Convocation Kicks off 2022 Academic Year

NC State officially welcomed its largest, most diverse first-year class ever at New Student Convocation this weekend. More than 5,600 first-year students and 1,300 transfer students started classes today. 

At Convocation this Sunday, the NC State marching band and cheerleaders kicked off the event with a performance and taught students the words to the Red and White song and Alma Mater. The incoming class was then greeted by Chancellor Randy Woodson and Student Body President McKenzie Heavlin. Keynote speaker Kofi Boone, the Joseph D. Moore Distinguished Professor of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning for NC State’s College of Design, also addressed the crowd in Reynolds Coliseum. 

“There’s a difference between skills and knowledge,” Boone said. “Knowledge requires you to grapple with issues and test and fail. At the end, you’ll receive the technical skills that you need to succeed, but knowledge happens through critical thinking.

Watch the Full Ceremony Here

Doneka Scott, vice chancellor and dean of the Division of Academic and Student Affairs, also addressed students at Convocation.

“We are here to celebrate you as you embark on one of the most profound periods of transformation in your lives,” she said. “Today, I want us to make a pact… Tell each of your classmates, ‘I expect to see you here at commencement because, collectively, we will do this. We will make a difference.’”

At the end of the event, students opened envelopes they received upon arrival, which contained their graduation tassels to remind them what they are working towards. The crowd then ventured to Stafford Commons for the official Class of 2026 photo and free Howling Cow ice cream.
Read more about NC State’s record-breaking class here.