Chancellor Gary S. May today (Sept. 11) announced a new fall celebration where he will welcome back “Aggie Heroes” for the new academic year. Scheduled for Monday, Sept. 24, the event is for students, faculty, staff and the community at large.

AGGIE HEROES

WHAT: Fall Welcome 2018

WHEN: Monday, Sept. 24

• Doors open — 3:15 p.m.
• Program — 4-5 p.m.

WHERE: The Pavilion at the Activities and Recreation Center

LIVESTREAM

AFTERWARD:

• Dinner — Everyone who attends Fall Welcome will receive a wristband good for a free meal from one of many food trucks to be assembled on Hutchison Field next to The Pavilion.
• Student Resource Fair — Held at the same time as the dinner on Hutchison Field.

TICKETS required for staff, faculty and community members, limit two per person.

• Online (You will need to set up an account with the UC Davis Ticket Office if you do not already have one.)
• Phone — 530-752-2471
• In person — At the Ticket Office, north end of Aggie Stadium, open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday.

On the day of the event, The Pavilion box office will be open at 1:30 p.m. for will call and printing issues.

Students do not need tickets but should bring identification.

The new Fall Welcome combines Fall Convocation and the New Student Celebration from years past — mixing the formality of the former with the festivity of the latter including a DJ, taiko drumming and dancing, as well as live social media posts projected on a giant screen.

Last September, May officially launched his chancellorship at a program he called “Future Forward,” held in Jackson Hall at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts, traditional home of Fall Convocation.

Now, as he starts his second year in office, he’s hoping for an even bigger celebration of community at the start of the new academic year, by holding Fall Welcome in The Pavilion at the Activities and Recreation Center (closer to the heart of the main campus and close to student residence halls), merging it with the New Student Celebration, and throwing in free dinner and commemorative “Aggie Heroes” T-shirts for everyone!

Staff, faculty and community members must have tickets — see box for information on how to get them (limit two per person). Staff: Release time with supervisor approval is appropriate. Can’t be there? Watch the livestream (or watch the recording later — check back here for the URL).

“Aggie Heroes” is the theme — which is in line with the chancellor’s penchant for superheroes. In videos to be shown during the program, some of our campus “heroes” will talk about how UC Davis lives up to the chancellor’s mantra: “Every day, try to learn something, try to help someone and try to make the world better.”

The program also will include short presentations — by faculty and student pairs — on the topics of food availability, diversity-equity and mental health.

The Cal Aggie Marching Band-uh! will perform as Chancellor May steps to the podium to give remarks and key campus initiatives.

Scott Moak, public address announcer for the Sacramento Kings, will return as master of ceremonies (after serving as emcee at “Future Forward” last year), and ASUCD Vice President Shaniah Branson will be co-emcee, talking with people in the audience.

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