SUBJECT:

Faculty Participation in the New Student Welcome Convocation --- Monday, September 25, 2017

Dear Colleagues:

We write as the faculty representatives on the Convocation Planning Committee, to invite your participation in the 12th annual Welcome Convocation for new undergraduate students, Monday, September 25th from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., RIMAC Field (http://convocation.ucsd.edu/).

Participating faculty are invited to a pre-Convocation reception beginning at 3:30 p.m. in the RIMAC Green Room. The reception will serve as the staging and assembly area for the Convocation ceremony. Faculty will line up for the processional by 4:45 p.m. (regalia will not be worn). Convocation serves as the inaugural academic event for new freshmen and transfer students and welcomes them into our scholarly community. The 45-minute ceremony will feature brief welcoming remarks by Associated Students President Lesly Figueroa, Chancellor Pradeep Khosla, Faculty Keynote - Associate Professor Cheryl Anderson (Family Medicine and Public Health) and Alumni Keynote - Professor Robert Brill (Theatre ’88). Following the ceremony, faculty and students will share dinner on the field. Signage will direct students to designated divisional areas where they can meet and chat with faculty members from those disciplines.

We would like to encourage any faculty member that can spare a few hours to join us for this event to demonstrate the value we place in this symbolic first step on our students’ academic journey. We know that students identify closer contact with faculty as one of the keys to a better, stronger student experience. A prominent faculty participation will showcase our commitment to our students’ education and our common academic mission. In addition, the event also provides a terrific opportunity to meet colleagues from other departments. We hope to see many of you at this year’s event, which last year, attracted over 6,000 students and faculty.

Please RSVP to evc-events@ucsd.edu or x40098 by Wednesday, September 20th. We, along with Incoming EVC Elizabeth Simmons and Vice Chancellor Juan González, greatly appreciate your support of this important event for our new undergraduates and look forward to your participation.

Convocation Planning Committee Faculty Representatives: • Andreas Andersson (SIO) • Kim Cooper (Biological Sciences) • Boubacar Kante (Electrical and Computer Engineering) • Emily Roxworthy (Provost, Warren College/Theatre and Dance) • Dennis Trinidad (Family Medicine and Public Health) • Zhuowen Tu (Cognitive Science)