The Class of 2023 Arrives at McKendree University

First-Year and Transfer Students Represent 28 States, 24 Countries

(LEBANON, Ill., August 21, 2019) — McKendree University welcomes the Class of 2023 to campus, as 340 first-year students and 90 transfer students arrived on campus this week.

Continuing a trend, the new Bearcats increasingly arrive from out of state. While 61 percent of the Class of 2023 have come from throughout Illinois, others represent 27 other states, as well as 24 countries. International students have arrived from the Bahamas, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Ghana, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kenya, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and Vietnam.

The Class of 2023 has a collective high school grade point average of 3.5 and 84 percent have received an academic scholarship. Most McKendree first-year students—88 percent—are living on campus.

At the traditional opening convocation on Aug. 21, President James Dennis told the students, “Part of our work is to challenge you, to cause you to think more deeply, to consider more thoughtfully, to make you feel uncomfortable, and to challenge your thinking—just to make sure you know what you think, what you stand for, what you value and most importantly, why.”

New students then signed the Matricula—a document that officially signifies their enrollment at McKendree University. They will participate in three days of orientation, activities and on Saturday, “Into the Streets” volunteer service throughout Lebanon, before classes start on Aug. 26.

 

New students sing the university fight song during the Convocation on Aug. 21.

 

-McK-