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There is now a CONTENT FREEZE for Mercury while we switch to a new platform. It began on Friday, March 10 at 6pm and will end on Wednesday, March 15 at noon. No new content can be created during this time, but all material in the system as of the beginning of the freeze will be migrated to the new platform, including users and groups. Functionally the new site is identical to the old one. webteam@gatech.edu
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Atlanta, GA | Posted: September 3, 2015
Rebecca Keane 404-894-1720
Summary Sentence:
Nearly 120 incoming freshmen joined faculty and staff to celebrate the start of their collegiate careers on Sunday, August 30, at the inaugural Ivan Allen College Kickoff.
Full Summary:
Nearly 120 incoming freshmen joined faculty and staff to celebrate the start of their collegiate careers on Sunday, August 30, at the inaugural Ivan Allen College Kickoff.
Ivan Allen Freshmen Kickoff Event 2015The Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts saw a 50 percent increase in enrollment this year. 184 students were admitted for the Fall freshman class. Nearly 120 of the students joined faculty and staff to celebrate the start of their collegiate careers on Sunday, August 30, at the inaugural Ivan Allen College Kickoff.
Held at the Student Success Center, the dinner event allowed freshmen to learn about opportunities on campus. It was co-sponsored by the College and its undergraduate Student Advisory Board (SAB). Speakers included Student Body President Jennifer Abrams, a public policy major, Ivan Allen Dean Jacqueline Royster, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies John Tone, and School of Economics Chair David Laband.
Tone said the Student Advisory Board proposed the idea for the College Kickoff because they wanted to foster a sense of community among liberal arts students in an environment where most students are engineers.
“It was wonderful to see first-years, upperclassmen, school chairs, advisors, and the Dean's staff all interacting in such a causal environment,” SAB President Laura Margaret Burbach said.
Emma Browning, a freshman in the International Affairs and Modern Languages (IAML) program, said she thought the College Kickoff was a great opportunity to meet other liberal arts majors.
“I had a lot of fun meeting students and professors alike, and I look forward to seeing the people I met around campus,” Browning said.
Surya Narayanan, who is also a freshman in the IAML program, saw the event as “a spark to what will hopefully be many lifelong bonds and relationships with one another.”
Given the success of the first College Kickoff, Tone said it will become an annual event for the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts’s future freshman classes.
