Evoking the pageantry and spectacle stemming from the earliest days of the academy in Western Civilization, this formal ceremony marks the beginning of the College’s 185th academic year. Convocation offers faculty, staff, and upperclassmen the occasion to formally welcome new scholars into the community and surround them with Trinity’s history.

Faculty members in full regalia and first-year students will gather at the Fuller Arch at Northam Towers as music from Trinity’s famous 49-bell carillon beckons all on campus. Fanfares from the Hartford Brass Ensemble will accompany the faculty and student procession to the Main Quadrangle.

During the Convocation ceremony, parents, faculty, student leaders, and members of the administrative staff will be seated on all four sides of the first-year class, forming a symbolic matrix of support as the class begins its years at Trinity. The highlight of this memorable occasion is Trinity College President James F. Jones, Jr.’s Convocation address—his most important to students each year. The ceremony concludes with the declaration of the opening of the College’s 185th academic year by Dean of Faculty Rena Fraden.