ABAC schedules on-campus Welcome Week Activities from August 5-9

TIFTON — Entering freshmen will experience college life for the first time on Aug. 5 with the start of the annual Welcome Week activities at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. Celebrating its 10th year in its current format, Welcome Week introduces new students to the college through a number of activities and experiences, leading to the start of the fall semester on Aug. 10.

Welcome Week begins with First-Year Move-In at 1 p.m. for all students attending orientation on Aug. 5. Remaining freshmen and returning students can move into ABAC Place and ABAC Lakeside on Aug. 6 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The day’s events culminate with a Glow Party in Lakeside Lobby from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.

On Aug. 7, two sessions of College 101 will be held in Gressette Gym. These sessions are designed to give students the tools needed to be successful in college. Students will be notified as to what session they will attend. The first session will meet in the gym from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m., and the second session will follow from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Students should bring their student ID with them to all Welcome Week events.

Keynote speaker Tom Krieglstein, co-founder of Swift Kick, will talk about student leadership on Aug. 7 at 7 p.m. in Gressette Gym. Krieglstein, and co-founder Kevin Prentiss, have worked with over 550 schools and trained over 200,000 campus leaders through Swift Kick.

Their work has been named the best student leadership training program five times by the Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities and is the only program to ever win the award three years in a row. Through Krieglstein’s work in education, he also created The Student Affairs Collective as the ultimate online community of peer-to-peer learning for Student Affairs Professionals.

Following Krieglstein’s speech, there will be an 8:45 p.m. meeting in Gressette Gym for all freshmen living on campus. A number of activities will take place on Aug. 8, beginning with the ABAC Bookstore Open House for freshmen from 9 a.m. to noon. Students can also meet with their assigned Stallion Society member at this time for answers to their questions and to find classrooms before a lunch break from noon to 2 p.m.

The annual Town and Gown Connection will take place Aug. 8 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in Gressette Gym. Local businesses and churches will pull out all the stops to welcome ABAC students — both new and returning. Free food, games, school supplies, coupons, and job applications will be available at this event. At 7:30 p.m., Dr. William Mitchell, a hypnotist, will entertain all ABAC students.

On Aug. 9, the Freshman Convocation begins at 11 a.m. in Gressette Gym. Students will meet at 10 a.m. for brunch in the Donaldson Dining Hall. The convocation signals the close of Welcome Week and the start of a new academic year on Aug. 10.

Students can change into more comfortable attire for the food and fun on the Lakeside Lawn following Convocation. Students are encouraged to come out and meet the ABAC faculty and staff. To culminate the Welcome Week festivities, students can take part in “So You Think You Can Tye-Dye” from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. A limited amount of shirts will be provided.