Ohio Wesleyan Move-In, Convocation, and First Lap 2023
The Ohio Wesleyan Class of 2027 moved in along with new transfer students and were welcomed with an opening convocation ceremony that featured President Matt vandenBerg ringing the official OWU bell to open the new academic year.
Following the convocation ceremony, the new students took a “First Lap” around campus, cheered on by a tunnel of parents, professors, current students, and staff. The OWU Class of 2027 will conclude their time on campus with a “Final Lap” before they graduate and begin their next journeys.
New this year, the students all walked by “the Rock,” a large limestone boulder, and touched it for good luck in their college careers. The Rock honors 16th President Rock Jones, who retired in June after 15 years of service to the university. A bronze plaque explains the grassy area north of the Rock, where OWU holds its outdoor convocation and commencement ceremonies, has been renamed the Rock Quad in Jones’s honor.