Cottey College Welcomes Students for 136th Opening of School

The annual rite of fall begins as new students move to Cottey College and Nevada. First-year students begin arriving Friday, August 23, followed shortly thereafter by the arrival of returning students on Sunday, August 25. Citizens of Nevada and surrounding communities are to be advised of the increase in pedestrian traffic on Austin Boulevard and are asked to exercise caution.

Orientation activities will include a Community Picnic and Partner Fair at the Franklin P. Norman Community Center, from 6-8 p.m., Saturday, August 24. The Partner Fair, which is funded by a grant through Missouri Campus Compact, allows students to become familiar with area businesses and churches as well as service organizations and clubs that would like to recruit students for volunteer opportunities, service learning projects, local internships, and undergraduate research. Businesses, churches, and civic organizations are encouraged to showcase their products and services through displays, promotional materials, samples, giveaways, and demonstrations.

For more information on Cottey student volunteers and interns or to register for the 2019 Community Picnic and Partner Fair, contact Renee Hampton, coordinator for career planning and experiential learning, at 667-6333, ext. 2184, or email rhampton@cottey.edu. The registration deadline is Monday, August 19, at 5 p.m.

Opening Convocation will be held at 7 p.m., Monday, August 26, in the Haidee and Allen Wild Center for the Arts Auditorium. Sarah Adams-Cornell, Class of 1999, will be the honored speaker at Opening Convocation. Immediately following Adams-Cornell’s address, students will participate in one of the oldest traditions on campus, the Signing of the Cottey Book.

Sarah Adams-Cornell is an advocate for Native American culture, education and rights. She is a citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and serves on the Board of Directors for Sovereign Community School Project where she focuses on community engagement. Adams-Cornell co-created an intertribal organization to empower Native women called Matriarch that serves women in central and northeast Oklahoma. She is the vice president of the Board of Directors for the ACLU of Oklahoma. Adams-Cornell also serves on the board for Live Indigenous Oklahoma and has been working alongside other Native advocates to see Indigenous Peoples’ Day recognized in Oklahoma City. She is a board member of Not Your Mascot, proud ally member of Central Oklahoma Two Spirit Society, serves on the board of the World Experiences Foundation and was Activist in Residence at the University of Oklahoma.

Classes will begin on Tuesday, August 27.

To help Nevada merchants extend greetings to the families and students, the College sent “Welcome Cottey” signs to every business in town. Businesses that would like more “Welcome Cottey” signs should contact the Office of Public Information at 667-8181, ext. 2141.