A wide variety of activities are planned on and off campus during Welcome Week.
Want to get your fall semester off to a great start?
Then make sure you check out the wide variety of activities and programs planned for UA's Week of Welcome. Whether you are new to campus or a returning student, you are bound to find plenty to do, along with meeting your professors and getting into a routine with classes and studying.
The Week of Welcome begins on Friday, Aug. 19. One of the highlights of the day is New Student Convocation from 4 to 5 p.m. on Coleman Common. Join President Luis M. Proenza, Provost W. Michael "Mike" Sherman and other UA officials at the event, which is open to all new UA students and their families.
A great way to say thank you
Looking for a way to show your appreciation to everyone who helped you move in to your housing on or off campus? Thank them with a visit to the Akron Art Museum!
Admission is free Saturday, Aug. 20, and Sunday, Aug. 21, for family and friends helping UA students during Move-In Weekend, and free for the entire 2011-12 school year for students. For free museum access, UA students must show their Zip Cards and family and friends should simply tell the museum staff member that they are participating in Zips Move-In Weekend.
Museum hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Call 330-972-7429 for more information.
Afterward, a Convocation Celebration will be held on Coleman Common from 5 to 6:30 p.m. featuring music and refreshments.
Later, you can check out the Rock the Lock Concert at Lock 3 Park at 200 S. Main St. from 7 to 9 p.m. And from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m., discover Life After Dark in the Student Union, where there will be refreshments and a disc jockey taking requests.
Campuswide effort to launch new academic year
Now in its third year, the Week of Welcome brings together colleges and units from across campus to hold events and help students get the academic year off to a great start.
"Week of Welcome is designed to showcase the University by providing students with more information about all there is to do here and to learn about the services offered by different offices," says Chris Tankersley, director of New Student Orientation. "It's a festive celebration — a way for us to say, 'We're glad you're here and we want you to be excited about starting school at The University of Akron.'"
As the participation has grown among colleges and units, with more events added each year, the feedback from parents has been particularly gratifying, notes Tankersley.
"They're surprised by how much is going on, how alive the campus is and how helpful people are here."
New students will appreciate seeing members of the Welcome Team stationed around campus on Monday, Aug. 22, and Tuesday, Aug. 23. If you don't know where your class is located, they'll point you in the right direction or answer other questions you may have.
The full schedule of events is available at Week of Welcome. Among other highlights of the week:
- Campus Focus Outdoor Extravaganza, Saturday, Aug. 20, 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. or noon to 4:30 p.m. Incoming freshmen can head out to Camp Carl in nearby Ravenna for such activities as paintball, horseback riding, a rock climbing wall, canoeing and Frisbee golf. Bus transportation will be provided.
- Welcome to Adult Focus, Schrank Hall North 260, Tuesday, Aug. 24, noon to 6 p.m. Information will be available for adult students and military veterans about the resources available to them on campus. In addition to meeting the staff and enjoying refreshments, prizes, including football and soccer tickets, and gift cards, will be awarded.
- Multicultural Students Welcome Cookout, Wednesday, Aug. 24, Coleman Common, 3 to 5 p.m. The Office of Multicultural Development will provide the food while multicultural students find out about the student organizations, academic programs and services offered to them.
- SRWS Welcome Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 25, Coleman Common, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Join staff from the Student Recreation and Wellness Center for an informal "Olympics" — everything from an outdoor mountain bike course to water balloons.
- Machine Gun Kelly Concert, Friday, Aug. 26, 9 to 11p.m., E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall. The performance by the Ohio Hip Hop Award winner will close out the Week of Welcome. The concert is free and open only to UA students, who will need to show their Zip Cards for admission.