“This day is kind of emotionally hard. More so for her mom,” said Michael Jordan of Dayton’s Huber Heights community as he and his wife waited in a line of cars leading to the student dorms.
The Jordon’s only child, Katie, smiled nervously as she waited to move into Morris Hall and meet her out-of-state roommate.
The future nursing student agreed with her father on how accommodating Miami is when it comes to welcoming and orienting its freshmen students.
“I really like the environment here and how every student (upperclassmen) I’ve met have been so open and communicative to everybody,” she said.
That’s by design, said Alecia Lipton, spokeswoman for Miami as she surveyed the happy action of first-year students moving into buildings adorned with “Welcome To The Family” Miami signs.
“Things are going beautifully and we couldn’t have asked for a better weather day and the mood is excellent,” said Lipton.
“They are excited and they might be a little apprehensive about what the new school year will bring but we have a lot of great (events) the first week to get everybody acclimated.
At about 4,330, the new class of freshmen residents is one of the largest in Miami’s long history and the weekend will see plenty of events and services from the Butler County university all geared to easing their transition into campus life.
Classes at Miami’s main Oxford – and at the university’s regional campuses in Hamilton and Middletown – start on Monday.
The university, which is Butler County’s largest employer and has a Learning Center at West Chester Twp.
The new freshmen class is composed of 63% of Ohioans with 17% first generation college students with a collective high school GPA average of 3.81 and 15% being domestic students of color, said Miami officials.
Lines of cars with Ohio and many out-of-state license plates weaved around the freshmen halls.
Among their number was freshman Abby Winters from Chicago – an area with a traditionally high number of Miami alumni – who said “I love it here and it already feels like home.”
“It’s very organized and everyone is friendly and willing to help. I’ve never been confused about any of this process,” she said.
Something her mother Sarah Winters appreciated.
“She is the last of my three children and this is a big day. I’m excited for her because she went through Covid during early high school and that was hard beginning so this will be a new start,” said Winters.
Total projected undergraduate and graduate enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year for the Oxford campus, regionals and Learning Center is 22,400 students, said school officials.
For students returning to the main campus - 7,963 students will be living on campus, filling 98% of residence halls – there are some changes to their college routines.
One of the biggest differences is the closure for renovation of Miami’s Bachelor Hall, which is undergoing a $72 million modernization this school year that will force the displacement of hundreds of students to other classrooms on campus.
Miami officials said Harris Hall, Laws Hall, and Upham Hall will serve as temporary space until renovations are complete. The Department of Mathematics, previously in Bachelor, will now reside permanently in Upham.
Also Ogden Hall has now reopened as a residence for students.
And students will have some pedestrian detours around Millet Hall as Miami broke ground this summer on the North Chiller Plant Geothermal Conversion project. The project will expand the underground geothermal exchange for heating and cooling buildings near north campus.
School officials said Miami students with food allergies will have some new dining options, including new food stations featuring prepared foods without the top nine food allergens now located in Maplestreet and Western dining commons.
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