Move-In Day is one of my favorite days of the academic year at Marietta. It never gets old watching the incoming class during Move-In Day filter into Hermann Fine Arts Center to pick up their keys, get their registration stuff, and — their final stop before moving into their new homes — getting their picture taken by my office.

It’s a great time to meet the new students and talk with their families about where they’re coming from and ask if they have any questions. It’s a good way to help the parents relax about the move-in process and the fact that they’ll soon drive out of Marietta without their young adult. I tell them why we are taking the photo, and they’re excited to learn that we use them to accompany articles about the awesome achievements their son or daughter will have over the next four years. By the end of our conversation, mom and dad understand that everyone at and connected to the College is invested in their student’s success — from Day 1 of Year 1 to well beyond graduation — and that their student will have many opportunities to thrive at Marietta. I also inform them that Marietta’s alumni base, The Long Blue Line, have also created a support system that will last throughout their student’s lifetime.

This year, we welcomed more than 350 new students to campus — and they are full of promise. And while their first day living on campus was filled with personable interactions with staff, faculty and administrators, the Marietta College tradition means that those students will continue to have meaningful relationships and experiences that will continue well beyond their last day on campus.