{"id":33894,"date":"2024-08-26T16:48:32","date_gmt":"2024-08-26T20:48:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/?p=33894"},"modified":"2024-08-28T10:58:50","modified_gmt":"2024-08-28T14:58:50","slug":"convocation-highlights-furmans-opportunities-to-grow-together","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/convocation-highlights-furmans-opportunities-to-grow-together\/","title":{"rendered":"Convocation highlights Furman\u2019s opportunities to grow \u2013 together"},"content":{"rendered":"

Like a purple river flowing through campus, the Class of 2028 made their way Monday morning in a procession from Paladin Stadium to McAlister Auditorium for this year\u2019s opening convocation.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The banner-bearers at the head of the crowd of first-year and transfer students were greeted by rows of faculty and staff, applauding the new class as they filed into the auditorium. See <\/span><\/span>this story<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a> for details on the first-year class.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

President Elizabeth Davis recalled for them her experience as a first-year student at Baylor University. She was confident but said for the mos<\/span>t part she hadn\u2019t been exposed to the world at large. She had not travelled internationally or spent much time with people who looked different or lived differently than she did.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

President Elizabeth Davis speaks during Convocation at McAlister Auditorium on Monday morning, August 26, 2024.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI encourage each of you to challenge the beliefs you arrived here with, just as I eventually challenged mine,\u201d she said. \u201cNot to change your values, but to deepen your understanding of yourself and your place in the world.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Davis recognized the Pathways program as one of the most innovative advising programs in the country, and one that will guide these students during their Furman journey. Along their paths, they\u2019ll apply the lessons they learn at Furman in internships, research and study away.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But the university also offers students the opportunity to push themselves to greater heights.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLearning and growth happen at the very edge of our comfort zone,\u201d said <\/span>Student Government Association<\/span><\/a> President Yaseen Echekki \u201925.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A

Yaseen Echekki \u201925, president of the Student Government Association, speaks during Convocation at McAlister Auditorium on Monday morning, August 26, 2024.<\/p><\/div>\n

Echekki encouraged students to introduce themselves to people they don\u2019t know in the dining hall, attend tailgate events or take big steps such as studying abroad for a semester. While he welcomed the first-year and transfer students to their new home, he encouraged them to build the relationships that will push them out of their comfort zones.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Claire Whitlinger, associate professor of sociology and founder and co-director of the Intergroup Dialogue Program, finds herself embracing discomfort and remarked that \u201cgrowth rarely comes without it.\u201d Her address to the students at convocation centered on her work with intergroup dialogues rooted in guiding students through intentional conversations and developing skills that make it easier to hold conversations with people they might disagree with. The program is part of On Discourse, Furman\u2019s initiative to encourage and engage in healthy discourse.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Claire Whitlinger, associate professor of Sociology, gives the address during Convocation at McAlister Auditorium on Monday morning, August 26, 2024.<\/p><\/div>\n

College gives students the chance to do that. For many, it may be the only time they\u2019ll live, work and learn alongside people whose experiences and lives are different from their own.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat an opportunity, and a rare one at that,\u201d Whitlinger said. \u201cIt is by sharing our deep convictions, engaging in spirited disagreement and finding a path forward that we practice the very principles of democratic life.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Connecting and working through conflict may be this generation\u2019s most important work, Davis said in her closing remarks.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cSupport and challenge each other to consider new ideas, to hear and appreciate other points of view and to constantly seek knowledge,\u201d Davis said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Class of 2028 is celebrated at Furman University with the annual convocation celebration. Students, faculty and staff participated to welcome the incoming class and highlight what it means to be a Paladin.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":401,"featured_media":33866,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,30],"tags":[102,1376,2305,2348,2983,2067],"class_list":["post-33894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-student-life","category-top-stories","tag-convocation","tag-faculty","tag-first-year-experiences","tag-first-year-students","tag-staff","tag-students"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33894","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/401"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33894"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33894\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33922,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33894\/revisions\/33922"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33866"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33894"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33894"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33894"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}