Information for Faculty
The Office of the Provost and the Center for Campus Life cordially invite you to attend University Convocation on September 9, 2008 at 5 p.m. in the United Spirit Arena.
Since 2003, the Office of the Provost, in conjunction with the Center for Campus Life, has continued to host University Convocation. Literally defined, the term “convocation” means an assembly of persons. In the context of higher education, convocation may be operationally defined as an assembly of members of the college community, who come together for any or all of the following purposes: (a) to officially welcome new students to the college, (b) to celebrate new students’ entry into higher education, (c) to formally induct new students into the college, (d) to articulate the institution’s mission and expectations to new students and/or (e) to build a sense of group identity or community among members of the entering class.
Convocation also implements a number of key research-based principles that have been found to foster student involvement, commitment, and retention, such as the following:
· It is a community-building ritual that promotes student identification with the institution and facilitates a sense of class membership.
· It serves to make new students feel less marginalized and more significant—that they really belong and “matter” to the college.
· It is a meaningful rite of passage that marks and memorializes a major life transition for students and the college’s role in facilitating that transition.
· It combines with graduation to provide meaningful and complementary “bookends” to the college experience, with both programs serving as celebrative rites of passage that represent commencement—a new start of beginning.
Your participation and leadership is critical to the success of this important university-wide event. Please encourage your staff, new and returning faculty, and your students to attend. We look forward to seeing you at this event on September 9, 2008.
All faculty are encouraged to participate in academic regalia. If you plan to rent academic regalia for the August commencement, you may retain it for Convocation.
In order for us to plan properly, we ask that you RSVP to Kimberly Wagner at kimberly.wagner@ttu.edu.
Information provided by Joe Cuseo, Marymount College