{"id":59536,"date":"2025-08-26T13:50:48","date_gmt":"2025-08-26T17:50:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=59536"},"modified":"2025-08-26T16:13:14","modified_gmt":"2025-08-26T20:13:14","slug":"opening-convocation-provides-spirited-start-to-school-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2025\/opening-convocation-provides-spirited-start-to-school-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Opening Convocation provides spirited start to school year"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

EMU community eager to embrace university theme of \u201cSustain Together\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Campus felt warmer than usual on Monday morning, and it wasn\u2019t just because of the sunshine. The music was bumping, the bubble machine was set to max, and positive vibes were in full swing. Faculty and staff members lined the pathway in front of Lehman Auditorium, holding signs and cheering as students arrived for Opening Convocation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The annual ceremony serves as the traditional kickoff to the school year. Judging by the excitement on Monday morning, this year is sure to be bursting with energy and enthusiasm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep scrolling for snapshots of the music, engaging speakers, and words of wisdom from Opening Convocation 2025!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Students received a hero\u2019s welcome as they made their way into Lehman Auditorium for the ceremony. There were plenty of hugs and high-fives to go around!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As faculty and staff processed into Lehman as per tradition, they were treated to rhythmic djembe drumming led by Makinto<\/strong>, an Eastern Mennonite Seminary student and globetrotting musician<\/a>. The talented multi-instrumentalist and worship leader energized the audience, leading everyone in a lively call-and-response of \u201cwalk in peace,\u201d \u201ctogether we can,\u201d \u201cand unity,\u201d and \u201cE-M-U.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Members of the EMU Chamber Singers, directed by Dr. Benjamin Bergey<\/strong>, lifted their voices together in a flawless rendition of the hymn, \u201cThe Unclouded Day.\u201d Earlier this summer<\/a>, the choir performed at venues across Europe and represented North America at the 500th anniversary of Anabaptism celebration in Z\u00fcrich. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Those attending Opening Convocation got a special treat as Dr. David Berry<\/strong>, director of the music program at EMU, debuted a new, rockin\u2019 song written just for the occasion. Berry lit up the piano and delivered some fiery rap verses, while adjunct music instructors Jonah Barnett <\/strong>(guitar) jammed out on electric guitar and Tabatha Parrott<\/strong> (contemporary voice) wowed with her powerhouse vocals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dr. Tynisha Willingham<\/strong>, provost and vice president of academic affairs at EMU, provided words of welcome and introduced the university theme for the year ahead. \u201cFor those of you who are first-year students, you\u2019re stepping into a world of endless possibilities, new friendships, and academic challenges. But you don\u2019t have to do it alone because we do this thing at EMU together,\u201d she said. \u201c\u2026 \u2018Together\u2019 is a word you\u2019re going to hear, see, and, I hope, feel in your mind. We will learn together, we will serve together, we will compete together, and, this year, we will sustain together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Did you know? <\/strong>
The Common Read for this year is Braiding Sweetgrass<\/a>: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants <\/em>by Robin Wall Kimmerer. <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Seniors Maria Longenecker <\/strong>and Leah Frankenfield<\/strong>, who are serving as Student Government Association co-presidents this year, introduced themselves and encouraged students to express their concerns. \u201cTogether, we\u2019re committed to making sure each student feels that their voice matters and is heard on campus,\u201d said Longenecker. \u201cWe strive to support all students, including our multicultural, athletic, international, commuter, first-gen, and everyone in between.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Claire Hurst<\/strong>, a third-year environmental science and public health major who spent the summer as a climate advocacy intern through the EMU Washington Semester, shared her experiences and spoke on the importance of environmental sustainability. At its core, she said, environmental sustainability is about using resources in a way that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor me, a passion for the natural world has grown from countless summer nights camping under tall pine trees and Sunday afternoon hikes filled with laughter among friends and family. It feels natural to want to protect and give back to the places that have provided me such joy and fulfillment,\u201d she said. \u201cAs we begin this fall semester, I encourage you all to think about how you connect and engage with our everyday spaces. \u2026 Anything that allows you to appreciate the environment will translate into wanting to protect it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Rev. Dr. Shannon W. Dycus<\/strong> used the Opening Convocation, her first as EMU\u2019s interim president, to talk about trees. She invited the members of the EMU learning community to imagine themselves as trees and their lives together as a forest. She spoke about the interconnected root systems deep underground that anchor trees and absorb water and nutrients, the methods trees use to communicate stress and share resources, and the many ways they work in unison to sustain the forest as a whole\u2014not just themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cForests don\u2019t thrive because each tree is the tallest or the strongest; they flourish because they are connected.\u201d she said. \u201cEMU, we are a living forest, rooted in shared values and branching toward new possibilities. Every one of us\u2014students, faculty, staff\u2014brings something essential to this ecosystem.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Thank you to everyone who helped make Opening Convocation a spirited success, and we are excited to \u201cSustain Together\u201d this year!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

EMU community eager to embrace university theme of \u201cSustain Together\u201d Campus felt warmer than usual on Monday morning, and it wasn\u2019t just because of the sunshine. The music was bumping, ... read more about Opening Convocation provides spirited start to school year<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":302,"featured_media":59546,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5583,14715,5861,17562,5642,4513,5730],"tags":[5831,18527,17633,18404,18405,18526,17927,18340,10165],"feature":[17427,18529,17426,17241,17422,18528],"class_list":["post-59536","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus-community","category-campus-life","category-conferences-and-events","category-digest","category-faculty-and-staff","category-student-life","category-undergraduate-programs","tag-chamber-singers","tag-claire-hurst","tag-david-berry","tag-dr-shannon-dycus","tag-dr-tynisha-willingham","tag-leah-frankenfield","tag-makinto","tag-maria-longenecker","tag-opening-convocation","feature-emu-home-page-feature","feature-environmental-sustainability","feature-myemu-feature","feature-news-feature","feature-news-landing-page-main-feature","feature-sustain-together"],"yoast_head":"\nOpening Convocation provides spirited start to school year - EMU News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2025\/opening-convocation-provides-spirited-start-to-school-year\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Opening Convocation provides spirited start to school year - EMU News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"EMU community eager to embrace university theme of \u201cSustain Together\u201d Campus felt warmer than usual on Monday morning, and it wasn\u2019t just because of the sunshine. 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