Back to News 
MILLIGAN, Tenn. (August 15, 2014) – Like most freshmen, Abbey Booher had butterflies arriving on Milligan’s campus last fall.
“Everyone was so nervous, including me,” said Booher.
Even though the Elizabethton native was familiar with the campus, she was anxious about meeting so many new people, making positive first impressions and saying goodbye to her family—but Welcome Week set her on a path to success.
Milligan’s Welcome Week is a carefully structured and supportive introduction to campus life specifically designed to help new students get acclimated to Milligan.
“The Milligan community is extremely intentional about meeting incoming students where they are and walking with them as they enter into this new leg of their journey,” said Kristal Dove, director of campus activities and resident director. “This system of intentional care and support allows students to realize that they are not just a number, but rather that they are a valued part of a community. It encourages them to remain a part of that community.”
New students will arrive on campus this Saturday to a whirlwind of activity, all part of “Welcome Week 2014,” Aug. 16-23. Returning students arrive on Sunday.
One of the most celebrated and meaningful traditions of Welcome Week is the annual Matriculation ceremony, to be held Saturday, Aug. 16, at 7:45 p.m. in the Mary B. Martin Auditorium of Milligan’s Seeger Memorial Chapel. During Matriculation, new students officially “sign-in” to the records of the college and formally become part of the Milligan community.
Following the ceremony, a bagpiper will lead the faculty and student body amid luminaries from Seeger to the Mary Sword Commons for a dessert reception.
A campus-wide worship service will be held in Seeger Chapel on Sunday morning before students are whisked away for the annual Buff Nation Migration, a daytrip to Doe River Gorge for exciting outdoor adventure.
As Welcome Week progresses, new students will learn more about the campus, network with peers and partner with faculty mentors and team leaders who help guide them through their first year. For returning students, it is a time to reconnect with friends and once again settle into collegiate life.
Orientation continues and registration begins on Monday, Aug. 18. That evening, Milligan’s Student Government Association will host the annual New Student Banquet in McCormick Dining Center.
Activities continue throughout the day on Tuesday, topped off with a trip to cheer on the Elizabethton Twins at 7 p.m. Classes begin at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 20, and Welcome Week festivities continue throughout the week and include games, a movie at State Line Drive-In and a cookout.
When asked what she remembered most about Welcome Week, Booher said, “Meals in the cafeteria really were the most special during Welcome Week. They really brought everyone together.”
She also was surprised and comforted by the care and generosity that upperclassmen showed them. They welcomed new students to campus, making them feel at home.
“Welcome Week is part of a broader strategy at Milligan to help students find their place on campus,” said Dr. Lee Fierbaugh, vice president for marketing and enrollment. “The experience boosts retention and increases the academic and economic value of Milligan for its students.”
For Booher, who begins her sophomore year this weekend, the care and support from Milligan has worked out. She made the Dean’s list in both the fall and spring semesters, and this year she will serve as a resident assistant in Hart Hall, helping incoming freshmen make the all-important transition to college life.
“Welcome Week was a great introduction to campus life and an opportunity to develop friendships that I know will last for many years to come,” said Booher. “I look forward to welcoming new students to campus this year and helping them become part of a truly special community—Buff Nation.”
For a complete schedule of Welcome Week 2014 activities, visit www.milligan.edu/sizzler.