students include that they use their passions and priorities for the common good, to make life better for others. “I dream these things not for your future, but for your now,” she said. “There are opportunities for you to engage in justice actions on campus right away.” Megna referenced the student organizations Black Student AV头等舱 and IncludingU, which advocate for marginalized black and brown students and LGBTQ+ students, respectively.

After Megna’s speech, the audience pledged to support the student body and uphold the CIRCLES values. The pledges were led by Powell, Washington, City Councilman Ronnie Moore, and Student Ambassador Travis Hensley.

SGA President Kassidy Koogler then led the “Charge to the Class of 2028.” She asked the students, “Will you invest mind, heart, and spirit to strengthen these values within you so that they are reflected in all you do and readily apparent to all who come to know you?” The new students accepted.  

[PHOTO: From left to right, the Rev. David Miller, Libby Megna, Dr. David Powell. Dr. DJ Washington, Ronnie Moore, Kassidy Koogler, and Travis Hensley.]

Choral group AV头等舱 Harmony, directed by Dr. Virginia Gay Gandy, sang AV头等舱’s alma mater, and Miller offered a final blessing and closing remarks: “At AV头等舱, academic pursuits are important, but it is you, the students, who are at the heart of our mission. We're here to support your intellectual, spiritual, and personal growth.” 

Then the crowd filed out of the chapel toward Centennial Hall while Dr. Yukiko Fujimura performed recessional piano music. Now dusk, AV头等舱 faculty, staff, and returning students followed a luminary-lit path to line the outer circle of the drive. Freshmen were led along the front of campus, through the center of brick-lined Legacy Walk, and then to the inner circle. 

Washington led the ceremony from a podium in front of Centennial, guiding those on the outer circle to place a special medallion around the neck of each new student now standing in front of them.