\u201cTo our faculty, staff and returning students joining us today, welcome back,\u201d Davis told the crowd of nearly 1,000. \u201cTo our incoming students, welcome to your new home. We are glad you are here.\u201d<\/p>\n
The president’s welcome followed processional music from the Furman Brass Quartet and Furman Singers, while the center aisles of the auditorium became a sea of light gray and purple as students in their Class of 2025 T-shirts filled the seats. Faculty and staff in academic regalia were seated onstage in rows behind Davis as she addressed the students in the orchestra seats.<\/p>\n
The ceremony was also a chance to reaffirm the school\u2019s values and priorities, the president said, including the drive to \u201ccreate a thriving community in which every member feels a sense of belonging.\u201d That process includes a reckoning with the university\u2019s history and a desire to honor \u201cthe whole Furman family,\u201d said Davis, pointing to the creation of Joseph Vaughn Plaza<\/a> and the renaming of two campus landmarks.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t be afraid to seek or acknowledge the truth, even if it is sometimes painful or disappointing,\u201d she advised the students. \u201cYou are on a journey at a place like no other, with people who are dedicated to your success.\u201d<\/p>\n Members of the Class of 2025 proceed down the Mall toward McAlister Auditorium for the Fall 2021 Opening Convocation.<\/p><\/div>\n Furman\u2019s recent students may \u201cforever be known as the COVID classes,\u201d said Student Government Association President Asha Marie Larson-Baldwin \u201922<\/a>. \u201cBut I\u2019m proud to acknowledge and celebrate our courage, resilience and determination to move forward.\u201d<\/p>\n She also frankly acknowledged some of the personal challenges she has faced along the way.<\/p>\n \u201cThere have been times that I wondered if Furman was really where I was meant to call home,\u201d she told the audience. \u201cBut my struggles here have been met with incredible opportunities for growth \u2013 meaningful mentorship from professors and staff members, internships, study abroad experiences, research opportunities, leadership positions and so much more.\u201d<\/p>\n Her advice to her peers: Dive into what your college has to offer.<\/p>\n \u201cThis community is just as much yours as it is mine and every other student\u2019s,\u201d she said. \u201cSo shape it. Change it. Make it better than how you found it. Build community, stand for inclusion and justice, and cultivate a sense of belonging in all the spaces you find yourself in.\u201d<\/p>\n\u2018Make it better than you found it\u2019<\/h3>\n
![\"Members](\"https:\/\/news.furman.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/20210823_FallConvocation-41.jpg\")
\u2018Celebrating the entire Furman family\u2019<\/h3>\n