Linfield University officially begins the 2023-24 school year with Opening Convocation, which is set for 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 25 in Ted Wilson Gymnasium on the McMinnville campus. Fall semester classes begin Monday, Aug. 28.
Convocation is the traditional ceremony that celebrates the beginning of the new academic year. Linfield University President Miles K. Davis will preside over the ceremony, which features a special musical performance by Linfield alumnus Thomas Sagers ’23, as well as the university’s acorn tradition.
Started in 2012, the tradition of the acorn began as a way to connect students with the legacy of one of Linfield’s most beloved symbols – the Old Oak. Undergraduate students receive a single acorn during Opening Convocation of their first year. At Commencement, students deposit their acorns back into a large bowl made from the wood of the Old Oak. Each acorn is then given to another first-year student at the following year’s convocation.
The keynote speaker is Linfield’s new vice president for academic affairs and provost, Beth Concepción, who will speak on new beginnings. She joined Linfield University in July; previously, she served as vice provost for educational innovation and executive director for the Center for Advancing Faculty Excellence at Missouri University of Science and Technology.
All Linfield University offices and departments will close from 10-11 a.m. on Friday to attend Opening Convocation, with normal business hours resuming at 11 a.m.
