AUSTIN, Texas—Dr. Sheldon Ekland-Olson, executive vice president and provost of The University of Texas at Austin, will lead a delegation of University representatives to visit 48 incoming freshman students and their parents during Northeast Texas Send-Off 2001, a welcoming celebration for the students.
The Send-Off 2001 celebration Wednesday (June 13) in the Texas Guaranty Bank of Mount Pleasant, 100 W. Arkansas, will begin at 6 p.m. and will be preceded by a 5 p.m. reception for UT Austin alumni and invited guests. The bank and the UT Austin Ex-Students’ Association sponsor the events.
Royce Carr is president of the Northeast Texas alumni group hosting Send-Off 2001.
"Coming to UT Austin is an exciting and life-enhancing step for these young people from Northeast Texas, and I’m honored to be able to personally welcome them to become important members of our University community. I look forward to meeting their parents and assuring them that these students are in good hands, and that they are in for the learning experience of a lifetime," said Ekland-Olson.
Traveling with the provost will be representatives of the Office of Admissions, the Office of Housing and Food and the Office of Student Financial Services, as well as a representative from the Texas Ex-Students’ Association. Daron Roberts, a 2001 graduate and past president of UT Austin Student Government, also will speak to the students during the visit.
Dr. Bob Galvan, assistant vice president with the Office of Community and School Relations, said the trip to Mount Pleasant is one of several "Send-Off" visits this summer by UT Austin administrators to various cities in Texas. The concept of send-off celebrations for UT Austin began about nine years ago as a partnership effort between the University and constituents in the Rio Grande Valley to welcome students before they moved to start classes at UT Austin. The idea was so successful that other alumni groups in Texas have adopted it.
For additional information, contact Galvan at (512) 475-6061, or Dr. Peggy Kruger, assistant to the president and director of the Office of Public Affairs, (512) 471-3151.
