Bethany College Welcomes New Students for 2016-17 School Year

BETHANY, W.Va. – Bethany College marked the start of the 2016-17 academic year on August 26 with a formal Matriculation Convocation held at Commencement Hall.

The afternoon began with the new Bethanians walking in a processional from the brick road in front of Benedum Commons, through the historic Oglebay Gates, and up the hill to Commencement Hall. A long-standing Bethany tradition, following Matriculation, the Class of 2020 will not walk through the Oglebay Gates again until graduation.

The convocation concluded with a time-honored ritual as each new student signed the Bethany College Book of Matriculation – a tradition that dates back to the late 1800s. While the original book was destroyed in a fire, the custom continues to be followed 176 years after Alexander Campbell founded the college.

About Bethany College

Bethany College is a small college of national distinction located on a picturesque and historic 1,300-acre campus in the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia. Founded in 1840, Bethany is the state’s oldest private college.