About The Tradition
In the early days of higher education, the beginning of each academic year was marked by a ceremonial display of symbolic meaning. Part of the symbolism, pervasive in European universities and subsequently in American colleges, was a formal assembly of students and faculty to celebrate the educational journey. The ceremony was intended to bring the academic community together and serve as a platform from which scholarly endeavor could be launched.
Western New England College is mindful of its rich heritage and its character as an academic community. In form and content Fall Convocation is meant as a celebration. The ceremony seeks to recognize first year students who bring to the community their hopes and dreams for the future. Fall Convocation is likewise a means for calling attention to academic excellence by witnessing the induction of recent first year student into Alpha Lambda Delta, a national honor society for freshmen. This model of excellence is held up for new first year students to emulate. Fall Convocation also represents an opportunity to call attention to the shared educational premise of intellectual inquiry and personal development represented by the First Year Student Academic Achievement Awards. It is indeed symbolic of the excitement and promise which each first year student
brings to the Western New England College community.
In the ceremony, faculty and students both wear academic garb as was done in early higher education. This allows us to recall the tradition and legacy of higher education. Furthermore, students are reminded that the cap worn during Fall Convocation will once again be worn at the time of graduation. Students are asked to display the cap as a constant reminder of their goal toward commencement. It is that symbolism which conveys the real meaning of the assembly.
Click Here for Pictures of Fall Convocation 2009