Shorter College Prepares for Opening of Fall Semester

Activity is picking up on the Shorter College campus as students have begun arriving for the fall semester. Student athletes returned earlier this month and are already practicing for their new seasons. Incoming freshmen and transfers will arrive Saturday, Aug. 16, and classes begin Wednesday, Aug. 20.

“We are expecting a large number of new students and could see another year of record enrollment,” said Dawn Tolbert, Shorter’s director of institutional relations. “Traditional student enrollment is expected to be near 1,100, and we have an exciting schedule of activities to welcome the new students to the Shorter family and to greet the returning students.”

Beginning Sunday, Aug. 17, incoming freshmen will take part in the inaugural Camp Hawk. Held at a camp facility in Alabama, Camp Hawk will offer students “an off-campus retreat before school starts,” according to Emily Messer, director of student activities at the college. “Our new freshmen will have the opportunity to make new friends, create fun memories, and enter into their first year of college with pride. Camp Hawk should be a great start to their time at Shorter.” In addition, new transfer students will be treated to a Rome Braves Game on Monday, Aug. 18.

Returning students arrive on campus beginning Tuesday, Aug. 19, as they move into residence halls and enjoy a Back-to-School Bash that evening. Evening activities continue throughout the week.

The culmination of the opening week will be the convocation ceremony at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 22. At the event, Shorter College President Dr. Harold E. Newman will officially open the college’s 136th academic year. The featured speaker for the event will be Jonathan Merritt, a religion and culture writer who also serves as spokesperson for the Southern Baptist Environment and Climate Initiative. His remarks are part of a yearlong theme promoting the importance of caring for the environment.

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