{"id":60347,"date":"2026-01-08T13:48:22","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T18:48:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=60347"},"modified":"2026-01-08T13:49:31","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T18:49:31","slug":"photo-gallery-students-return-to-campus-for-opening-convocation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2026\/photo-gallery-students-return-to-campus-for-opening-convocation\/","title":{"rendered":"PHOTO GALLERY: Students return to campus for Opening Convocation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>EMU started off the spring semester strong with a campuswide convocation. The event, held at Lehman Auditorium on Wednesday morning, featured live music from students <strong>Miriam Rhodes<\/strong>, <strong>Naomi Kratzer<\/strong>, and <strong>Joshua Stucky<\/strong>; art from VACA professors <strong>Cyndi Gusler<\/strong> and <strong>Steven Johnson<\/strong>; and a panel on sustainability with Stucky, Gusler, Johnson, sustainability advisor <strong><\/strong><strong>Jonathan McRay MA \u201913 (conflict transformation)<\/strong>,<strong> <\/strong>and graduate student <strong>Jamila Gaskins<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Scroll down to the end for an embedded video of the convocation<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/emu-wordpress-multisite-instance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2026\/01\/08131702\/612925099_1291564293003741_6387160262536659764_n-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-60349\" style=\"width:600px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/emu-wordpress-multisite-instance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2026\/01\/08131702\/612925099_1291564293003741_6387160262536659764_n-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/emu-wordpress-multisite-instance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2026\/01\/08131702\/612925099_1291564293003741_6387160262536659764_n-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/emu-wordpress-multisite-instance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2026\/01\/08131702\/612925099_1291564293003741_6387160262536659764_n-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/emu-wordpress-multisite-instance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2026\/01\/08131702\/612925099_1291564293003741_6387160262536659764_n-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/emu-wordpress-multisite-instance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2026\/01\/08131702\/612925099_1291564293003741_6387160262536659764_n.jpg 1920w\" 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src=\"https:\/\/emu-wordpress-multisite-instance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2026\/01\/08131804\/611859160_1291564369670400_6661826531013334631_n-1024x683.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-60351\" style=\"width:600px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/emu-wordpress-multisite-instance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2026\/01\/08131804\/611859160_1291564369670400_6661826531013334631_n-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/emu-wordpress-multisite-instance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2026\/01\/08131804\/611859160_1291564369670400_6661826531013334631_n-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/emu-wordpress-multisite-instance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2026\/01\/08131804\/611859160_1291564369670400_6661826531013334631_n-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/emu-wordpress-multisite-instance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2026\/01\/08131804\/611859160_1291564369670400_6661826531013334631_n.jpeg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/emu-wordpress-multisite-instance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2026\/01\/08131818\/612631452_1291564406337063_6875268528684749071_n-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-60352\" style=\"width:600px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/emu-wordpress-multisite-instance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2026\/01\/08131818\/612631452_1291564406337063_6875268528684749071_n-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/emu-wordpress-multisite-instance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2026\/01\/08131818\/612631452_1291564406337063_6875268528684749071_n-300x200.jpg 300w, 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src=\"https:\/\/emu-wordpress-multisite-instance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2026\/01\/08131831\/612544979_1291564449670392_4598014376123282140_n-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-60353\" style=\"width:600px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/emu-wordpress-multisite-instance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2026\/01\/08131831\/612544979_1291564449670392_4598014376123282140_n-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/emu-wordpress-multisite-instance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2026\/01\/08131831\/612544979_1291564449670392_4598014376123282140_n-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/emu-wordpress-multisite-instance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2026\/01\/08131831\/612544979_1291564449670392_4598014376123282140_n-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/emu-wordpress-multisite-instance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2026\/01\/08131831\/612544979_1291564449670392_4598014376123282140_n-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/emu-wordpress-multisite-instance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2026\/01\/08131831\/612544979_1291564449670392_4598014376123282140_n.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/emu-wordpress-multisite-instance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2026\/01\/08131905\/611165424_1291564503003720_3945250002404518882_n-1024x683.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-60354\" style=\"width:600px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/emu-wordpress-multisite-instance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2026\/01\/08131905\/611165424_1291564503003720_3945250002404518882_n-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/emu-wordpress-multisite-instance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2026\/01\/08131905\/611165424_1291564503003720_3945250002404518882_n-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/emu-wordpress-multisite-instance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2026\/01\/08131905\/611165424_1291564503003720_3945250002404518882_n-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/emu-wordpress-multisite-instance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2026\/01\/08131905\/611165424_1291564503003720_3945250002404518882_n.jpeg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/emu-wordpress-multisite-instance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2026\/01\/08131941\/612455989_1291564543003716_5302730515095528488_n-1024x683.