Relive Wolfpack Welcome Week 2021
Students made their way to our Raleigh home for more than a week of community, connection and campuswide events.
We’re thrilled to have you back, Wolfpack!
After these months (and months and months) apart, a proper welcome was overdue. And NC State students new and old experienced just that during Wolfpack Welcome Week: an annual event that kicks off the academic year and shows the best our university has to offer.
Running from August 12 through August 21, this year’s jam-packed schedule included more than 100 events and activities, so there was something for everyone — whether it was their first time on campus or their five hundredth.
See how Wolfpack Welcome Week unfolded:
Move-In
Thursday, August 12 – Sunday, August 15: Let the unpacking begin! The week started with residence halls across campus opening their doors to welcome their latest groups of dorm dwellers.
Shower caddies, mattress pads and red wardrobes were on full display as families and friends braved the heat to help students settle into their new homes. Even Chancellor Randy Woodson stopped by to lend a hand.
Legacy Luncheon
Saturday, August 14: This Pack runs deep, and our Alumni Association‘s annual Legacy Luncheon is proof. The event invites incoming students and their alumni parents and grandparents to celebrate making NC State a family tradition with an outdoor barbecue.
At the Court of North Carolina, alumni parents proudly “pinned” the newest members of the Pack with special legacy pins — and the marching band led a rousing rendition of the alma mater and fight song.
Convocation
Sunday, August 15: The crown jewel event of every Wolfpack Welcome Week is convocation. It’s the first time that the incoming class comes together as a whole; they get an introduction to the university’s leadership and values, and they’re handed down beloved NC State traditions that they’ll carry with them for a lifetime.
This year, convocation was twice the fun with separate ceremonies for the brand-new class of 2025 and the returning class of 2024.
New Student Convocation
First-year students flocked to the Court of North Carolina to hear welcome messages from community members, cheese for their class photo and receive their red and white tassels. (We think those will come in handy one day.)
Second-Year Convocation
Later in the afternoon, we did it all again. Second-year students were welcomed to campus during a convocation ceremony on Stafford Commons, where they recreated last year’s digital class photo — this time in person.
Back 2 School Jam
Wednesday, August 18: Hosted by NC State’s Black Students Board, Back 2 School Jam is an annual celebration to welcome students of color to the Wolfpack. This year’s event offered a chance to explore campus resources, clubs and organizations, and it closed with a performance showcase of various talent organizations on campus.
Respect the Pack
Thursday, August 19: The Wolfpack joined together in Talley Student Union for Respect the Pack, an event held by NC State Student Government that champions diversity, equality and mutual respect for all people in the NC State community.
The 2021 program featured poet Nick Courmon as a guest speaker, along with Chancellor Woodson and Student Government’s director of diversity outreach, Des Woods.
We are all tied together in a single garment toward one destiny.
Students, faculty and staff united to make their mark — and pledge respect and unity — by signing a banner and placing their handprints on a mural at the Free Expression Tunnel.
RecFest
Saturday, August 21: NC State Wellness and Recreation closed out the festivities with RecFest: an event that showcases all the ways students can lead an active lifestyle on campus — from joining club sports to renting fitness equipment. Attendees gathered at Miller Fields to enjoy an energetic evening of giveaways, games, food and other entertainment.
- Categories:
