Olaniyi Solebo, SGA executive president and junior political science and economics double major, offered freshmen tips for a successful college experience (Tom O’Dell / Photo Editor)

The College officially inducted its Class of 2014, the largest in school history, during its Monday night Convocation ceremony, hosted by President R. Barbara Gitenstein.

“Tonight, we seek to include you in the historical continuity of the College,” Gitenstein told the 1,435-person freshman class. She emphasized the importance of civil discourse to the students, stressing that “complex issues can only be solved through open discussion and debate.”

“Please join us in making that reality so,” she said.

Cynthia Curtis, associate professor of mathematics and statistics, addressed the students on behalf of the faculty.

“Education is comprised of ideas and experiences that will impact you both in and out of the classroom,” Curtis said after referencing one of Albert Einstein’s famous quotes, “education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school.” She emphasized that few people will have a single career over a course of a lifetime, and acquiring “communication skills … and curiosity” is more important than specific skill sets.

“In a diverse community of learners, classify yourself as a learner,” Curtis said, encouraging the students to be “daring and inquisitive.”

William Cahill, a College alumnus who graduated in 2005, presented the Class of 2014 banner, which was displayed in the Brower Student Center once the ceremony ended.

SGA executive president Olaniyi Solebo welcomed the new students to the College family by offering five tips for a succesful college experience — “wear sunscreen, don’t worry about romantic relationships, do everything you can while you have the time, set goals and complete them,” and, most importantly, to “stop worrying about [the future].”

“Things change, you shouldn’t know what you want to do yet,” he said. “If you do, you’re missing the most integral part of college — discovering yourself.”

The class of 2014 has already produced high expectations, due to its size and diversity.

The College has enrolled 1,435 students for the incoming class of 2014, the largest the school has seen in many years, according to Lisa Angeloni, dean of admissions.

Freshmen make their way to the Recreation Center to attend their convocation on Monday evening (Tom O’Dell / Photo Editor)

The entering class marks a nine percent increase over the entering 2009 class of 1,300 students, according to Angeloni.

“I think that (the College’s) reputation over the past decade has been snowballing,” Angeloni said. “We’re getting good students.  That’s the best word of mouth.”

Another reason for the College’s increase of accepted students has to do with a lack of “summer melt,” Angeloni explained, which is when students who have enrolled put deposits down but decide not to come to the College.

“The goal that was set was about 1,370 students,” Angeloni said. “This summer melting didn’t happen as much as we projected.”

Angeloni also talked about the College’s retention rate, which has helped play a factor in students seeking admittance to the institution.

“We have the highest retention rate in the country for a school of our size against any public or private school,” she said.  “Once a student enrolls at (the College), chances are they are going to graduate from (the College).  That’s not what happens to a lot of college students.”

The College has also experienced a 7.5 percent increase in students seeking admission, a total of 9,955 applicants, Angeloni said in an e-mail.

Freshmen leave Travers Hall on Monday for convocation (Tom O’Dell / Photo Editor )

Just five years ago the total number of applicants seeking admission was 8,178, which occurred in 2006, an increase of 1,777 applicants.

Increases in ethnic minorities applying to the College have also been occurring, Angeloni said.  Black applications have gone up 13 percent, Hispanic applications have gone up 14 percent and Asian applications have gone up 15 percent.

“We put a lot of effort in reaching out to ethnic minority students to let them know (the College) is a great option for them,” Angeloni said.  “We visit high schools where there may be a large number of ethnic minorities.  We send current students back to the high schools.  We put a lot of effort into the recruitment.”

The entering class is a diverse group of students, Angeloni said.

“Our students are much more than numbers and their admission was based on both quantitative and qualitative indicators,” Angeloni said.

Jeffrey Roman can be reached at roman6@tcnj.edu.