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-60355\" style=\"width:600px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/emu-wordpress-multisite-instance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2026\/01\/08131941\/612455989_1291564543003716_5302730515095528488_n-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/emu-wordpress-multisite-instance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2026\/01\/08131941\/612455989_1291564543003716_5302730515095528488_n-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/emu-wordpress-multisite-instance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2026\/01\/08131941\/612455989_1291564543003716_5302730515095528488_n-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/emu-wordpress-multisite-instance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2026\/01\/08131941\/612455989_1291564543003716_5302730515095528488_n.jpeg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/emu-wordpress-multisite-instance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2026\/01\/08131951\/613108362_1291564579670379_3846230946404482839_n-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-60356\" style=\"width:600px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/emu-wordpress-multisite-instance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2026\/01\/08131951\/613108362_1291564579670379_3846230946404482839_n-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/emu-wordpress-multisite-instance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2026\/01\/08131951\/613108362_1291564579670379_3846230946404482839_n-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/emu-wordpress-multisite-instance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2026\/01\/08131951\/613108362_1291564579670379_3846230946404482839_n-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/emu-wordpress-multisite-instance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2026\/01\/08131951\/613108362_1291564579670379_3846230946404482839_n-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/emu-wordpress-multisite-instance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2026\/01\/08131951\/613108362_1291564579670379_3846230946404482839_n.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Plus, watch the video below<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Opening Convocation\" width=\"848\" height=\"477\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3BQOHGQTt3U?start=29&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>EMU started off the spring semester strong with a campuswide convocation. The event, held at Lehman Auditorium on Wednesday morning, featured live music from students Miriam Rhodes, Naomi Kratzer, and <a href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2026\/photo-gallery-students-return-to-campus-for-opening-convocation\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"more-link\">... read more <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">about PHOTO GALLERY: Students return to campus for Opening Convocation<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":302,"featured_media":60357,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5583,14184,14715,5861,17562,17564,5642,4513,5730],"tags":[5868,18516,10165,18759,18760,17224],"feature":[17427,17426,17241,17422],"class_list":["post-60347","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus-community","category-campus-guests","category-campus-life","category-conferences-and-events","category-digest","category-events","category-faculty-and-staff","category-student-life","category-undergraduate-programs","tag-convocation","tag-environmental-sustainability","tag-opening-convocation","tag-photo-gallery","tag-sustain-together","tag-sustainability","feature-emu-home-page-feature","feature-myemu-feature","feature-news-feature","feature-news-landing-page-main-feature"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>PHOTO GALLERY: Students return to campus for Opening Convocation - 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\/2026\/photo-gallery-students-return-to-campus-for-opening-convocation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"PHOTO GALLERY: Students return to campus for Opening Convocation - EMU News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"EMU started off the spring semester strong with a campuswide convocation. The event, held at Lehman Auditorium on Wednesday morning, featured live music from students Miriam Rhodes, Naomi Kratzer, and\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2026\/photo-gallery-students-return-to-campus-for-opening-convocation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"EMU News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/EasternMennonite\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-08T18:48:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-08T18:49:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/emu-wordpress-multisite-instance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2026\/01\/08132016\/613016749_1291564256337078_5137590380373816250_n-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ryan Cornell\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@EMU_News\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@EMU_News\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Ryan Cornell\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2026\/photo-gallery-students-return-to-campus-for-opening-convocation\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2026\/photo-gallery-students-return-to-campus-for-opening-convocation\/\",\"name\":\"PHOTO GALLERY: Students return to campus for Opening Convocation - EMU News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2026\/photo-gallery-students-return-to-campus-for-opening-convocation\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2026\/photo-gallery-students-return-to-campus-for-opening-convocation\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/emu-wordpress-multisite-instance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2026\/01\/08132016\/613016749_1291564256337078_5137590380373816250_n-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-08T18:48:22+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-08T18:49:31+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/4d24e9770fdab8276fbcf29504123fdf\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2026\/photo-gallery-students-return-to-campus-for-opening-convocation\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2026\/photo-gallery-students-return-to-campus-for-opening-convocation\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2026\/photo-gallery-students-return-to-campus-for-opening-convocation\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/emu-wordpress-multisite-instance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2026\/01\/08132016\/613016749_1291564256337078_5137590380373816250_n-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/emu-wordpress-multisite-instance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2026\/01\/08132016\/613016749_1291564256337078_5137590380373816250_n-1.jpg\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":1280,\"caption\":\"Celebrate the start of spring semester with a campus-wide opening convocation featuring Provost Tynisha Willingham, musical performances, art from Visual and Communication Arts professors Cyndi Gusler and Steven Johnson, and a fireside chat on \u201cThe Wisdom of Sustainability.\u201d Interim President Shannon Dycus will offer a blessing for the new semester. 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