Convocation kicks off 2016-17 school year

Aug. 23, 2016 |

Though classes officially began Aug. 22, the semester started early with a little pomp and circumstance at the University’s annual convocation Aug. 19.

“Throughout many centuries, colleges and universities around the world have initiated their academic year with a convocation,” said Executive Vice President David Collins, who presided over the ceremony.

The faculty wore traditional academic regalia in an array of colors representing a wide variety of degrees and marched to “Variants on the Alma Mater,” which was composed by Professor Emeritus of Music William Holloway.

“To me, convocation and commencement are similar,” Collins said. “One marks a beginning, and the other marks an end. There’s a natural excitement that comes with starting something new, and convocation is a way for everyone to acknowledge and revel in those feelings.”

The event began when Chancellor David B. Burks became president in 1987, and it was held on the first day of chapel until 2011, at which time it was moved to the Friday before classes began as part of the Impact orientation program for incoming freshmen and first year students. Collins said the decision to move it into Impact allowed more people to be involved.

“This ceremony is focused on students, but it’s for the entire Harding community,” he said. “Convocation is a fitting way for our new students to acknowledge the milestone of starting college, but it’s also a way for faculty and staff to encourage each other as they begin a new school year and for parents and families to celebrate the next steps for their students.”

In this year’s student body, students from all 50 states and 54 foreign countries are represented. Traditional to convocation, students carried the colors of their home states and countries in the “Parade of Flags.”

“Hearing ’50 states and 54 countries’ is a lot different than seeing it,” Collins said. “I stood on stage and called out each state’s and country’s name as students walked into the auditorium with the corresponding flag. Watching the aisles fill with students from locations around the world really shows you how varied our students are in their backgrounds. It’s a compliment to Harding that they all chose us.”

One unique component to convocation is a pledge President Bruce McLarty asks students to stand and recite in the middle of the ceremony. Repeating after McLarty word for word, students pledge not to leave Harding without first going and talking to him, something that began in McLarty’s first convocation as president August 2013.

“The message I wanted to deliver that day was that if we work together, every student at Harding University can succeed,” McLarty said. “Mainly, I didn’t want students to leave for any of the wrong reasons. Sometimes students give up when there is a relatively simple solution at hand if they only knew where to find the help they needed.”

After convocation in 2013, McLarty returned to his office to find a student waiting to uphold that pledge. He said it gave him a chance to direct the student to a place on campus that could help and to make a new friend in the process.

“In these last three years, a number of students have taken me up on the promise,” McLarty said. “Most were already packed up and ready to leave, but a few have given me the chance to help them find a solution to some problem they were facing. I don’t know how effective the pledge has been in helping students find a way to stay at Harding, but I am confident that it has been a way to communicate to students and parents how much we care.”

Care is the exact sentiment Collins hopes convocation communicates to students.

“These students worked hard to get here,” he said. “They give us purpose, and they inspire us to do a better job. We want them to know that we’re here for them and completely invested in their academic and spiritual growth, and we can’t wait to see what God has in store for them during their time at Harding.”