Incoming Niagara University Students Encouraged to ‘Embrace Change’
Friday afternoon may have marked the first time that “The Wave” was ever performed prior to a collegiate convocation. Regardless of its historical perspective, the spontaneously enthusiastic actions of the Gallagher Center audience put into context the build-up of excitement for Niagara University’s 16th annual New Student Convocation.
The bookend event has become a rite of passage at NU. It represents the first time that incoming freshmen, transfers and veteran-students are officially called together as a class. It’s also the final orientation activity that new Purple Eagles and their families attend in unison before, as Niagara’s associate provost, Dr. Henrik Borgstrom, put it, “parents let their sons and daughters soar.”
During the convocation, Dr. Timothy O. Ireland, provost, told the crowd that he began his tenure as a college student 37 years ago on an 80-degree, sun-soaked day like this one, remarking at how quickly time passes.
“I still remember my feelings as a first-year student,” he said. “And I guarantee that many of you are feeling what I felt so long ago: a little anxious, a little nervous and very excited.
“My recommendation to you is to embrace the entirety of the experience.”