Author: Jeanne Leong, University Communications
This past Tuesday, the University held Convocation ceremonies for the new Class of 2015. Over 2,500 of the incoming class attended, alongside 129 transfer students.
Photograph by Peter Tobia
President Amy Gutmann gave the students their first University test by asking them to show their school spirit by cheering after she called out the names of the four undergraduate schools. “College of Arts and Sciences!” “Nursing!” “Engineering!” “Wharton!”
After the raucous cheers, Gutmann encouraged the freshmen to be open to new experiences. “You make your journey alongside an amazing group of classmates. You will challenge each other to broaden your horizons, to think in new ways and to see controversial issues from different perspectives, including on such fundamental matters as which food truck offers the best fare.”
Provost Vincent Price quoted Benjamin Franklin, saying, “Don’t squander time.” He advised students, “Spend time off line. Go ahead and follow someone, but do it on a bike or on a hike.”
In encouraging them to become well-rounded, Price recommended exploring interests outside of academics.
“Make room for new experiences. Go see a play. Or better yet, try acting,” he said.
The members of the Class of 2015 hail from 49 states, and the class includes 370 international students from 66 countries, including Australia, Brazil, China, Ghana and India.
You can view the full Flckr stream of photos here.
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