The Class of 2015 officially enters the College

A University of Chicago tradition was carried out Monday, Sept. 19, as new first-year students in the College and their parents were welcomed to campus on the Opening Day of College Orientation Week.

Before mothers and fathers parted ways with sons and daughters, President Robert J. Zimmer, Dean of Students in the University Kimberly Goff-Crews, Dean of the College John Boyer, and Dean of Admissions James Nondorf celebrated their arrival on campus in a ceremony in Rockefeller Memorial Chapel.

Bagpipers led a procession from Rockefeller Memorial Chapel to Hull Gate, through which the new students walked as a way of marking their transition from high school to college. As parents hugged their children and said their goodbyes, upperclassmen cheered on the Class of 2015 and welcomed them to the College.

Following the Opening Day ceremony, parents were invited to a reception in Hutchinson Courtyard, where President Zimmer and the deans greeted parents, celebrating the beginning of a new academic year and the new experiences that await their children at the University of Chicago.