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Connecticut College welcomes "Centennial Class"

August 28, 2007

Connecticut College welcomed the 495 members of the class of 2011 on Saturday, the first day of the College´s freshman orientation. Already known around campus as the "Centennial Class," this year´s freshman class will have the distinct honor of graduating as the college marks the hundredth anniversary of its founding.

An extremely talented and diverse group, the newest camels represent 29 states, plus Puerto Rico, and have international backgrounds representing 35 countries, including Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, El Salvador, Ghana, Iceland, Jamaica, Mozambique, Netherlands, Senegal and Venezuela - countries that were not previously represented on campus.

Sixty students are the first in their families to attend college, a 28 percent increase from last year. Fifteen percent represent domestic students of color, up from 13 percent last year.

This year´s freshmen were chosen from an all-time record number of applicants - some 4,741 students applied, an increase of 11 percent from last year. Only 34 percent of applicants were accepted, and of those enrolled, 89 percent were in the top 20 percent of their high school class.

In the last few weeks, workers have been preparing for the arrival of the new freshmen, putting the finishing touches on this summer´s $9 million in campus renovations, which include major technology upgrades in classrooms, significant drainage and road improvements, new outdoor lighting and the renovation of both the Marshall and Hamilton residence halls.

At an assembly during their first day on campus, students were welcomed by President Leo I. Higdon Jr., college administrators, Alumni Association president Lynda Batter Munro ´76 P´08 and the president of the Student Government Association, Nicholas Sullivan. At the ceremony, freshmen received a small blue "passport" emblazoned with the college seal. Inside each was a short profile of a college alumnus and a blue rubber bracelet that says, "2011 Centennial Class."

The passports are a gift from the Connecticut College Alumni Association through the Office of Alumni Relations. They are given annually to each incoming class during orientation and serve as a symbol of unity among the college´s current students and 26,100 alumni. The program was launched by the alumni association in 1998 to remind freshmen and their families that they are becoming part of the college and its history.

The assembly kicked off a five-day orientation where students learn about everything from the college honor code to its study abroad and internship programs. They also meet with their faculty advisors, take placement tests, learn about community service opportunities and meet each other at a variety of social events like the annual "Batch Blast." Established in 1988 by an anonymous donor in honor of Esther Batchelder ´19, the annual social gathering on the green includes a visit from a hypnotist, games and a dance contest. On Saturday, Sept. 1, the freshmen will also participate in "New London 101," a seminar that takes students into New London and introduces them to the city and its culture.

The orientation week culminates with Convocation, a meeting of the entire college community to celebrate the formal beginning of the academic year, on Thursday, August 30, at 4:30 p.m. in Palmer Auditorium. Faculty recipients of the 2007 Nancy Batson Nisbet Rash Faculty Research Award, the 2007 John S. King Memorial Teaching Award and the 2007 Helen Brooks Regan Faculty Leadership Award will be announced at the ceremony, which will also include a welcome by President Higdon and a keynote speech by last year´s Rash Award winner, English Professor John Gordon.

For more information contact: Amy Martin (860) 439-2526; a.martin@conncoll.edu