This past Sunday was a bright, sunny (and windy!) day for welcoming the Stevens Class of 2015 to campus.
Approximately 1,500 people -- high school seniors and their family members -- attended the annual Accepted Students Reception, a day-long event to give accepted students the opportunity to celebrate their accomplishment and mingle with faculty, staff and current Stevens students to get a feel for all the opportunities that await them here in Hoboken. For half the accepted students attending, it was a chance to give Stevens a closer examination before confirming their decision to attend. The other half had, indeed, made Stevens their final choice.
In the morning, representatives from Career Development, Cooperative Education, Financial Aid, Health Services, Perfoming Arts, Residence Life & Dining Services, ROTC, Student Life, Athletics and Recreation, and Undergraduate Admissions were available to meet with accepted students and their families to answer questions and gather information.
The crowd filled the Canavan Arena to be welcomed by Dr. Maureen P. Weatherall, Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer. She gave the official "kick-off" to the day, giving special thanks to the students, faculty and staff who came out in full force to represent the University at the event and detailing to the families of the Class of 2015 the excellent return on investment they will receive as graduates of Stevens. She then turned the floor over to student speakers who spoke to attendees about their personal experiences at Stevens. Freshman Hannah Gasper and seniors Abel Alvarez and Julia Reilly (pictured L to R) shared their stories and helped paint a picture for the incoming freshmen of the opportunities that await them at Stevens.
Accepted students and their families also toured the campus and Stevens' first-class facilities and had the opportunity to speak with faculty in their programs about curricula and research. Faculty from every academic department represented all undergraduate programs, and the foot traffic through the Babbio Center did not let up for the entire two hours devoted to this part of the day. In addition to faculty interaction, specific points of interest during this "open tour of campus" were state-of-the-art labs, such as the Laboratory for Multiscale Imaging, the Davidson Lab, the Ultrafast Laser Spectroscopy and Communication Lab, and the Media Arts Center (MAC) Lab, as well as our Victorian-style theater, the DeBaun Auditorium, located in the iconic Edwin A. Stevens building. Varsity coaches were on-hand to meet with their recruited athletes, and more than 60 student clubs and organizations showcased their offerings and activities on Palmer Lawn as part of the Student Activities Fair. In addition, Stevens' women’s lacrosse and men's tennis teams were home on Sunday, allowing reception attendees to check out a game and cheer on the Ducks.
At the closing reception, Stevens students stole the show as the Stevens Jazz Band performed a great set. Stevens staff mingled with families and answered final questions as everyone enjoyed festive sweets and snacks. Many current students even turned out to welcome next year's class.
It was a beautiful day with a very impressive turn-out. Everyone at Stevens looks forward to welcoming the Class of 2015 to campus once again in the fall -- this time as official Ducks!
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