Campus community opens the door for Class of 2030 at Opening Convocation

Belonging

William & Mary's new students were welcomed to campus Aug. 26 during the Opening Convocation ceremony.

Returning students show big energy to welcome the Class of 2030 at Opening Convocation. (Photo by Katie Warner)

As the setting sun cast a layer of gold over the historic Wren Building on Wednesday evening, returning students lined up to welcome the Class of 2030 to the William & Mary family as part of Opening Convocation.

Caleb Wilcox '28 and Jeffrey Linton '29, members of the cross country team, arrived early with very specific plans: They were waiting for their new teammates to come through the Wren Building at the conclusion of the event.

"Then we're going to give them a big hug," Linton said.

Lily Englert '27 wouldn't even think about missing Opening Convocation.

"I've cried already," she said.

The tradition, which coincides with the first day of undergraduate classes, serves as the official kickoff to the academic year. All new students, undergraduate and graduate, are invited to attend.

This year's event featured Michael K. Powell '85, D.P.S. '02, a former William & Mary rector and former chair of the Federal Communications Commission, as the keynote speaker. He offered the new students three invitations: Embrace struggle, live in attentive curiosity and cultivate deep friendships.

"You made the right decision to attend college. And you made a better decision to attend this college," he said. "The doors are opening. Your William & Mary family is waiting. Your journey of becoming is beginning. Confidently take that next step."

Reject certainty, embrace flourishing

As the Class of 2030 begins their first week of classes, some may be certain they know what the next four years will look like. Provost Peggy Agouris challenged that idea.

"We live in a world that rewards certainty," she said. "We are expected to have an opinion quickly about almost everything. And once we have expressed it, likely publicly, changing our minds can somehow feel like losing."

Rather, a university should do the opposite, she argues. Resist the temptation to be certain about ideas and instead, get curious.

"Ask yourself: 'What am I missing? What does that person know that I don't?'" she said. "Assume good intentions. Ask the difficult question. Just ask it from a place of curiosity rather than anger or defensiveness."

Convocation speaker Michael K. Powell said he was certain he would never use anything from his classes as an undergraduate at William & Mary. He referenced his first class, a philosophy course he took in the Wren Building that had his head swimming with the ideas of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. He thought they would have no tangible impact on his life outside those four walls. He quickly learned how wrong he was.

"I thought the sole purpose of college was to make me marketable, to load me up on skills that would get me a good job," he said. "It does do that, but what I failed to appreciate was that college is a laboratory for exploring how to construct a good and meaningful life - one that transcends your mere utility."

Powell was highly involved in a number of organizations while at William & Mary: As an undergraduate, he studied government and was a member of Theta Delta Chi, Omicron Delta Kappa and was on the gymnastics team. He also served as a president's aide and participated in ROTC. He remains closely connected to William & Mary as an alumnus and served as rector of the Board of Visitors and chair of the William & Mary Foundation.

Reflecting on this rich history, he stressed that college should teach you what tools are at your disposal, and when and how they should be used.

"Human flourishing is never a solitary achievement," he said. "We become ourselves in relationship - with teachers, friends, families and communities. And we flourish most fully when we place our gifts in service of something larger than ourselves."

Civic Leadership in Action

President Katherine A. Rowe also welcomed students, speaking about the culture across campus as a "hold-the-door-open" community: one that "supports one another, plays fair and calls others in to the values of integrity and respect." She noted that classmates, advisors, professors and staff will be there to hold the door many times over.

"This is how we understand civic leadership working," she said. "All of us have the chance to leave our university better than we found it. We have so much joy in that work to pursue together. That is how we go for the long play; that is how we win together."

Civic leadership is an area of focus across the university this year. On Charter Day in February, the university announced the Year of Civic Leadership, celebrating William & Mary's enduring commitment to service, public stewardship and leadership in service of the common good.

During Convocation, Rowe honored this year's recipients of the President's Award for Service. Professor of Dance Denise Damon Wade was honored for creating the Parkinson's Dance Initiative at William & Mary, a series of free weekly classes for individuals with Parkinson's Disease, caregivers and students. The student recipient, Amelia Kim '27, studies integrative conservation and is a team leader for the Grove Christian Outreach Center, a food pantry supporting vulnerable families in Williamsburg.

Keeping the doors open

At the conclusion of the ceremony, new students walked through the Wren Building and were greeted on the other side with cheers from returning students and other members of the campus community.

The Class of 2030 hails from 47 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands and represents 22 countries across the world. Nine percent are the first in their families to attend college.

The setting sun cast a layer of gold over the historic Wren Building on Wednesday evening. (Photo by Timothy D. Sofranko) Returning students wave clappers to celebrate the university's iconic tradition. (Photo by Kater Warner) Convocation Speaker Michael K. Powell '85, D.P.S. '02, a former William & Mary rector and former chair of the Federal Communications Commission, speaks to the Class of 2030. (Photo by Stephen Salpukas) Returning students cheer new students after they walk through the Wren's historic doors. (Photo by Katie Warner) New members of the William & Mary community celebrate Opening Convocation. (Photo by Katie Warner)

Wren Hamner '30 was one of the first people in the Class of 2030 to walk through the Wren Building's historic halls. And yes, sharing a name with the building was a motivator to walk through first.

"A little bit," they said when asked if they made it their mission to be one of the first through the doors. "My (orientation aides) were like, 'Oh, that would be funny if you were the first."

Besides gunning to be first, Hamner was overwhelmed with how welcoming returning students were. The energy makes them excited to become a true member of the Tribe.

"Getting all the high fives and hearing the cheering, it just feels like community," they said. "It doesn't feel like anybody is looking down on you - they see you as an equal."

Sophia Schechner '27 and Hannah Young '27 remember the feeling of walking through those doors the first time. Since joining William & Mary, they make a plan to always go to Convocation because of what it meant for them to be seen as equals on their first day.

"We've been here every year," said Schechner. "We remember how special it was for us to come through the doors of the Wren and find all these people welcoming us."

William Oster, Communications Specialist

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