22-Year Tradition Kicks Off Classes: Campus Awakening
Deepwood Hall lit up for Campus Awakening
Campus Awakening attendees receive candles
Dr. Leary addresses the crowd
Students pose with President Leary and Vice Provost Kathy Martin as the event kicks off
Professor Pat Drewniak
The crowd makes its way across campus
The group moving in towards Deepwood Circle
Everyone gathers in Deepwood Circle
Provost Melissa Morriss-Olson gives a good morning salute to the students
Monday, August 28, classes began with a 22-year-old tradition: Campus Awakening. Led by President Leary, Campus Awakening is a candlelit walk across campus early in the morning on the first day of classes for all students, highlighted by stops at various campus locations where faculty members light torches, symbolizing their role in igniting a passion for deeper learning in students. The tradition began when a group of students, in a gesture of fun, woke the President and the Bay Path campus community to gather and celebrate the morning sunrise. It quickly became a beloved rite of the first official day of classes.
Click through the slideshow to see some of the highlights from this event.