SUBJECT:

Faculty Participation in the Academic Welcome Convocation -- Monday, September 19, 2016

Dear Colleagues:

We write as the faculty representatives on the Convocation Planning Committee, to invite your participation in the 11th annual Welcome Convocation for new undergraduate students, Monday, September 19th 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 Daniel Juarez, Chancellor Pradeep Khosla, Associate Professor Todd Coleman (Bioengineering) and alumna Dr. Vivienne Ming, ’00 (Muir College, Cognitive Science). Following the ceremony, faculty and students will share a festive dinner on the field. Signage will direct students to designated divisional areas where they can meet and chat with faculty members from those disciplines.

Robust faculty participation is essential in order to demonstrate to our new students the value we place in this symbolic first step on their academic journey. In surveys conducted as part of the strategic planning process, students identified closer contact with faculty as one of the keys to a better, stronger student experience. A prominent faculty showing will send a strong message to our students about our commitment to their education and our common academic mission. We are expecting approximately 5,750 incoming freshman and 2,950 incoming transfer students for Fall 2016, up about 720 students from Fall 2015.

Please RSVP to evc-events@ucsd.edu or x43130 by Friday, September 16th. We, along with Interim EVC Peter Cowhey and Vice Chancellor González greatly appreciate your support of this important event for our new undergraduates and we hope you'll join us!

Stacey Brydges (Chemistry & Biochemistry) Carlos Coimbra (Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering) Geoffrey Cook (SIO) Daniel Donoghue (Sixth College Provost) Anya Gallaccio (Visual Arts) Roshanak Kheshti (Ethnic Studies) Barbara Sawrey (AVC/Dean of Undergraduate Education)