Goshen College welcomes Class of 2012 this weekend, classes to begin

GOSHEN, Ind. — The 2008-09 academic year is ready to start and members of the Goshen College Class of 2012 are beginning their college journeys this weekend when they move in and participate in orientation activities.

First-year students will check in (at the Church-Chapel Fellowship Hall) and move into Kratz, Miller and Yoder residence halls from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 30. Returning students arrive Sunday afternoon. Athletes and student leaders moved in earlier during the week. Classes begin Sept. 1 at 7 p.m.

Orientation activities during the weekend range from moving into residence halls to a Sunday morning worship service to a retreat time at Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center.

Schedule for new and returning students to Goshen College:
Saturday, Aug. 30
8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. – Check-in at College Mennonite Church Fellowship Hall. New students may move in to their residence halls during this time also. Fall sport athletes and returning theater students are assisting with moving in.
2-3 p.m. – Welcome convocation for students and parents into the Goshen College community, Church-Chapel
5 p.m. – Presidential picnic for new students, their families, faculty and staff on College Green, north of the Administration Building

Sunday, Aug. 31
10-11 a.m. – Parents' Council brunch for students and parents, Schrock Plaza
11 a.m. – Worship service for new students and parents, Church-Chapel
12 p.m. – Parents say goodbye and depart.
2-8 p.m. – New and transfer students spend the afternoon getting acquainted, doing challenge course activities and having fun at Merry Lea Environmental Center near Wolf Lake, Ind., located 40 minutes southeast of Goshen.
2-8 p.m. – Returning students arrive and move in.

Monday, Sept. 1
12 p.m. – Check-in for returning students.
7 p.m. – Evening classes begin.

Tuesday, Sept. 2
8 a.m. – Fall day classes begin.
Noon – Students depart for semester in China through Study-Service Term, south end of the Union.
8 p.m. – Ice cream social for all students, hosted by College Mennonite Church in Schrock Plaza.

Wednesday, Sept. 3
10 a.m. – Opening convocation with President James E. Brenneman, in Church-Chapel

Thursday, Sept. 4
7 a.m. – Students depart for semester in Peru and Jamaica through Study-Service Term, south end of the Union.

All news media are invited and welcome to attend. For directions and a campus map, visit: www.goshen.edu/aboutgc/map.php.

What is new this year at Goshen College?

• Students will study abroad this semester in China, Jamaica and Peru. This is the 40^th anniversary of the college's Study-Service Term, a pioneering program in study abroad (we will especially celebrate this during Homecoming Weekend, Oct. 3-5). The students in China will be living with host families throughout the entire semester – the first time in the college's experience in China, and the first college to have such a study abroad program in China.
• The college's second master's degree program in environmental education began at Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center (Wolf Lake, Ind.) in July. Students receive a master's degree through the program in one year.
• The college's Communication Department has three new majors beginning this fall: broadcasting, journalism and public relations.
• Out of 4,000 colleges and universities in the country, Goshen was ranked 159th by Forbes.com recently. And "U.S.News & World Report" ranked the college among the best 32 colleges and universities with outstanding study abroad programs and sixth for the percentage of graduates studying abroad, with 85 percent, in the 2009 "America's Best Colleges" rankings.
• And the college has implemented an early application deadline for prospective students of Dec. 15 this year.

Editors: Photographers are welcome at any of the events listed. For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college's Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron's Best Buys in Education, "Colleges of Distinction," "Making a Difference College Guide" and U.S.News & World Report's "America's Best Colleges" edition, which named Goshen a "least debt college." Visit www.goshen.edu.