Preparations that have been taking place behind the scenes for months move front and center this weekend when two giant tents rise from the campus green to accommodate a week’s worth of Convocation activities. Five major events—starting on Tuesday, Sept. 13, and wrapping up on Friday, Sept. 16—mark the official start of the academic year, with ceremonies commemorating student milestones, honoring faculty achievements, celebrating donors and fostering interprofessional learning.
| A primer for Convocation events What are all these ceremonies? Convocation The word “convocation,” which comes from Latin and means “calling together,” can be used to refer to any large, formal assembly. In some academic communities, it is an annual celebration where members of the community—faculty, staff and students—are “called together” to mark the official opening of a new academic year. Often the leader of the campus (in our case, Chancellor Collins) makes a campus address and lays out plans for the upcoming year. Investiture The word “investiture” refers to the formal installation of someone to a post. At UMass Chan, Investiture is a periodic recognition of distinguished faculty members who have been chosen for named professorships, and a celebration of the benefactors who made the named professorships possible through their generous contributions. White Coat Ceremony The White Coat Ceremony is a relatively new tradition in which medical students are presented with their white coats to signify the beginning of their clinical training. Started in 1993 by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons, the tradition emphasizes the importance of both scientific excellence and compassionate care for the patient. GEP Pinning At the Graduate School of Nursing’s Graduate Entry Pathway (GEP) Pinning Ceremony, students are ceremonially presented with their nursing pins and welcomed into the nursing community. The pinning ceremony symbolizes successful completion of the courses and clinical experiences required for taking the licensure exam to become a registered nurse. Summer Read/Dinner & Dialogue The “summer read” is a book that members of the UMMS community are encouraged to read over the summer, with the goal of engaging the community in a collective discussion as the new academic year begins. All incoming students are provided with a copy of the book, and copies are also available in the bookstore for purchase and in the Lamar Souter Library for borrowing. A discussion with students from all three schools will be led by faculty at the Dinner & Dialogue event. |
Convocation
The centerpiece of the week’s events, Convocation, will begin at 10 a.m. on Thursday with a talk by Chancellor Michael F. Collins, during which he will announce the recipients of the Chancellor’s Medals fo
