New and returning students carrying boxes into campus housing is once again a welcomed sight at Hastings College. HC will welcome more than 370 new students on campus Aug. 28-30 during the annual New Student Days celebration and orientation. Classes begin Monday, Aug. 31.

Move-in for new students begins at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 28, and weekend events officially kick-off with a Welcoming Convocation led by Hastings College President Dr. Phil Dudley at 3 p.m. Friday in the Lynn Farrell Arena.

Weekend events, which follow the theme “Passport to Your Future,” were planned by Joan McCarthy, associate vice president for student affairs, and the NSD Team, including co-chairs Billy Dunbar, Taylor, Neb., and Kat Hamilton, Thedford, Neb., and members Beth Hartman, Columbus, Neb., Justin Goettsch, Pierce, Colo., Chad Pinkerman, Hastings, Neb., and Rebecca Smith from Broken Bow, Neb.

Events include a team building session for all new students, the annual community service project for first-year students, the President’s Buffet, sporting events, campus tours, a student organization fair and more.

Beginning at 9 a.m. on Saturday, new students will gather for the annual First-Year Students Class and Service Project. Students will volunteer their time around the community making care packages for soldiers and children in Iraq, packing meals for Kids Against Hunger, performing for residents at various retirement homes in Hastings, doing clean-up projects at Heartwell Park and Parkview Cemetery, planting trees at the new Morrison-Reeves Science Center and other projects at the Prairie Loft Center, Nebraska Nature & Visitor Center, Crossroads Rescue Mission, Catholic Social Services and Good Samaritan Village.

HC will present College 101 for Parents & Visitors starting at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday at various classrooms around campus. College 101 provides a sampling of classroom experiences focused on an array of topics, including glass blowing, short fiction, health and wellness, U.S. government and more.

Hastings College was named 75th Best Value College in the nation and #1 in Nebraska by Forbes.com and the Center for College Affordability and Productivity. It was named a 2010 “Best in the Midwest” by The Princeton Review and rated a “Best Buy in College Education” by Barron’s.
Hastings College, founded in 1882, is a private, four-year liberal arts institution affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). A total of 64 majors in 32 areas of study and 12 pre-professional programs are offered to more than 1,150 students.