DECATUR, Ill. – Before classes began for the fall semester of the 2025-26 academic year on Monday, first-year students of Millikin University’s new class came together one last time at the Kirkland Fine Arts Center for a night to reflect and get excited for the new year as the 2025 Opening Convocation ceremony marked the end of the activities of New Student Welcome Week.
A group of speakers, including Millikin’s new President, Dr. Dean Pribbenow, Associate Professor and University Seminar Coordinator Dr. Matthew Olsen, Vice President of Student Affairs Dr. Wallace Southerland, and the Political Science and Criminal Justice double-major Ameena Harris, shared uplifting ideas and messages to the group of more than 500 students who would begin their studies on Monday morning.
Pribbenow began the evening with a welcome to the students and brought several international students to the stage, representing the diverse group of 34 students from 21 different countries at Millikin this year.
“Traditions in our lives are important, and this convocation signals you're joining the Millikin University community,” Pribbenow said. “Convocation is in fact rooted in centuries of higher education conditions, faculty and academic regalia, a processional set to music, words of welcome from faculty, students, and administration, But I'd love us to remember that the heart of this tradition is not found in the particulars of the ceremony itself, but in the sense of community that it creates, and tonight we come together to gather our newest students into the fold as they join our family of teachers and learners, artists and athletes, servants, and leaders.”
Olsen was the recipient of the Dr. Ralph A. Czerwinski and Dr. Deborah L. Slayton Teaching Excellence and Leadership Award at the 2025 Honors Convocation last spring and shared his thoughts on the philosophical argument put forward by philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre that he “chose to be born.”
Harris serves as the President of the Black Student Union as well as the Kappa Zeta Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. She is an EDGE mentor, helping first-year students get a firm footing at college, and is a member of CoSA (Council of Student Advisors). She shared her message with the students of the Class of 2029 to ensure they got their money’s worth out of their tuition.
“I need you to squeeze every drop out of this experience, like it is the last Capri Sun on Earth,” she said. “I chose Millikin because, from the very beginning, many of the people here made me feel seen. The Admissions team treated me like a person and not just an application. I came here on a sunny day. I toured the campus with my parents. It's something about this place that just clicked. I have become a leader. I gained confidence and discovered my own strength, partly because this community believed in me when I didn't believe in myself. That is the magic of Millikin.”
Here’s a look back at the whirlwind of activities that made up Great Start New Student Welcome Week 2025:
Events kicked off with more than 160 first-year students of the Class of 2029 moving into the dorms on Sunday. Groups of Millikin students, faculty, staff, Greek Life members, and Student Experience Ambassadors were out in force to lend a hand and carry a suitcase or microwave inside for the new arrivals. Many Big Blue Athletics teams also lent a hand moving things in.
Throughout the week, the new arrivals got to know each other a little better during Mix and Match activities that included finding their classrooms, participating in recreational activities, and enjoying delicious snacks. Events continued all week as the new class got to know Millikin’s campus a little better and learned tips to make their experience as smooth as possible.
On Wednesday, the group took part in a long-standing Millikin tradition, creating another memory they will never forget when their class photo was taken in the shape of a Millikin “M” on the Quad.
On Thursday, the first-year students prepared to roll up their sleeves and get a little dirty as they volunteered in the ADM Cares/Millikin Day of Service, which brought Millikin students into the Decatur community to perform acts of community service. The group of Big Blue students completed numerous activities, including planting trees, organizing food and clothing donations at food shelters, and participating in garden cleanup. A generous grant from the ADM Cares charitable organization made this year's event possible.
As the weekend approached, the students let loose on Friday evening on the Quad with an exciting night that included a silent disco. Rather than using an outdoor speaker system, music is played through wireless headphones, and for those without the headphones, it is a tranquil evening on campus.
Under the stars on Saturday night, the first-year students experienced the Candlelight Ceremony on the Quad. This yearly tradition is a moment of contemplation about the journey they will soon be starting.
It was a week of starting friendships, making memories, and preparing for the first steps of their Millikin experience.
