Scholar, political activist, and author Angela Davis, center, arrives at Schlegel Hall to meet with students before her talk, “The University’s Role in Educating Students to be Engaged Citizens,” part of the series Difficult Conversations as a Catalyst for Change. (University of Rochester photo / J. Adam Fenster)

As the University photographer, J. Adam Fenster sees—and subsequently documents—more than the average person at Rochester. Here he picks some of his favorite photos and gives us a behind-the-scenes look at what makes each special.

Lee Koonce ’96E (MM), president and artistic director of the Gateways Music Festival, delivers remarks at a memorial service for University Vice President Emeritus and University Dean Emeritus Paul Burgett ’68E, ’76E (PhD) yesterday afternoon. Burgett championed the festival, a multiday series of concerts, performances, and other events designed to provide classical musicians of African descent a performance showcase of their own. (University photo by J. Adam Fenster)

In the first of an ongoing initiative to bring challenging conversations to campus, Donald Hall (right), the Robert L. and Mary L. Sproull Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Sciences & Engineering, welcomed basketball icon and activist Kareem Abdul Jabbar to meet with students and host a talk on the issues dividing America, including racism, economic inequality, and social injustice. “Basically we have to overcome fear … That type of bigotry has no basis in logic,” Abdul Jabbar told the audience in the Palestra last night. “We have to learn to appreciate that people of intelligence come in all shapes and sizes and colors, and if we don’t learn to appreciate that then I think we’re just doomed as a species.” (University photo by J. Adam Fenster)

From left, Amanda Cabal ’18 (T5), Suzie Ziegler ’19, Brian Schonfeld ’19 and Sam Rusoff ’19 take a break on a warm fall day to enjoy a game of spikeball on Eastman quadrangle. (University of Rochester photo / J. Adam Fenster)
WATCH: What is Spikeball?

NROTC midshipmen Vanessa Carollo ’21, and Rochester Institute of Technology students Julie Nguyen and Daniel Sause take the first shift in a vigil on Eastman Quadrangle to honor members of local university communities who were killed in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. (University of Rochester photo / J. Adam Fenster)

Members of incoming Class of 2022 pose for their class photo on Monday before heading out into the Rochester community for the annual Wilson Day of service. The class totals  more than 1,300 students from 47 states (plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico) and 76 nations and is the most select yet, with 29 percent admitted from more than 20,000 College applicants. (University of Rochester photo / J. Adam Fenster)

Ankit Dahal receives his white coat from professor of surgery David Kaufman as the School of Medicine & Dentistry welcome members of the Class of 2022 and the annual Dr. Robert L. & Lillian H. Brent White Coat Ceremony. (University of Rochester photo / J. Adam Fenster)

Students kick-off Springfest Weekend with Dandelion Day, and end-of-the-semester celebration and one of the University’s oldest traditions featuring rides on the quad, concerts, games, food, and giveaways. (University of Rochester photo / J. Adam Fenster)

More than 2,000 guests including 40 members of Congress gathered Friday to celebrate the life of Louise Slaughter, the longtime US representative for the Rochester area and much of western New York. The memorial service was held at the University’s Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre and featured remarks by Slaughter’s children and grandchildren, friends and government officials. (University photo / J. Adam Fenster)