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Mississippi College Leaders Welcome Freshmen at Summer Orientation


Mississippi College student leaders helped at the May 31-June 1 freshmen orientation. They will again toss out the welcome mat to the Class of 2022 at orientation July 12-13.
Mississippi College student leaders helped at the May 31-June 1 freshmen orientation. They will again toss out the welcome mat to the Class of 2022 at orientation July 12-13.

President-elect Blake Thompson will serve as the keynote speaker at a dinner welcoming nearly 200 incoming Mississippi College freshmen.

Dr. Thompson’s remarks to the Class of 2022 will be among the highlights at MC’s next freshmen orientation on July 12-13. The dinner at Anderson Hall begins at 6 p.m. that Thursday evening. Dr. Thompson will succeed retiring President Lee Royce on July 1.

A former vice president at The Ohio State University, Thompson and his wife, Jana, are both natives of Rienzi, Mississippi. Earlier in his career, the University of Mississippi graduate served on the staff of recently retired U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran in Washington, D.C.

Summer orientation begins when incoming students arrive with parents in the lobby of Nelson Hall Thursday morning at 8:30 a.m.

The freshmen are traveling to the Baptist-affiliated university from across the South and other parts of the nation. The new students will stay overnight in residence halls, attend classes, meet professors, learn about campus organizations and set up their academic schedules. The future MC Choctaws will attend a worship service at Swor Auditorium Friday morning.

Parents won’t be left out. MC officials will brief them on financial aid and scholarships. Parents are also invited to gather for lunch with admissions staffers and attend a 7:30 p.m. prayer service at Provine Chapel that Thursday evening. They will join a Friday morning breakfast with MC coaches and athletic staff at the B.C. Rogers Food Court.

There were a little more than 200 students attending MC’s first freshman orientation May 31-June 1. “Being MC” is this year’s orientation theme.

For the mid-July orientation, at least 170 incoming freshmen signed up. They’re coming from 11 states, including Mississippi, Texas, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Tennessee and Florida. Others in the Class of 2022 are from outside the region, including states like Minnesota, California, and Indiana, says Jonathan Ambrose, assistant vice president for student affairs.

Ambrose and his team of student leaders will again toss out the welcome mat to freshmen.

The final MC freshmen orientation for the summer 2018 is booked for July 26-27. Transfer student orientations are set for June 21 and July 25. Regular registration for Fall classes will be August 20.