EVENT: Convocation Marks Start of New College Year

The College of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering of the University of Rochester will celebrate the beginning of the 2005-2006 academic session with traditional Convocation ceremonies at noon on Friday, Sept. 9, on Dandelion Square on the River Campus.

Convocation signals the return of the College community and gives students, faculty, and staff the chance to reconnect after the summer break and kick off the upcoming academic and social year. The ceremony includes presentation of the Goergen Awards for contributions to undergraduate education in the College. First presented in 1997, the awards are named for and sponsored by trustee and former board chairman Robert B. Goergen '60 and his wife, Pamela.

The formal ceremonies will be followed by a College-wide picnic for students, faculty, and staff on "The Grove" — the lawn between Library Road and Susan B. Anthony Halls. Classes in the College are canceled from noon until 2 p.m. so that members of the College community can attend the events.

Convocation initiates the annual Yellowjacket Weekend celebration. Following the picnic, the Fall Activities Fair, which showcases the more than 200 student clubs and organizations on campus, will be held at 3 p.m. on Dandelion Square.

In case of rain, the Convocation ceremonies will be held in Strong Auditorium, picnic fare will be served in Douglass Dining Hall, and the Activities Fair will take place in the Field House of the Robert B. Goergen Athletic Center. Other Yellowjacket Weekend activities include a show by comedian Hal Sparks on Friday night and an away football game on Saturday at St. John Fisher College.