Freshman Family Day: University of New Mexico

About Freshman Family Day

Freshman Family Day is a UNM event which is intended to welcome incoming students and their families to the University Community. Freshman Family Day has three main components: the Freshman Convocation, a social celebration at the UNM Duck Pond on campus, and the showing of a movie at sunset on Johnson Field.

Freshman Family Day recognizes all of our incoming freshmen, introduces them and their families to the University administrators, faculty and staff, all of whom have been preparing for this day for a long time. The University wants our incoming students to know that they are about to enter a new phase in their lives, an academic adventure, which will prepare them to lead a rewarding and fulfilling life. We also would like the community of citizens of New Mexico to know that they are welcome on this campus, that we expect to partner with the family to ensure student success, and that the University values the family and does not seek to separate students from their familial, cultural, and communal roots.

The Freshman Convocation is a ceremonial event held at most colleges and universities in America today. Typically, this symbolic and traditional event marks the beginning of the academic year, and most important, welcomes incoming students to the institution, to its culture and environment, to its history and traditions, and to its leaders, its faculty, and staff.

The ceremony, usually a combination of the serious and the light-hearted, recognizes student and faculty achievement, and provides an opportunity for the Provost, and students to address the new class. The event sets the tone for the coming year, challenges students to succeed, inspires the class to work and socialize as a group, and encourages intellectual growth and emotional maturity. In short, the ceremony demonstrates the character and meaning of the educational experience at the University of New Mexico.

Following the Convocation, students and their families are invited to come to the UNM Duck Pond, the central gathering place on campus, and celebrate with one another the beginning of the new academic year. There will be food, music, games, and plenty of opportunity to speak with faculty, administrators, fellow students, and family. Students and their families are also invited to attend the ice cream social at University House.