August 17, 2018
This week, Asbury University welcomed the Faithful Class of 2022, celebrating students’ first days on campus and introducing them to Asbury’s vibrant community.
Welcome Week at Asbury is an introduction to the academic, spiritual and personal growth students will experience through four years of college and beyond. And like everything at Asbury, it’s rooted in prayer.
On Wednesday, after move-in, orientation sessions, class events and more, students crowded at the altar of Hughes Auditorium, heads bowed, while parents, family members and Asbury faculty and staff surround them in prayer. An annual Welcome Week tradition, the Student & Family Dedication Service is more than a gesture; it’s a promise. At Asbury, students are challenged academically, nourished spiritually and commissioned to impact the world for Christ.
“May their lives speak of Your faithfulness to them,” President Sandra C. Gray prayed during the service on Wednesday. “We commission this Faithful Class to begin their Asbury experience knowing that You walk with them every day, and that they are never alone.”
Following the service, parents and family members gathered outside to watch as the Faithful Class posed for its first class photo on the steps of Hughes Auditorium. Among the crowd were David and Joy Thomas of Columbus, Ohio, whose son, Nathan, will be studying Theatre & Cinema Performance and Screenwriting.
“When he came to visit, he knew that day it was the right place,” Joy Thomas said. “He loved it. He got to sit in on a class and stayed afterward to talk to the professor. He immediately felt a sense of home.”
Throughout the week, a wide range of activities have reinforced that sense of home for students. Transition and Guidance (TAG) groups are one such opportunity. Each group, led by two sophomores, welcomes a small cohort of freshman for daily meetings throughout Welcome Week. TAG Groups continue to meet regularly throughout the first semester, providing of base of support and community.
Panels, tours, discussion groups and advising sessions prepared students for college life through topics like liberal arts learning, intercultural programs, campus resources, relationships and community, academic advising and more. Events like “Cut Loose” (a class-themed party on Thursday night), community worship and a dessert reception (Friday night) highlight the vibrant community Asbury has to offer.
“I’m from Haiti, and on Friday, I got to meet all of the international students, which was amazing,” said new freshman Willens Alcime, who plans to study Engineering. “I met people from all over the world, I can say, and we’re not going to get lost when school starts. Welcome Week has taught us a lot about the University and each other.”