Welcome Wildcats: The New Academic Year Begins
August 24, 2026
- Author
- Mary Elizabeth DeAngelis
If you like coffee and doughnuts, meeting new people and reuniting with old friends, Davidson College offered all that Monday as students descended on campus for the first day of classes.
From first-year students nervously entering their first classes, to seniors catching up with favorite professors, the campus buzzed with the enthusiasm of a new year filled with promise.
Clusters of students stopped along walkways to greet people they haven’t seen in months.
“I have missed you so much,” a returning student said as she hugged a friend and introduced him to another student: “She’s a freshman.”
“Oh my gosh, welcome,” he told the freshman and offered a fist-bump. “You’ve got this.”
On Monday morning, President Doug Hicks ’90 and MarQuita Barker, vice president for student life and dean of students, hosted an informal coffee and doughnuts drop-by outside the Chambers Building.
By late morning, students were gathering to collaborate or sitting alone in various study spaces, already tackling their first assignments: “Getting a head start so I don’t get behind,” one athlete explained as he sat at a table with his classmates.
Getting Acclimated
It was a busy weekend leading up to the first day.
Saturday found Davidson’s newest students gathering with their orientation teams for a civic engagement project geared toward helping people served by local non-profits.
Students filled boxes ranging from shaving supplies and toiletries for those without homes to art kits for kids at local community centers. Partnering with community members and non-profits to serve those in need is a core value at Davidson, and many students spend their college years donating their time and talents to such efforts.
Charlotte FC Game
On Saturday evening, new students joined Hicks and other college leaders for a road trip to Charlotte to experience a Charlotte FC game. They filled multiple buses for a night that included food, camaraderie and enthusiastic cheering for the home team. There’s a good chance Charlotte FC, the city’s first Major League Soccer club, gained some new fans as they defeated D.C. United 3-1.
Common Read
On Sunday morning, students heard from a panel of Davidson alumni who work in the public and global health fields. The discussion at the Duke Family Performance Hall sprang from this year’s common read, the book Everything Is Tuberculosis by John Green.
Alumni talked about their work and how their Davidson experience has influenced them in their professional careers.
Commitment to Honor Ceremony
New students gathered Sunday afternoon for the Commitment to Honor Ceremony. It’s one of the more solemn portions of orientation and has students signing a pledge to uphold the college community’s commitment to seeking an honorable, ethical path.
What Were They Thinking?
One of the most popular activities of orientation had students gathered for a session with renowned mentalist Mark Toland. Toland entertains crowds through interactive performances where he guesses what people are thinking and other things about them such as pets’ names, pet peeves and first crushes.
The Class of 2030 Receives a Warm, Davidson College Welcome
Davidson College’s Class of 2030 and transfer students continued the whirlwind days of orientation, getting acclimated to campus and learning about the many opportunities awaiting them inside and outside the classroom.
On Wednesday night, they attended their first convocation, where orientation team members, following tradition, formed a boisterous, cheering, dancing, human tunnel for the newcomers and their families as they filed into the Baker Sports Complex.
Once inside, they heard from College President Doug Hicks ’90 and other senior leaders who welcomed them to the community.
Chris Gruber, vice president and dean of admission and financial aid, offered a few fun tidbits about the newest students.
Their ranks include 538 first-year and 17 transfer students.
They represent 41 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico and 31 countries. Some 134 are scholar-athletes and 66 are visual and performing artists and creative writers. Eighty-six are first-generation college students.
One was a background actor on an HBO show and a member of the Junior Olympic National team. Another is a bluegrass musician who’s opened for a Grammy winning artist. Two are blacksmiths and one has navigated all 46 Adirondack High Peaks.
Picnic on the Lawn, Sweet Farewell
Students spent Thursday visiting representatives from different departments and meeting with their orientation teams and leaders, who shared tips about college culture, the best places to study and favorite campus foods.
Hungry after that, they headed to Chambers lawn for a lunchtime picnic. More learning sessions followed, before Hicks hosted students and their families for late afternoon cookies and treats in a tradition known as “the Sweet Farewell.”
The afternoon ritual gives families time together before they part. It also gives them a chance to meet other students and families. Over the years, multiple stories have emerged about enduring family friendships that started at these gatherings.
New students will wrap up the night with an ice-cream social. (Parents, don’t worry, while Davidson loves its sweet treats, the college’s Dining Service chefs load their menus with fruits, vegetables and plenty of healthy food options.)
Davidson College Muscles Up to Move In the Class of 2030
From the president to coaches, athletes, staffers and upper-class students, the Davidson College community welcomed newcomers Wednesday by transporting their many boxes, bags, crates and comforters from curbsides to residence hall rooms.
The heavily laden vehicles transporting the Class of 2030 and their families crawled across campus on a sweltering August day. As they reached their respective residence halls, they encountered music, cheers and teams of helpers ready to unload, lift and carry their college must-haves.
License plates reflected their journeys, from the orange groves of Florida to the lobster-rich waters of Maine. A family from California flew in and managed to snag a car with the Golden State’s plates at the airport. Their cross-country flight seemed almost short when compared with the continent-crossing journeys of a student who spent 20 hours flying in from Shanghai, and another whose trek from Australia came in at a solid 24.
Davidson takes pride in offering newcomers a smooth, warm — and helpful — welcome from the entire campus. President Doug Hicks ’90 was an early greeter and mover, introducing himself to families as he kept things on the lighter side.
He earned laughs as he carried a student’s small and very light clear box filled with toy sushi keychains.
Another mover couldn’t resist teasing:
“Do you need help with that?”
After unpacking, assembling shelves and stands and turning dorm rooms into their college homes, students will spend the next few days in orientation activities. Classes begin Monday.
