SUNY Potsdam Welcomes Students with Fireworks and Flurry of Activities Next Week

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POTSDAM, NY (08/22/2014)(readMedia)-- SUNY Potsdam will greet new and returning students to campus with a whirlwind of events in the next week, as the 2014-15 academic year kicks off. The College's 2014 Welcome Weekend will be offered from Thursday, Aug. 28 to Sunday, Aug. 31.

New incoming students from the Class of 2018 will arrive on campus during the high-energy move-in day on Thursday, Aug. 28, beginning at 10 a.m. More than 850 freshmen and their families will be buzzing around campus and the village getting acquainted with the area and university life.

SUNY Potsdam faculty and staff will gather for the high-energy First-Year Funnel at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 28, to give the incoming freshmen a rousing welcome to campus. Campus community members will cheer on and high-five the long line of new students as they walk from the Barrington Student Union to the Academic Quad.

The Class of 2018 will then plant a tree in the Academic Quad at 4:15 p.m., followed by their first official class photo.

Immediately following, the first-year students will attend the New Student Convocation and Campus Welcome at 4:45 p.m. in the Helen M. Hosmer Concert Hall at SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music. Speaker Stan Pearson II will offer a positive, empowering educational program on diversity.

On Friday, Aug. 29, all first-year and transfer students will attend the College's extended orientation to get to know more about the campus. SUNY Potsdam will honor the new students that evening, with a fireworks display at 9 p.m. in Marshall Park on campus. Then, the new students will be treated to an outdoor movie, "Captain America."

Several welcome back activities, including recreation events, will be offered during the New Student Activity Day on Saturday, Aug. 30 from 2 to 5 p.m. in Lehman Park. The event features a giant "slip 'n slide," cooperative games, canoeing and kayaking.

Also returning this year is the Crane New Student Ensemble Concert, showcasing the talents of incoming Crane School of Music orchestral students as they perform a piece all together -- with little to no practice beforehand. The concert will take place at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 30 in Hosmer Hall. This event is free, and the public is invited to attend.

The College's annual Welcome Weekend Carnival will be offered on Sunday, Aug. 31 from 1 to 5 p.m. in the Maxcy Hall Field House. The goal of this event is to bring the campus community together to kick-off the academic year, while welcoming both new and returning students to campus.

Representatives from student clubs and organizations will staff a wide variety of carnival activities throughout the day. During this time, student leaders will also have the opportunity to promote their organizations, with the goal of motivating increased student participation in leadership activities on campus. The event is free for students, faculty, staff and families.

There will be a variety of carnival games and activities, including a tie-dying station, indoor rock wall climbing, bumper cars on ice, a do-it-yourself street sign booth and more. Maxcy Hall will also offer open swim and open ice skating sessions.

Returning students will move in throughout the weekend. The Fall 2014 semester kicks off on Monday, Sept. 1, with classes commencing that morning.

To cap off the start of the semester, SUNY Potsdam students will once again be invited to the tenth annual "First Saturday" in downtown Potsdam, co-sponsored by Clarkson University on Saturday, Sept. 6 from noon to 5 p.m.

There will be a variety of "First Saturday" contests and activities to introduce students to the Village of Potsdam and participating businesses. Student performing groups from both SUNY Potsdam and Clarkson will perform throughout the day on the Market Street main stage.

To find out more about what's going on at SUNY Potsdam this fall, explore www.potsdam.edu.

Founded in 1816, and located on the outskirts of the beautiful Adirondack Park, The State University of New York at Potsdam is one of America's first 50 colleges. SUNY Potsdam currently enrolls approximately 4,300 undergraduate and graduate students. Home to the world-renowned Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam is known for its handcrafted education, challenging liberal arts and sciences core, excellence in teacher training and leadership in the performing and visual arts. Empowered by a culture of creativity, the campus community recently launched Take the Lead: The Campaign for Potsdam, which aims to raise $27 million by the College's bicentennial in 2016.

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