September 21, 2023

Dear Members of Our Campus Community,

UC Santa Barbara will continue the tradition of welcoming our incoming undergraduate students to the experience of higher education during our New Student Convocation, planned for Tuesday, September 26, 2023, from 3 to 4 pm on the Faculty Green.

Our Convocation, attended by more than 4,500 entering students last year, constitutes a key component of broader campus efforts to communicate to students the values of a UC Santa Barbara education, and the excitement of becoming part of our campus community. Our New Student Convocation is the University’s official induction ceremony for new students and the only campus ceremony for the entering class until Commencement.

This year’s ceremony will feature a keynote address by our Michael Douglas Dean of Humanities and Fine Arts Daina Ramey Berry. Greetings will be provided by Executive Dean of the College of Letters and Science Pierre Wiltzius, 2023-24 Associated Students President Tessa Veksler, and Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Margaret Klawunn. As in previous years, faculty members are invited to attend the event in academic regalia.

Our New Student Convocation is a special opportunity to create a sense of community for our new students in the first days of the fall quarter. I invite you to join me and the academic leadership of our campus in welcoming our incoming class.

Sincerely,

Henry T. Yang
Chancellor