JSC Welcomes New and Returning Students

August 25, 2008

New and returning Johnson State College students were welcomed by the college community on Monday, August 25, 2008 during the college’s annual Opening Convocation ceremony. New students, led by a brass band playing “When the Saints Go Marching In” (a nod to this year’s common book, 1 dead in attic, which focuses post-Katrina New Orleans), processed from the SHAPE Facility to the Dibden Center for the Arts, cheered by faculty, staff and fellow students.

Once seated in Dibden, students heard from College President Barbara E. Murphy, who encouraged them to stay present and engaged in their new life; Academic Dean Dan Regan, who challenged them to take advantage of as many of the college’s many resources within the first week of school as possible; and Behavioral Sciences Professor Gina Mireault, who exhorted them to think, ask questions, follow their hearts and discover their “inner terrier” (a metaphor for perseverance and bravery that Mireault draws from her own work as a dog trainer)! (You can read her entire speech here.)

414 students began studies on campus this fall, making the total number of undergraduate students this year 1100. An additional 493 students are enrolled in the college’s External Degree Program, pursuing their bachelor’s degrees in all 12 counties of Vermont. 160 students are pursuing their master’s degrees this year, as well.

The annual Opening Convocation also marked the final event in the college’s New Student Orientation Weekend. View images from Orientation here.