McKendree University Welcomes the Class of 2021
First-Year and Transfer Students Represent 28 States, 21 Countries
(LEBANON, Ill., August 23, 2017) — McKendree University welcomes the Class of 2021
to campus as 370 first-year students and 120 transfer students arrived on Wednesday,
Aug. 23. The incoming class includes the largest number of honors scholars to date,
with 51 of them enrolled in the university honors program.
An increasing number of new Bearcats hail from out of state. While 62 percent of the
Class of 2021 have come from throughout Illinois—a record low in-state percentage
for the third year—others represent 28 states and 20 countries outside the U.S. International
students have arrived from the Bahamas, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Egypt, Ethiopia, Germany,
Ghana, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Morocco, Namibia, Norway, Paraguay, Russia, Saudi
Arabia, Sweden, Thailand and the United Kingdom.
Collectively, the Class of 2021 has a high school grade point average of 3.5 and 80
percent received an academic scholarship. Seven were high school valedictorians. Continuing
a trend from recent years, most McKendree first-year students—89 percent—live on campus.
At the traditional opening convocation on Aug. 23, President James Dennis told the
Class of 2021 to welcome new challenges, to respect others’ points of view, and to
support and value free speech and civil discourse. 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 “Into the Streets” volunteer
service in local communities before classes start on Aug. 28.
Photos of Convocation, New Student Orientation groups, moving in, and the welcome
luncheon are posted at mckendree.edu/photos .
-McK-
