We are excited you are part of our campus community! Welcome Week at Winthrop is one of our biggest and best traditions we have. It's the official kick-off to the academic year, but it’s so much more, too! It’s a chance to get plugged in, hyped up, and connected with friends. New students especially, but upperclassmen too, are encouraged to take advantage of all that Welcome Week has to offer. There will never be a better week to meet new people, get engaged, and find something new to try!
Check out the Schedule and all the other links in the menu for a complete picture of what’s on tap. All students are expected to attend the mandatory events listed on the schedule, as they apply to you. These events are designed to help you be successful at Winthrop. Each mandatory event is indicated with an asterisk "*".
One of our best known traditions is Convocation, which is on Monday, Aug. 19, at 11 a.m. At Winthrop, Convocation began with founding president David Bancroft Johnson, who gathered the student body together, welcomed them to the institution and provided expectations and words of encouragement to mark the beginning of the school year. Today President Serna convenes all members of the entering class to provide you with an official welcome to the campus community.
Established in 1895, the Blue Line is another tradition we love. Created from President Johnson’s concern for the spiritual development of students, it originally involved walking down Oakland Avenue to church services the first Sunday morning of each new academic year. The procession was headed by the president, followed by a double column of students dressed in their blue and white uniforms, thus giving rise to the name "Blue Line".
Today we close Convocation with a procession to front campus where everyone comes together in the spirit of fellowship to enjoy a community picnic on the front lawn. The Blue Line connects Winthrop’s incoming class with thousands of alumni who have participated in the tradition before them and affirms the sense of community nurtured here for more than 136 years.
