Welcome, Class of 2019! And, welcome back, returning Hatters, for the 2015-16 academic year at Stetson University! This year’s undergraduate enrollment numbers are record-setting at more than 1,000 first-time college students. With transfer students numbering almost 100, Stetson is on track to open the new academic year with the largest entering group of students in Stetson’s 132-year history.

Beginning Saturday, Aug. 15, and continuing through Wednesday, Aug. 19, Stetson’s DeLand campus will be home to the FOCUS (Friends On Campus Uniting Students) five-day comprehensive orientation program to help new students enjoy a successful transition to life at Stetson.

New students will move into their residence halls beginning Saturday, start their First Year Seminar classes on Sunday and spend time with their new classmates at FOCUS events orienting themselves to life as a Hatter. The 2015 FOCUS Orientation Schedule includes important information about academic programs, as well as information about when/where the Class of 2019 photo will be taken and when the ice cream social is scheduled. Check it out. There is never a dull moment on campus during FOCUS!

On Wednesday, Aug. 19, at 5:30 p.m. in the Edmunds Center, all students, faculty and staff are invited to participate in Stetson’s 2015 Convocation, a special Hatter tradition which signifies the formal opening of the new academic year. The processional begins at 5:15 p.m., led by the graduate students. This year’s Convocation guest speaker is Tyler Herbert, a 2006 Stetson graduate, who currently lives in New York City, and works with the acquisition group at Invesco Global Real Estate, seeking to identify and purchase commercial investments in the Washington, D.C., NYC and Boston markets. With a B.B.A. in Finance from Stetson, and an M.B.A. from the University of Oxford, Herbert served on Stetson’s School of Business Administration Board of Advisors for four years. When he was a student at Stetson, he was a member of the Roland George Investments Program and played on the men’s soccer team. Currently, he is training to compete in an Ironman in November. He serves on the board of Youth Factor, a non-profit that he co-founded with fellow Stetson alumnus Matthew Morton, that focuses on empowering youth to affect change in communities, programs and policy. Herbert is married to Lauren Prince, a desk reporter in the International Breaking News division with NBC News in New York.

Following Convocation, activities will include a dinner for students, faculty, staff and family members. The evening’s entertainment will include face-painting, caricature artists, balloon twisters and more!

All students will begin their regular classes on Thursday, Aug. 20. To celebrate a successful start to the fall semester, on Friday, Aug. 21, students can attend their first Green Friday at Soccer Splash Night at 6 p.m. by the Wilson Center. Slip n’ slides, mini pools, free food, drinks and prizes will be offered to students. Stick around until 7 p.m. to watch Stetson’s first women’s soccer game of the year. We hope to see everyone there cheering the Hatters on to victory against Florida Atlantic University. On Saturday, Aug. 22, don’t miss the Inter-Squad Football Scrimmage at Spec Martin Stadium.

GO HATTERS!

by Nicole Melchionda