As the class of 2029 readily begins their college careers, they took part in a solemn tradition. The annual induction ceremony for first-year students, held on August 21, 2025, celebrated an important chapter in their lives.
This Fall, over 350 first-year students joined Reinhardt University in its 142nd year. As they entered the formal event, each received a silver eagle charm and signed their name to the Honor Pledge, printed on a large panel. Each signature signifies a devotion to integrity, honesty, and individual responsibility. For over two decades, the atrium of the Fred H. and Mozelle Bates Tarpley Education Center proudly displays the panel until the class graduates.
President Mark A. Roberts, PhD, welcomed the students. Keynote speaker and Women’s Flag Football Head Coach Willie McCloud (RU-2029 & 2021) then delivered words of inspiration. “Invest into this opportunity,” he encouraged. “How you treat this is how you will treat everything for the rest of your life. Lead with purpose, earn trust, and engage with your community. What you put into this place will shape what you get out of it. Reinhardt has changed me, and it has helped shape me.”
Daniela Rangel (RU-2026), President of the Student Government Association, officially inducted the class and led the new students in reciting the honor pledge and in gathering for a class picture. Framed photos of each entering class line a hallway within the Hasty Student Life Center.
The ceremony concluded with a colorful procession of faculty and administrators leading the way outdoors, as the sun set. Lit candles in hand, the students then followed a drum corps in a procession to the Fred H. and Mozelle Bates Tarpley Education Center. There, each student took a turn at ringing the Tarpley Bell. In four years’ time, students will return to ring the bell in their final semester just prior to commencement to celebrate the completion of their studies.
– By Suzy Alstrin
