Campus Life

New School Year Begins With Undergraduate Convocation Sunday

The program is designed to communicate to students their roles both as individuals who learn from others and who contribute to the vitality of the university.
By Tura King, Texas A&M Marketing & Communications August 26, 2015

convocation
Undergraduate Convocation marks new students’ official entry into the university’s community of scholars.

As a prelude to the start of fall semester classes Monday (Aug. 31) Texas A&M University will conduct its annual Undergraduate Convocation Sunday (Aug. 30) – a special welcoming program for entering freshmen and transfer students. The convocation begins at 2 p.m. in Reed Arena.

The event concludes Gig’em Week, a week of fun activities to welcome both new and returning students for the start of a new academic year at Texas A&M.

Undergraduate Convocation marks new students’ official entry into the university’s community of scholars. Organizers say its purpose is to establish an academic connection between new undergraduate students and Texas A&M.

The program is designed, they add, to communicate to students their roles both as individuals who learn from others and who contribute to the vitality of the university. It also is intended to communicate the role of faculty members as scholars, teachers and fellow members of this community.

Organizers explain that the convocation also provides students with an opportunity to gather with their classmates, recognize the size and strength of their class, and join the Texas A&M academic community through a major campus event that parallels the joyous and meaningful commencement ceremony that will mark their graduation only a few years in the future. As such, organizers say the agenda for Undergraduate Convocation will include remarks from President Michael K. Young and brief remarks by Student Body President Joseph Benigno, Provost Karan L. Watson and The Association of Former Students.

Prof. Tim McLaughlin, head of the Department of Visualization, will be the event’s featured speaker. He will share his thoughts on “Creativity and the On-Demand Generation” with the new students.

McLaughlin, a 1990 and 1994 Texas A&M graduate, oversees the bachelor of science and master of fine arts degrees in visualization. He is active in research and outreach activities that involve blending art and science in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education.
Prior to returning to Texas A&M, McLaughlin worked in the visual effects industry at Industrial Light & Magic where he led teams of artists and computer graphics engineers in developing groundbreaking and award-winning digital movies.

Convocation also will include recognizing faculty named as University Professors for Undergraduate Teaching Excellence. These awards are conferred upon the university’s most distinguished teachers of undergraduates. Faculty receiving this award are known to exhibit uncommon excellence and devotion to educating the undergraduate students at Texas A&M.

This year awardees include Shanna Hagan-Burke, an associate professor of educational psychology in the College of Education and Human Development; Timothy Jacobs, an associate professor of mechanical engineering in the Dwight Look College of Engineering; Reuben May, a professor of sociology in the College of Liberal Arts; and Victor Ugaz, a professor of chemical engineering in the Dwight Look College of Engineering.

In addition, staff presented the President’s Award for Academic Advising will be recognized. The award acknowledges outstanding individuals for excellence in advising. This year’s recipients include Chris Barttelbort, director of student services in the Center for Student-Athlete Services; Zuleika Carrasco-Martinez, senior academic adviser in psychology in the College of Liberal Arts; Maria Lyons, academic adviser II in biomedical engineering, Dwight Look College of Engineering; Allison Maderia, senior academic adviser II in Transition Academic Programs; and Marco Valadez, senior academic adviser II in anthropology in the College of Liberal Arts.
In recognition of the importance of the event, students are asked to wear “business casual” attire. Planners of the event suggest that men wear long pants and a sport shirt or button-down dress shirt. Women are encouraged to wear dress pants or a skirt and top or a dress.

The new students will sit together on portable chairs on the floor and on the lower risers of Reed Arena to provide a sense of unity. Seating is available for families and friends in designated sections separate from new-student seating but with a view of the students and the ceremony. Signs and ushers in Reed Arena will provide directions for the new students and their families. Special arrangements will be provided for handicapped seating.

Free parking will be available at Reed Arena lots that can be accessed from Kimbrough Boulevard, Chandler Drive and Penberthy Street. Driving directions from Austin, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio are available as well as a campus map.

For more information about parking services, visit the Transportation Services website at http://transport.tamu.edu/.

Media contact: tamunews@tamu.edu.

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