President Donna Hodge and her Cabinet, AKA "The Donut Party Crew", loaded up the Donut Mobile and traveled around campus to hand out doughnuts and connect with students, faculty and staff on this, the first day of class for the fall semester.

As we welcome students back to campus for Fall Semester 2026, we pause to look back at Spring Semester 2026.

Our Office of Student Engagement staff and Student Orientation Leaders hunkered down in Hammond Hall to lock in the final plans, review the task grid, and assign roles for this Sunday's New Student Move-In & Orientation Sessions for our newest Falcons.

This morning, Chief of University Police Michael Cloutier conducted a Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events (CRASE) training session for Orientation Leaders and Resident Assistants. The course, designed and built on the Avoid, Deny, Defend (ADD) strategy developed by Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) in 2004, provides strategies, guidance, and a proven plan for ideally avoiding, surviving an active shooter event. 

Our Orientation Leaders took a quick break from training today to ham it up for the camera.

These student leaders are getting ready to welcome our newest Falcons, the Class of 2030, to campus, but first, they had to drop some legendary social content. Keep an eye on our feeds to see what they put together.

 Our Office of Student Engagement Student Orientation Leaders moved back to campus this morning, many with help from Mom & Dad, for a week long preparation for Move In & orientation sessions for our newest Falcons coming to campus next week. 

The hype team is officially BACK! Our Office of Student Engagement Student Orientation Leaders (OLs) have returned to campus to prepare for our incoming Falcons! As part of their intensive week-long training, our OLs went on a speed-dating-style deep dive with support teams on campus. They met with TRIO, Counseling Services, Disability Services, the ACT Center, Housing & Res Life, Athletics & Rec, IT, the Center for Diversity & Inclusiveness, the CARE Team, and more. Why? Because when our new students arrive with questions, this team will have ALL the answers. They are locked, loaded, and ready to make your transition to college life legendary! 

Center for Diversity and Inclusiveness Director of Student Belonging Krysta Lopez-Acevedo and   Assistant Dean of Student Engagement, Ben Kadamus  hosted a Pride Flag Raising Ceremony on the Alumni Quad (between Hammond Hall and Thompson Hall) this afternoon in observance of Pride Month. The flag will fly for the entire month.

 Strategic planning for the student experience. This morning, our Office of Student Affairs gathered in the Hammond Main Lounge for their annual retreat. Dean of Students Tim St. John launched the session with a comprehensive year-in-review presentation, providing key updates and reflecting on the team's measurable impact on student success and campus vitality. The day transitioned into collaborative group workshops focused on strategic goal-setting for the upcoming academic cycles. Thank you to this dedicated team for their tireless work in fostering a vibrant, inclusive, and supportive environment for the Fitchburg State community!