AUGUST 2008

August 27 - Shorter College students celebrated the opening of school with some good clean fun during the Foam Party on Friday, Aug. 22. The event ended a day of activities that included the annual convocation ceremony and an afternoon of fun and games.

At convocation, Shorter President Dr. Harold Newman officially launched Shorter’s 136th academic year. Featured speaker Jonathan Merritt encouraged students to become involved in caring for the environment; he based his comments on biblical foundations. Jonathan serves as national spokesperson for the Southern Baptist Environment and Climate Initiative. His remarks were part of a yearlong theme promoting the importance of caring for the environment.

Click here to see more scenes from the day.

Photo by Ashley Ottinger, senior communication leadership major

August 20 - The campus sprang to life this week as students returned and fall semester classes began. The week opened with Camp Hawk, a community-building experience for incoming freshmen. Returning students arrived beginning Tuesday, as they moved into residence halls and joined the new students for a Back-to-School Bash that evening.
Classes began Wednesday.

The culmination of the opening week will be Friday’s convocation ceremony. At the event, Shorter President Dr. Harold E. Newman will officially open the college’s 136th academic year. The featured speaker for the event will be Jonathan Merritt, a religion and culture writer who also serves as spokesperson for the Southern Baptist Environment and Climate Initiative. His remarks are part of a yearlong theme promoting the importance of caring for the environment.

Photo by Dawn Tolbert, director of institutional relations

August 14 - Shorter College officially launched its 17th intercollegiate sport as the Hawks and Lady Hawks competitive cheerleaders reported for practice this week. The team is training for performances at football and basketball games as well as competition at the National Cheerleaders Association’s college championship.

Community service has also been a part of the team’s early activities, as they hosted a free cheerleading clinic on Saturday, Aug. 9, for kids from the Boys and Girls Club. Head Coach Rachel Magness described the event as “a great way for our new team to become acquainted with the basic needs of our community.”

For more on competitive cheerleading and updates on how the other intercollegiate athletic teams are gearing up for the season, visit goshorterhawks.com.

Photo by Grant Kersey, sports information director

August 6 - Welcome back! Athletes moved into Shorter's residence halls on Aug. 6, which means the start of classes is right around the corner.

Freshman move-in day is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 16, and the first day of fall semester is Wednesday, Aug. 20. For a listing of back-to-school events, visit www.shorter.edu.

Photo by Tracy Batchelor, assistant director of institutional relations