Elizabethtown College marked the official start of the 2025-26 academic year at the annual Convocation ceremony on Friday, Aug. 22, in The Bowers Center for Sports, Fitness & Well-Being.

Convocation is a signature Etown tradition that celebrates incoming students and recognizes faculty awards and promotions. The ceremony included a candle lighting, a litany of light, along with remarks from President Betty Rider and members of the College community.

View photos from the ceremony.

During the event, President Rider offered advice to the class of 544 first-year and incoming transfer students, reminding the new Blue Jays that the connections they build at Etown extend far beyond their time on campus.

“The relationships you build here will support you long after you graduate,” Rider said. “So, join that club, sit with someone new, and say yes to opportunities – you never know where they’ll lead. Forging your path means exploring what excites you, testing your skills, and learning from setbacks. Take classes outside your comfort zone. Seek research, internships, and leadership roles. Etown is committed to learning by doing – preparing you for a career and a life of purpose.”

For the second consecutive year, the College set a record with 3,855 applications submitted.

Etown’s academically accomplished class of new Blue Jays was celebrated and recognized as a group. Highlights of the class include:

  • An average first-year student GPA of 3.74 
  • Students hailing from 10 U.S. states and seven foreign countries
  • 140 students accepted into the Honors Program at Elizabethtown College
  • 10 incoming Stamps Scholars (The Stamps Scholarship program recognizes and rewards exceptional students who exemplify leadership, perseverance, scholarship, service, overcoming obstacles, and innovation)

View the full Fall 2025 Incoming Class Profile.

Also recognized at Convocation were newly promoted faculty effective in the 2025-26 academic year, as well as winners of the Kreider Prize for Teaching Excellence, the Polanowski Prize for Excellence in Faculty-Student Advising and Mentorship, and the Ranck Prize for Research Excellence.

Newly Promoted Faculty

  • Cristina E. Ciocirlan, Ph.D. Promoted to Professor of Business

Faculty Prize Winners

2024-2025 Kreider Prize for Teaching Excellence Recipient 

Suzanne E. Webster, DPhil. Ralph W. Schlosser Professor of English and Director of the English Literature Program 

2024-2025 Polanowski Prize for Excellence in Faculty-Student Advising and Mentorship Recipient 

Conrad L. Kanagy, Ph.D. Professor of Sociology Emeritus 

2024-2025 Ranck Prize for Research Excellence Recipient 

Cristina E. Ciocirlan, Ph.D. Professor of Business 

2024-2025 Schmidt Prize for Excellence in Student-Faculty Service Recipient 

Kurt M. DeGoede, Ph.D. Professor of Engineering