Findlay, Ohio, Aug. 24, 2003 — DeBow Freed, Ph.D., president of The University of Findlay, welcomed new students today as part of the President’s Welcome and Arch Ceremony.

“Entering college is one of life’s new beginnings. It often involves leaving home for the first time, establishing one’s life on a semi-independent basis and undertaking a new set of goals, objectives and adventures,” said Freed. “The new life truly builds upon the enduring foundation of family love and mutual support. It offers the opportunity of adding new and exciting dimensions to that which as already been experienced. None of the good of the past is lessened; all of the good of the new can be added.”

Freed encouraged Findlay’s new students to establish goals toward which to work. He also offered them two fundamental approaches to their new experience as college students. “Do well what you undertake, whether it be the course that is toughest for you, playing the flute, programming a computer or learning to write better. Too many slop through life and lose their self-respect in doing so. Analyze what you want to do, make choices, get started and don’t worry. The key is to decide a few things you want to do well and to get started,” he explained.

Addressing what students have to look forward to once they graduate from The University of Findlay, Freed commented on the fact that “a great strength of The University of Findlay alumni is not only in the many who hold prominent and visible positions but also in the much larger number who are quietly contributing to their professions, who are responsible citizens of their communities, who show care and concern for others as part of everyday life and who are sensitive human beings.”

Freed also explained that the student body at Findlay is special because it blends acquiring knowledge with preparation for a full and meaningful life. He reminded the new students that faculty and staff members and fellow students are their strongest supporters as they endeavor to achieve their goals.

Following Freed’s address, new students and faculty moved to the Griffith Memorial Arch for the Arch Ceremony. One of UF’s longest standing traditions, the arch ceremony dates back to 1923. Each fall, incoming freshmen march through the arch, signifying their beginning at Findlay. After commencement, graduates march out through the arch, marking the completion of their time at UF. During their undergraduate years, students are careful to walk around and not through the arch, paying homage to the widely held superstition that those who go through the arch sooner will not make it to graduation.

Freed described the Arch Ceremony as “Findlay’s ceremonial way of showing respect between faculty and students and a touching introduction to the world of learning.”

After the Arch Ceremony, Freed and his wife hosted a reception for new students in the Alumni Memorial Union.

Classes at The University of Findlay begin Monday, Aug. 25.