Area colleges welcome new, returning students
Colleges across the Capital Region welcomed undergraduate students back to campus for the Fall 2024 semester. The week also marks the beginnings of a special anniversary for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Roughly 70,000 undergraduate students across the region’s 12 colleges rubbed the cobwebs off their laptops and started back up in the classroom last week. Many of whom were welcomed with traditions that have tied graduating classes together throughout the years.
Last week, the University at Albany welcomed over 5,400 new students, including more than 2,800 first-year students for the Class of 2028. UAlbany’s Welcome Week, beginning on Wednesday, Aug. 21, included a Candlelighting Ceremony, followed by a movie under the stars. The week concluded with Opening Convocation and the President’s Picnic.
RPI in Troy is not only welcoming new students but is also preparing for its Bicentennial celebrations. The festivities will begin with a campus and community carnival on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 13-14, followed by a Reunion & Homecoming weekend from Friday to Sunday, Sept. 27-29, featuring a special Bicentennial Drone Show on Friday, Sept. 27.
These events mark 200 years of RPI’s contributions to education, research, and innovation.
Union College in Schenectady and Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs also began their fall semesters with a variety of orientation activities starting last week. Hudson Valley Community College welcomed students back for another year of diverse educational opportunities.
