Freshmen will receive their maple leaf class pins during Convocation

UNC Asheville is gearing up to welcome some 572 freshmen to campus on Friday to kick off the fall semester.

Freshmen will check into residence halls on the morning of Friday, Aug. 15. Transfer students will move into the residence halls on Saturday, Aug. 16. Returning students will move in on Sunday and Monday, Aug. 17-18. Some 86 UNC Asheville faculty and staff will be on hand to help freshman and their parents with the move.

A highlight of freshman orientation will be a formal convocation ceremony at 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 17, on UNC Asheville's Quad. Begun at UNC Asheville in 1985, Convocation is rooted in centuries-old academic tradition. The ceremony will include the presentation of the Class of 2012 pins to each student and the presentation of the Class of 2012 Maple Tree, which will be planted on campus. Kevin Moorhead, the 2008 recipient of the Award for Excellence in Teaching from the University of North Carolina’s Board of Governors, will give the keynote address entitled "What Are You Bringing to the Table?"

Classes for all students begin Tuesday, Aug. 19.

For more information on the start of school, call the University at 828/232-5000 or click on www.unca.edu.