Students celebrate start of school year at Sun Devil Welcome
Incoming students show their school pride as they sing along to the ASU fight song, proudly flashing the pitchfork during the official Sun Devil Welcome event, Aug. 19, at Wells Fargo Arena on the Tempe campus. The number of students who applied for admission as first-time freshmen represented a 25 percent increase over the previous academic year.
The 10,635 freshmen who are enrolled represent an academically strong group, with an average high school GPA of 3.4 and an average SAT score of 1113. More than half, 54 percent, are New American University Scholars at the Dean, Provost and President Scholarship levels, the most prestigious scholarships for first-time freshmen.
The first group to perform at the welcome event was Priority Male. The group was created in fall 2009 when four students decided to fill the university’s void of an all-male a cappella group. Today the group consists of 14 members who come from all walks of life.
Event MCs for the night were Analise Ortiz and Grant Inman, seniors at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. ASU’s Downtown Phoenix campus, where the school is located, has seen a continued expansion of student interest in journalism, nursing/health care and public programs, with 1,318 new freshmen this fall.
Alberto Ríos, professor in ASU’s Department of English and Arizona's first Poet Laureate, invited students to join together in a grand experiment with an ancient Japanese form of poetry called the renga, which means “linked elegance,” using Twitter. Students were asked to reflect on their ASU experience, and then tweet their words using the hashtag #asupoem. Students can continue tweeting lines up until Sept. 23.
Students from the New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, the core college at ASU’s West campus, received free transportation to the welcome event in Tempe. This year, the West campus welcomed 385 new freshmen.
ASU’s one and only Bollywood-fusion dance team, Andaaz, provided entertainment for the event. This was their fifth year joining the Sun Devil Welcome.
Freshmen belonging to ASU's Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts show off their creative side with a handmade sign bearing the school’s name, and several multi-colored paper ribbons, which they waved about in celebration.
The ASU Hip Hop Coalition also was on hand to provide some entertainment. The group is a member of the Sports Club Association on campus, with the goal of serving the community and promoting diversity and acceptance of others through dance.
Cass Possehl, undergraduate student body president, provided some words of encouragement and inspiration to the incoming students. Possehl is a senior in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, pursuing a degree in biological sciences.
University Provost Robert Page welcomed students at Tuesday's event. Recognized as one of the world’s foremost honeybee geneticists, Page joined ASU in 2004 as the founding director of the School of Life Sciences, and also served as vice provost and dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences for a time.
Percussionists in ASU’s Sun Devil Marching Band wait patiently for their time to shine.
Members of the ASU Women's Basketball team take a selfie with Sparky while coach Charli Turner Thorne speaks on screen.
A sea of gold flooded Wells Fargo Arena as students cheered in celebration of a new semester at ASU.
Sparky takes center stage with ASU cheerleaders to ramp up the excitement and show off some dance moves.
Herb Sendek, head coach of the ASU Men's Basketball team, introduces forward Shaquielle McKissic, a senior who posted double digits in 16 games during the 2013-2014 season.
ASU basketball player Shaquielle McKissic encourages students to come out and show their fellow student-athletes support at home basketball games.
Todd Graham, ASU's head football coach, thrusts up a pitchfork after a rousing speech in which he detailed this season's goals for Sun Devil Football.
Damarious Randall, defensive back for Sun Devil Football, waves to students.
Sun Devil Welcome finished off with a celebratory balloon drop featuring the Culture@ASU logo. To carry on the theme of culture at ASU, everyone was invited to participate in the Culture@ASU Festival, which took place at the Memorial Union immediately following Sun Devil Welcome. This year’s event featured tastes of food from around the world, crafts and musicians.
Later that night, students were treated to the annual Fall Welcome Concert at Wells Fargo Arena.
This year's performance was headlined by popular rap artist Mac Miller, the star of of MTV's up and coming reality show "Mac Miller and the Most Dope Family." The concert also featured special guest Caked Up.
The Class of 2018 claps along to Miller's beats during the Fall Welcome Concert.