Pictured above, Rooks doing the Dog River Run at the end of Rook Orientation Week ferry their fellow injured rook. Photo credit: Mark Collier/Norwich University.
Vermont Business Magazine Norwich University began the 2020 – 2021 academic year on Monday, Aug. 30, with 729 new students. First year students in the Corps of Cadets arrived on Sunday, Aug. 22, and new civilian students arrived on Tuesday, Aug. 24, for orientation.
The Class of 2025 is comprised of 390 rooks (first year students in the Corps of Cadets) and 339 civilian students (both residential and commuter) coming from 44 states, which includes 57 new international students coming from 17 different countries.
“It is such a pleasure to have students back on campus, enjoying in-person instruction and the experiential learning opportunities for which Norwich is so well known.” President Mark Anarumo said. “The excitement and energy on campus are palpable. Our faculty, staff, coaches, mentors, and of course students are postured for a truly exceptional Fall 2021 term.”
With the arrival of the Class of 2025, Anarumo begins his second year as Norwich’s president. In his first year as Norwich University’s 24th president, Anarumo led the university through the COVID-19 pandemic, attracting national news media for his empathetic leadership and focus on student mental health.
Class of 2025 by the numbers:
- Top five most popular majors: Criminal Justice, Computer Security and Information Assurance, Undeclared, Mechanical Engineering, Nursing
- Top 10 sending states: Vermont, Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, Florida, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Texas, Virginia and Maine
- 57 ROTC scholarships
- 15 Civic Scholars
- 31 Honors Program
- 57 international students from 17 countries
On Sunday, Aug. 29, all new students participated in the New Student Oath Ceremony held on the Upper Parade Ground to pledge to uphold the principles of Norwich University. As part of the Oath, rooks and incoming civilians alike promise to accept and apply the principles of the Norwich honor code and guiding values. Their recitations conclude with: “In all my endeavors from this day forth I will reflect in the spirit of the Norwich motto: ‘I Will Try.’”
The Oath Ceremony is a long-standing Norwich tradition. Corps and civilians participate jointly, a “beginning” that cultivates unity across the student body.
The ceremony was live-streamed, and the archived video can be watched here: https://events.norwich.edu/event/new_student_oath_ceremony.
On Tuesday, Aug. 31, the entire Norwich community came together for Convocation, marking the beginning of the 2021-22 academic year. Convocation is a calling or coming together of an entire community in recognition of student success and scholarly achievement. This year, Associate Professor of Biology Megan Doczi gave the formal address. In her address, the director of Norwich’s neuroscience program Dr. Doczi encouraged students to build connections and seize chances to learn.
Norwich University is a diversified academic institution that educates traditional-age students and adults in a Corps of Cadets and as civilians. Norwich offers a broad selection of traditional and distance-learning programs culminating in Baccalaureate and Graduate Degrees. Norwich University was founded in 1819 by Captain Alden Partridge of the U.S. Army and is the oldest private military college in the United States. Norwich is one of our nation's six senior military colleges and the birthplace of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC). www.norwich.edu
Source: NORTHFIELD, Vt. – Norwich University 9.2.2021