FHU to Start a New School Year

New students will arrive on the Freed-Hardeman University campus Saturday, Aug. 20, to begin the 2011-12 school year. The school year will officially begin Aug. 25 with the traditional Tolling of the Bell and the first classes of the new semester.

C.J. Vires, vice president of academics, expects this year’s enrollment to meet or exceed last year’s figure of 1,992. A total of 430 new students have already registered in early registration days. Additional new students will register Monday morning, Aug. 22.
Operation Helping Hands will assist new students as they move into residence halls. This is just one of a host of activities to welcome and orient students.

Shelby White, from Jackson, is one of the freshmen who will be arriving on campus Aug. 20. She says, “For me, college is something that I’ve always looked forward to…I’m excited and nervous all at the same time! I am just so thankful for a place like Freed-Hardeman University where I know that I can grow as a person and develop life-long friendships and a stronger faith in God.”

Interface, a week-long program to welcome and orient new students, also begins Aug. 20. Students are organized into groups of approximately 25. The groups, each led by two upperclassmen, participate in the events together. Among the activities are the Mid-South Olympics, the Buffalo River Trip and the UPC carnival; students also receive information about the campus, their dorms and new technology.

Technology will be the focus for Wednesday’s “Power Up.” New students will be instructed in the features of their MacBooks and the iKnow apps. They will also learn about Blackboard and FHU Mobile, an app designed by senior computer science majors especially for FHU students.

The Faculty/Staff Conference and registration and advising of returning students will be conducted Aug. 23.

The Tolling of the Bell, which is the official opening ceremony for the academic year, is set for 10:30 a.m. in Loyd Auditorium. J. Walker Whittle, vice president emeritus, will be the Master of the Bell. This year marks the 12th annual tolling of the bell. The “master” rings the bell once for each decade of Freed-Hardeman and her predecessors’ existence. The bell itself was brought to the campus from the Southern Tennessee Normal and Business Institute in Essary’s Springs, Tenn., where A.G. Freed had a school.