A new school year at Abilene Christian University is not far behind when hundreds of freshmen arrive for ACU’s annual Welcome Week, which was nearing its mid-point on Wednesday night.
New ACU president Dr. Phil Schubert (pictured here) was one of the orange-shirted Move-in Crew to volunteer Saturday, Aug. 14, assisting those moving into residence halls. More than 980 new students received a warm welcome from faculty, staff and upperclassmen who volunteered to unload vehicles and help carry belongings up stairs and down long hallways on a day when late summer temperatures approached 100 degrees by  afternoon.
Schubert will be inaugurated as ACU’s 11th president the first day of school, Aug. 23, in a ceremony blended with the university’s annual Opening Assembly.
ACU’s Welcome Week gives freshmen a seven-day head start on the rest of the student body in a well-planned orientation that includes time to learn how to find things on campus, a community service project, a flag football tournament and soccer night, get-to-know-you time in mentoring groups, a talent show, meetings with faculty, a pep rally, a game of Twister that covers the floor of Moody Coliseum, information about the new Core curriculum, and an introduction to expectations for living and learning on a Christian university campus.
A steering committee of more than 20 upperclassmen help First-Year Program director Dr. Eric Gumm plan the week’s curriculum and activities. One of the event’s signature moments is the Tuesday night Candlelight Devo in the Beauchamp Amphitheatre. Wind can play havoc with the students’ candles some years, but not this one. They wore their black “Live Out Loud” souvenir T-shirts and filled the nighttime air with a cappella songs and hymns while worshiping and making an indelible early memory of their college experience.