College Hill comes to life: From New Scots Orientation to Convocation, Maryville College prepares for the beginning of a new academic year
Aug. 13, 2025
By 10 a.m. on Monday, the cars were already lined up along Circle Drive almost all the way out to Court Street. Scattered under tents around campus, members of the Maryville College Division of Student Affairs and Office of Admissions were ready for them: More than 330 new first-year and transfer students arriving for the first day of New Scots Orientation.
NSO, as it’s affectionately known in planning circles, is the culmination of a months-long effort to both streamline and broaden the onboarding experience for new Maryville College Scots, and the first step on Monday was the annual New Student Move-In.
This year, however, looked a little different than in years past, when student-athletes and non-athlete first-year students arrived separately. This year, New Student Move-In applied across the board (save for the traditional two-week pre-semester exploration of labs, equipment and outdoor opportunities by the newest cohort of Scots Science Scholars), and the goal, said Dr. Ben Stubbs — vice president and dean of students at Maryville College — is to strengthen the sense of community and camaraderie among the incoming members of the Class of 2029.
“This year’s New Scots Orientation is an ambitious program, representing the work of many, many people from all corners of the campus — and that’s appropriate, because at Maryville College we are all invested in our students’ success,” Stubbs said. “Our students will get to know each other on the College Woods low ropes course, hear from academic coaches, and make memories at unique social events each night.
“I’m most excited for students to participate in this weekend’s Immersive Experiences. Students had the chance to sign up for activities that will allow them to spend a few hours with other students and a faculty or staff member leading the experience. We have outdoor experiences including whitewater rafting and hiking, a cooking class with the College’s new executive chef, a book club for romance fiction readers and writers and more.”
New Student Orientation runs through Tuesday, Aug. 19, the day before classes begin, and will include traditional first-of-the-year milestones like the Covenant Stone Ceremony and Convocation. Daily activities designed to build community, however, will immerse new first-year students like never before, from info sessions like “The Maryville College Story and Traditions”; individual residence hall programs; a “New Beginnings Sunrise” activity on Thursday; presentations by staff members that encourage academic success, international study, mental health wellness, and faith and learning; and so much more.
In addition, Transfer Scots Orientation (TSO), an abbreviated experience for transfer students who opt out of NSO, takes place Sunday, Aug. 17, through Tuesday, Aug. 19. Designed for incoming Scots who already have more than 12 college credit hours under their belts, it offers many of the same activities and includes some of the most important traditions for all new Scots attending MC for the first time.
“This is always my favorite time of year on campus, as we prepare with much anticipation for the arrivals of our new students as well as our returning students,” said Maryville College President Dr. Bryan F. Coker, who occupied the President’s Tent on move-in day to greet new students and parents, and addressed both groups on Monday afternoon.
“The momentum we continue to experience, as an institution, makes it all even more exciting,” Coker added. “But we couldn’t do any of this without the tireless efforts of our faculty and staff, who make Maryville College the very special place it is, and has been for over 200 years.”
That starts with the Office of Admissions, which was the entry point for incoming Scots long before greeting them during Monday’s move-in event. Admissions counselors have shepherded the newest cohort of MC students since members first considered Maryville College as a higher education option, and they were on the ground Monday afternoon to facilitate the hand-off of those students to Residence Life and Student Affairs personnel.
“I can’t say enough about the members of the Admissions and Financial Aid teams who made all of this possible,” said Dr. Alayne Bowman, vice-president of Admissions and Financial Aid. “They’ve worked so hard to get the Class of 2029 here, in many cases going above and beyond to ensure their enrollment experiences are as smooth as possible. Now, to welcome them as they get here to start the next four years of their lives — it’s an incredible feeling, just a wonderful full-circle moment that makes all of that hard work worthwhile.”
This year’s incoming first-year class is made up of 33.2% of out-of-state students, which is partially attributed to the College’s international secondary and tertiary market penetration, Bowman said, but even more to athletic recruiting offering student-athletes an opportunity to play in the highly competitive NCAA Division III Southern Athletic Association conference, which MC joined in 2024. This fall, the Maryville College football and women’s golf programs will compete in SAA action for the first time, and all other sports will follow at the start of the 2026-27 academic year.
In addition to their immersion in New Scots Orientation, first-year student athletes will begin their careers on courts and fields over the next 10 days, getting fitted for uniforms, bonding with teammates and beginning practice in earnest. Combined with a packed schedule of student events and activities, new Scots are getting a taste of college life before classes even begin.
“Thanks to Student Affairs, not only are new first-year students coming to Maryville College with a good idea of what they want to study, they’re spending the first 10 days figuring out what they want to do while they’re here,” said Kelly Massenzo, director of undergraduate admissions. “During orientation, they’ll join small group conversations about College life, build relationships through team-building activities, take part in immersive and hands-on experiences, learn about campus traditions that link their present to the institution’s past, and get everything taken care of so they can start classes next week fully prepared and acclimated!”
Activities for first-years continue through the weekend, and on Monday, Aug. 18, the annual Covenant Stone ceremony will take place at 7 p.m. in Humphreys Court, between Fayerweather and Anderson Halls. Following remarks from Coker and others, students will affirm their dedication to the MC Covenant and its ideals: scholarship, respect and integrity. At 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 19, the annual Convocation ceremony will take place in the Ronald and Lynda Nutt Theatre of the Clayton Center for Arts.
In addition to additional remarks by Coker, Dr. Liz Perry-Sizemore will deliver the traditional Declaration of the Academic Year. To cap off everything NSO and TSO, the annual Student Involvement Fair will take place beginning at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, offering newly minted Scots an opportunity to explore the various student clubs and organizations that are an active part of campus life.
By the time classes begin on Wednesday, Aug. 20, the members of the Class of 2029 should be moved in, made aware of what being an MC Scot means, and motivated to continue the tradition first advocated by the school’s founder, the Rev. Isaac Anderson, to “do good on the largest possible scale.”
“We are so excited to welcome the newest Scots to Maryville College,” Stubbs said. “At New Scots Orientation, they will have the chance to get to know each other, learn the campus, and meet the staff members, faculty, coaches and peer mentors who will support them in the coming years.”
