Academic convocation ceremony. Click image to enlarge.
Assisted by swarms of returning students, along with faculty and staff, hundreds of freshmen moved into 农夫导航鈥檚 residence halls today.
| Dr. Paul Kiser |
About 80 percent of Bellarmine鈥檚 685 freshmen will live in Bellarmine鈥檚 residence halls this fall. The class of 2017 is 13 percent larger than any other freshman class in Bellarmine鈥檚 history.
Dr. Paul Kiser, an assistant professor of biology, helped students carry boxes into the residence halls. 鈥淚 always volunteer during move-in day, to help demonstrate what a welcoming community Bellarmine is,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a nice chance to meet some of the students I鈥檒l work with in the Galileo Learning Community.鈥�
Galileo is one of five learning communities, a relatively new phenomenon at Bellarmine. This year, one in four freshmen are enrolled in a learning community, which bring together students with similar interests and create environments where students are committed to each other鈥檚 personal and academic success.
Patricia Gibson, a freshman from Hodgenville, Ky., said the day's highlight was "definitely seeing my dorm all unpacked and ready!"
Moving into the residence halls was only one part of a big first day on campus. Saturday afternoon, students enjoyed a picnic and signed Bellarmine鈥檚 matriculation book, and that evening they took part in an academic convocation ceremony.
After a convocation mass on Sunday, freshmen will begin several days of orientation activities before classes begin on Thursday.