The university's largest freshman class in history, with more than 420 students, moved in Friday, Aug. 18, greeted by orientation leaders, resident assistants, faculty and staff, as well as President Thomas W. Keefe.

“The University of Dallas is a wonderful community, and that community shows up during move-in day,” said Executive Director of Student Affairs Seth Oldham. “Faculty and staff from all over the university have supported our new students and their families today. Moving onto a college campus for the first time can be an enormous transition. To have a smiling face that might also be a classmate, a professor, or someone who can help you find a job when you graduate can make a fun and busy day into a great day.”

Move-in day coordinator Mary Hinze, BA ’18, has helped with new student orientation for the past three years.

“It’s literally the most exciting time of the year,” she said. “And for these students, it sets the tone for the next four years. This is when we breathe life into the campus.”

“I especially want to praise our orientation leaders, student volunteers who come back to Irving early in order to welcome new students and families to campus,” said Oldham. “Their energy level is infectious, and they are some of the best UD has to offer. When meeting these orientation leaders, new students automatically have new friends who can help them navigate their UD journey.”

The members of the Class of 2021 hail from 40 states, 252 cities and 10 countries, with 9,674 miles from Sri Lanka being the farthest a new student will travel to get to the UD campus in Irving. With 50 percent of freshmen from outside of Texas, the Class of 2021 is 73 percent Catholic and boasts an average SAT score of 1260. There are 20 students named John or Jonathan and 13 named Mary or Maria.

“We’re very proud of what we’ve done today,” said Oldham. “From finding housing for the largest freshman class in the history of UD to moving boxes to making sure trash gets taken out of the residence halls, this was a total team effort. I'm very grateful to work at a university that supports our newest community members.”

Undergraduate classes for the 2017-18 school year start Wednesday, Aug. 23.

In the photos: President Keefe welcomes new students and their families to the residence halls.