Convocation exercises formally begin the new school year at Covenant College on Monday, Sept. 1, at 11:00 a.m. in the Dora Maclellan Brown Memorial Chapel.
A Scottish pipe and drum corps comprised of students will lead the faculty, dressed in academic regalia, into the chapel. The ceremony will include an address by Covenant's chaplain, Dr. Donovan L. Graham, the installation of six new faculty members and an introduction of new students.
The college is expecting a record enrollment of approximately 1,270 students in its traditional undergraduate, Quest degree completion and Masters of Education programs.
The second largest freshman class in the college's history numbering 260 arrived on campus Saturday, August 23, for a week of orientation.
Covenant tied for eighth place in U.S. News & World Report's ranking of Best Comprehensive Colleges--Bachelor's (South). The college was also included in The Best Southeastern Colleges: 100 Great Schools to Consider published by Random House Princeton Review Books in August. Only 17 percent of the nation's 3,500 colleges were included in Princeton Review's regional guides.
Officials said Covenant's academic programs continue to expanded to meet the demands of a growing student body. Students called to the study and practice of the visual arts now have their own major. Veteran art professor Ed Kellogg explained that there has been an increasing demand in recent years for an art major among current and prospective students and parents. "As we continued growing as an institution, we were aware of the importance of balance within our curriculum and one thing that was needed was to develop the area of the visual arts," he added.
The Education Department has added another minor to its list of offerings--Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL). The minor can prepare students to teach in an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program in Georgia public schools or find employment teaching English abroad.
Wallace R. Anderson, vice president for admissions and enrollment management; Ms. Diana D. Cochran, assistant professor of modern languages; Dr. Kevin J. Eames, director of the Kaleo Center; John E. Holberg, instructional and reference services librarian; Caleb C. Ludwick, director of the academic internship program; and Dr. L. Allen Slade, associate professor of business, will be installed as new faculty members during the convocation ceremony on Monday.