Ceremony to Open the Academic Year
Provost Peggy Agouris sent the following message to the campus community Aug. 18, 2020. - Ed.
Dear William & Mary community,
Please join us tomorrow, August 19 at 7 p.m. ET, for a virtual celebration as we mark the Opening of the Academic Year at William & Mary. Although our traditional Opening Convocation event will not take place in person this fall – and will be held at a later date – we are coming together virtually and with great anticipation as a community to welcome all of our students.
During Wednesday’s event, it will be more important than ever to convey the strength of this community and our support for one another. Joining me, to help inspire and set the tone for an uncharted semester, are:
- President Katherine A. Rowe
- Director of the National Air & Space Museum Dr. Ellen Stofan ’83, D.Sc. ’16
- Senior Class President Aria Austin
- Student Assembly President Anthony Joseph
I also want to call your attention to a related tradition that happens at this time of year, the creation of signs of welcome for students. You may have seen some of these in the past, and want to welcome new and returning students to the W&M community by creating a handmade or digital sign with your brief message. You can post an image to Twitter and/or Instagram using #wmWelcome. If your account is private, send a direct message to @william_and_mary on Instagram with your image.
For more on this year’s virtual program: https://www.wm.edu/offices/fye/convocation/opening/.
I look forward to joining you there.
Sincerely,
Peggy
