On August 28, Barnard College began greeting returning, first-year, transfer, and international students with a robust lineup of engaging activities, on and off campus. As part of the New Student Orientation Program (NSOP) — August 28 to September 1 — students enjoyed a lively welcome thanks to the College’s long-standing traditions of Move-In Day and New Student Convocation.
Dive Into NSOP
This year’s NSOP program, titled “Dive In: An Ocean of Possibilities,” includes events designed by current students to introduce their incoming peers to all of the resources available to them during their time at Barnard. The five-day series consists of 180 activities to choose from, ranging from workshops that cover the basics — such as course registration and holistic wellness — to guided, city-wide “B’scursions,” like kayaking along the Hudson River, visiting thrift stores downtown, and strolling the High Line’s 1.45-mile-long public park built on a historic elevated freight rail line.
“We are so excited to celebrate this huge milestone in our students’ lives as new members of the Barnard community and their incredible achievement of being accepted into one of the most prestigious colleges in the country,” said Catlin Michael Wojtkowski, director of Student Experience and Engagement (SEE).
NSOP, coordinated through the offices of Campus-Wide Programs and SEE, is made possible by a student-led committee of Orientation leaders and crew captains. As current student leaders guide the five-day stretch with firsthand insight, practical advice, and peer-to-peer interaction, the program fosters an inclusive environment for all new students — supporting a seamless transition into College life.
“[We] encourage students to take their NSOP experience as one of the only chances they will have to connect with peers and the institution without the stresses of classes or homework,” said Wojtkowski. “They deserve the opportunity to get to know their new home away from home — and NSOP is the perfect way to do so.”
Honoring tradition, new students will engage with this year’s Barnard Reads selection, A College of Her Own: The History of Barnard by Robert A. McCaughey, emeritus professor of history. In conversation with other community members — faculty, staff, and alumnae — students have the opportunity to discuss the text and how the College has been shaped by its mission, values, and history.
xyz
Convocation 2024
The pomp and celebration continued with Barnard’s annual Convocation at the historic Riverside Church. Incoming students and members of their families — along with faculty, trustees, and staff — assembled to form a crowd of approximately 1,700 people who cheered with excitement to formally mark the start of an academic year filled with new and exciting opportunities. The ceremony was followed by a welcome dinner for students with community members and a campus-wide party.
President Laura Ann Rosenbury provided the ceremony’s most anticipated remarks, setting the tone for the new year: “The Class of 2028 is one of the most diverse classes in Barnard’s history. You grew up in cities in rural areas and suburbs all over the world. Many of you are the first in your families to go to college, where others are second-, third-, or even fourth-generation Barnard. You have a wide range of beliefs, passions, and hopes for the future. We chose you because of these diverse experiences and diverse worldviews.”
President Rosenbury continued, saying, “Our mission as a college is to engage in intellectual risk-taking and discovery, and to fulfill that mission, we need students, faculty, and staff with different mindsets and different perspectives. This diversity helps us to dig deeper, to look at the world in new ways, and to be more nuanced and creative in our approaches to society’s opportunities and challenges.”
For students who are unsure of how to begin their academic career on campus, President Rosenbury offered several suggestions. “Sign up for that STEM class that might be out of your comfort zone or the dance class that might be similarly frightening. Take advantage of a research program, and always remember that you’re in a city of possibility,” she advised. “Seek out an internship at the Met or at one of the best finance firms in the world or at City Hall or the U.N., all with the help of our amazing Beyond Barnard team, who will be with you from now until the end of your time here and beyond.”
Rebecca L. Walkowitz, Provost, Dean of the Faculty, and Claire Tow Professor of English, offered greetings from the faculty by reminding the audience of Barnard’s century-plus history of educating generations of trailblazing women. “About 100 years ago, Margaret Mead, an anthropologist who advocated for women’s sexual freedom, graduated in the Class of 1923; Anne Anastasi, a leading psychologist and Medal of Science winner, graduated in the Class of 1928; [and] Zora Neale Hurston, an eminent author and the first Black student at Barnard, also graduated in 1928,” said Provost Walkowitz. “You follow in their footsteps. I can’t wait to see what you will do — and what you will become. I encourage you to ask questions, to pursue your goals, and most of all I encourage you to discover goals that you didn’t know you had.”
Watch the full video of the Convocation ceremony, below:
Leslie Grinage, Vice President for Campus Life & Student Experience and Dean of the College, encouraged students to always be their authentic selves, to make time to get to know each other, and to keep learning new things. “Each student here today, whether from across the world or from right here in New York City, brings something to this campus that distinguishes them from among their peers,” said Dean Grinage. “So I encourage you to challenge any assumptions you’ve made about anyone else by looking a little deeper, asking questions, and getting to know them.”
“What a thrill it was earlier today and these last few weeks watching you move in. We are incredibly proud of this class,” said Jennifer G. Fondiller ’88, Vice President for Enrollment and External Affairs. “You made it, you earned it. We can’t wait to watch you take off here.”
Click through the photos below, highlighting snapshots from some of the day's events:
