Welcome Week Signals Start of the 2024 Academic Year

More than 1,600 new students make Belmont their new home

Wednesday, Aug. 21 marked the start of classes for Belmont students, concluding the University’s annual Welcome Week celebration for over 1,600 first-year students. The weeklong Belmont tradition prepares new students for all parts of college life, from living in a new environment to creating community before classes begin.

As part of Welcome Week, each incoming student was placed in a Towering Traditions (TT) group of 10-20 peers. These groups are led by TT leaders who guide the new students through the week's events and serve as resources throughout their crucial first year at Belmont.

Move-In

Welcome Week kicked off on Thursday, Aug. 15 with TT leaders greeting new students and their families as they arrived on campus and celebrated the start of their Belmont journey. As is tradition at Belmont, first-year students do not move anything to their new rooms — instead, TT and campus leaders unload their belongings from their cars and drop them off in their rooms.

Weekend Events

Over the weekend, several events were held for new students, including the Bruin Bash on Friday night, designated activities with their TT groups to meet new people, a worship service on Sunday morning with a local church fair that evening, classroom tours and a student employment fair, followed by parents and families saying goodbyes to their Bruins.

Opening Convocation and SOUL

Coinciding with the start of classes on Wednesday, University President Dr. Greg Jones delivered the keynote address in the year’s Opening Convocation. Jones unveiled a new 2024 Belmont initiative, SOUL, and challenged each student, staff and faculty member in attendance to live out the SOUL framework throughout the upcoming academic year.

Seek Excellence — aspire to excellence with humility and recognize a greater purpose than yourself.

Offer Gratitude — embrace gratitude and find joy in life’s greatest blessings.

Unleash Hospitality — show love through genuine hospitality and create a welcoming community for all.

Live the Dream Together — dream big and work together with hope while trusting in God’s purpose.

“The entire framework is surrounded by our pursuit of a fifth scriptural value — wisdom,” said Jones. “Wisdom is a hallmark of who we are as an institution of higher learning and, even more importantly, it’s a foundational hallmark of a faithful and purposeful life. You will find so many opportunities across campus to further your pursuit of wisdom at Belmont — I encourage you to lean in, embrace a sense of curiosity, examine ideas that you find interesting and try new things.”

Popsicles with President Pop-Pop

Following the ceremony, Popsicles with President Pop-Pop was held in the Jack C. Massey Center lobby where the Belmont community came together for frozen treats, to meet President Jones and for fellowship in celebrating the new year.

A Challenge for 2024

As Dr. Jones concluded his Opening Convocation message, he issued a challenge to the Belmont community for the new year.

“Belmont is not just about knowledge transfer or conveying information — we want to encourage everyone through the hope the comes with full-person formation,” he said. “As we nurture our souls, we will do so in ways that bring together our minds, hearts, bodies and souls. When we practice that, we see something extraordinary occur. May we all thrive together this year.”