WVU president welcomes students, thanks community ahead of new academic year
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To our Morgantown friends and neighbors,
This is one of my favorite times of the year. Energy is picking up across the City of Morgantown as thousands of new and returning West Virginia University students settle in ahead of the first day of classes on Aug. 18, the same day Monongalia County K-12 students pack their backpacks and board buses bound for our local schools.
I'll be going back to class myself starting later this month when I return to teaching with a course focused on World War I in the WVU Eberly College of Arts and Sciences Department of History.
It was President Harry S. Truman who said, "The only thing new in the world is the history you do not know." My students should expect heavy usage of such historical quotes throughout our semester together.
Leading up to the start of classes, the busiest arrival days during WVU Welcome Week will be Aug. 13-15 when residence hall move-in times are scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
To help minimize disruption in the community, we'll have staff members and volunteers working with our students and families to provide moving assistance, directions, and other information. University Police officers along with event and security staff will be helping get people where they need to go as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Welcome Week takes a lot of planning and coordination, and we sincerely thank you for your patience and understanding.
During Welcome Week, we provide a mix of activities for students with academic, service-related, and fun events including Sunday Night Lights for first-time students at Milan Puskar Stadium on Aug. 16, Academic Day Sessions on Aug. 17, and a new event -- the Mountaineer Midway and Movie from 6-10 p.m. Aug. 17, outside the Life Sciences Building on the Downtown area of campus.
The full schedule of Welcome Week events is available at https://www.wvu.edu/events/welcomeweek/.
Welcome Week activities are designed to build connections between our students so they feel like they belong here in Morgantown -- a vibrant city filled with friendly, dedicated people that offers a range of activities, events, and opportunities to create community.
Thank you for joining us in welcoming home our students.
Let's Go!
Michael T. Benson
President and Professor of History
West Virginia University
Michael T. Benson is the 27th president of West Virginia University.