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On Thursday, September 4, 2025, the ���ӽ� community gathered at College Place for the annual Convocation ceremony, marking the formal start of the academic year. With faculty, staff, students, and guests filling the chapel, and many more joining via livestream on YouTube, the event celebrated tradition, reflection, and a shared commitment to the year ahead.

The program opened with a processional of faculty and the platform party, followed by an invocation from Rev. Jad Taylor. President Dr. John H. Dozier welcomed the audience, reflecting on Convocation as a moment to “pause before the busyness of the semester takes over, and to remind ourselves why we’re here in the first place.”

Dr. Dozier’s remarks emphasized ���ӽ�’s historic mission of uniting mind, heart, and hand in education. He reminded attendees that knowledge without compassion can grow cold, and compassion without knowledge risks being ungrounded. Quoting John Wesley, John Dewey, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., he urged the community to commit not only to competence, but also to inquiry, compassion, and bold action. “Our charge this year,” Dozier said, “is not to stand silent, not to wait for someone else to fix what we see, but to use our voices, our knowledge, and our talents to create conditions where everyone has the chance to succeed.”  

Following his remarks, Provost Dr. Jeffrey Bowe introduced and recognized new faculty members, formally welcoming them into the ���ӽ� academic community.

Student Government Association President and Winnsboro native Janiah Perry then took the stage to introduce the Convocation speaker, Assistant Professor and Program Chair of Elementary Education, Dr. Rebecca Raab.

In her address, Dr. Raab spoke passionately about the connection between joy and play. She encouraged students to notice and embrace the “tiny joys” that make the college journey meaningful: a laugh with friends, a dress with pockets, or even a perfectly felt piece of paper. She likened joy to hummingbirds – creatures that blend work and play with energy and lightness.

Dr. Raab challenged each class: first years to savor small moments, sophomores and juniors to lean into joy to stay motivated, seniors to soak up every last playful experience, and faculty and staff to model joy and curiosity for students. “Let’s commit this year,” she urged, “to working at our play and playing at our work. Let’s remember the hummingbird – joyful even while it works.”  

The service concluded with the singing of the Alma Mater led by Dr. Diana Amos, followed by Rev. Taylor’s benediction and the recessional of faculty and platform party.

Convocation 2025 underscored ���ӽ�’s momentum as it enters a new academic year shaped by a bold reorganization, community engagement, and a renewed spirit of inquiry. As Dr. Dozier reminded the community, “Convocation is not just a tradition. It’s a reminder that what we do here matters… Because ���ӽ� is not just on the rise – we rise highest when we rise together, in service of others.”

The event set an inspiring tone for the semester, blending the weight of tradition with the excitement of possibility, and affirming ���ӽ�’s enduring mission to cultivate knowledge, compassion, and action.