Goshen College welcomes Class of 2011 this weekend, classes to begin

GOSHEN, Ind. — The 2007-08 academic year is ready to start and members of the Goshen College Class of 2011 are beginning their college journeys this weekend when they move in and participate in orientation activities.

First-year students will check in (at the Church-Chapel Fellowship Hall) and move into Kratz, Miller and Yoder residence halls from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 25. Returning students arrive Sunday afternoon and this is the first year that the majority of college seniors will be living on campus. Athletes and student leaders moved in earlier during the week. Classes begin Aug. 27 at 7 p.m.

Orientation activities during the weekend range from moving into residence halls to a Sunday morning worship service to a retreat time at Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center.

Schedule for new and returning students to Goshen College:

Saturday, Aug. 25

8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. – Check-in at College Mennonite Church Fellowship Hall. Students may move in to their residence hall during this time also. Fall sport athletes and returning theater students are assisting with moving in.

2-3 p.m. – Welcome convocation for students and parents into the Goshen College community, Sauder Concert Hall

5 p.m. – Presidential picnic on College Green, north of the Administration Building

Sunday, Aug. 26

10-11 a.m. – Parents’ Council brunch for students and parents, Schrock Plaza

11 a.m. – Worship service for new students and parents, Sauder Concert Hall

12 p.m. – Parents say goodbye and depart.

2-8 p.m. – New and transfer students spend the afternoon getting acquainted, doing challenge course activities and having fun at Merry Lea Environmental Center near Wolf Lake, Ind., located 40 minutes southeast of Goshen.

2-8 p.m. – Returning students arrive and move in.

Monday, Aug. 27

12 p.m. – Check-in for returning students.

7 p.m. – Evening classes begin.

Tuesday, Aug. 28

8 a.m. – Fall day classes begin.

Wednesday, Aug. 29

10 a.m. – Opening convocation with President James E. Brenneman, “This we believe…,” in Sauder Concert Hall

Note that events which were previously scheduled for the Church-Chapel sanctuary have been moved to Sauder Concert Hall because of construction which will be completed in September. For directions and a campus map, visit: www.goshen.edu/aboutgc/map.php.

Editors: Photographers are welcome at any of the events listed. For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a four-year residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S.News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.