HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — It’s a fresh beginning for members of Marshall University’s Class of 2022 who were joining their older peers for the start of the 2018 Fall Semester on Monday morning in Huntington.
“It’s just a great feeling to see the start of this fall semester,” said Dr. Jerome Gilbert, president of Marshall University.
The first freshmen arrived in Huntington for Marshall’s Week of Welcome on Aug. 14.
The Week of Welcome included a family picnic for those with news students, the Class of 2022 picnic, the President’s Convocation, RecFest and Taste of Huntington.
“It’s a very magical time in the life of a young person,” Gilbert said.
The initial freshman class worth one credit, UNI 100, began during the Week of Welcome offering an introduction to the academic structures and expectations of college life.
UNI 100 continues into the fall as one component of the overall “First Year Experience.”
Gilbert said the goal is to ensure students who start at Marshall stay at Marshall.
“It’s very important early on to establish a sense of belonging in the students with the University and also to make sure that, if there are any obstacles or difficulties that freshman encounter early on their careers, that we help them get over those obstacles,” he said.
Free resources available to all Marshall students include tutoring services and writing assistance.
Returning students moved into on campus housing at Marshall on Saturday and Sunday.
In all, more than 13,000 students attend Marshall University.
“To see the students back on campus it sort of breathes new life back into the University which is the great thing about the return of fall,” Gilbert said. “It’s such an exciting period.”
Marshall’s 2018 Fall Semester runs through exam week which starts on Dec. 10.