Marching to greatness: Fall 2023 Freshmen Convocation to welcome new Marauders to Central State University 

Celebrations of the incoming class of freshmen at Central State University will continue after Pirate Week to culminate in the Fall 2023 Freshmen Convocation. 

The second-annual convocation is scheduled for 6:30-7:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 14, in the auditorium at Paul Robeson Cultural and Performing Arts Center. 

Pirate Week, which officially welcomes new students to Central State, ends with a Candlelight Ceremony from 7-8 p.m. Sunday in the Robeson auditorium, followed by a reception from 8-9 p.m. at the Joshua I. Smith Center for Education and Natural Sciences Rotunda.  

The annual ceremony signifies a time that new students, who are referred to as Pirates, march through the Sunken Garden, a notable, scenic spot located on campus. After the ceremony, the new students are officially welcomed to their community of belonging as Central State University Marauders. 

Prior to Monday’s convocation, the upperclassmen are extending invitations to their freshmen peers to dine together at the University Student Center. 

Upperclassmen will link arms with the freshmen to escort them into Robeson for the convocation, the first step in their lifelong journey as a Central State University Marauder. Each freshman will receive a cord, which they will carry with them over the course of their University experience through their graduation convocation. 

Interim President Alex Johnson, Ph.D., will serve as keynote speaker, and Board of Trustees Chairperson Jacqueline Gamlin will offer special remarks. F. Erik Brooks, Ph.D., provost and vice president of Academic Affairs, will close the ceremony. LaKeisha Jenkins Washington, who led the planning of this special event, will deliver the occasion and share the significance of the cords. 

Attendees are invited to march back through the Sunken Garden to attend a pep rally at McPherson Stadium to kick off Welcome Week 2023. The festivities are open to the public.