AUSTIN, Texas—Dallas area members of the Longhorn Alumni Band will join Dr. Larry R. Faulkner, president of The University of Texas at Austin, in Dallas Wednesday (July 25) in a special celebration welcoming incoming area freshmen preparing to start classes at the University this fall.
The "Dallas Send-Off 2001" celebration guests from Austin will include representatives from the admissions, financial aid, housing and food, and other offices who will answer questions from students and parents about the transition to a university environment. Student Government President Matt Hammond and a representative of the Texas Exes office in Austin also will attend.
About 300 of the approximately 1,000 students from the Dallas area who plan to start classes at The University of Texas at Austin this fall semester have accepted invitations to attend the celebration.
"Dallas Send-Off 2001" will begin at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Doubletree Club Hotel, corner of Coit Road and the LBJ Freeway. Dallas Texas Exes President Anthony Lenart will be among the hosts for the event, which will be preceded by a 5:30 p.m. alumni reception at the hotel.
"Many of our finest students come from the Dallas area, and we are pleased to welcome another outstanding group of freshmen to the UT family," said Faulkner. "We want to do everything we can to help these students succeed on our campus. Attending the University is a challenging and rewarding adventure."
The Longhorn Alumni Band will perform during the ceremony that also will introduce the students to the tradition of singing The Eyes of Texas at gatherings of students and alumni.
Dr. Bob Galvan, assistant vice president with the Office of the Vice President for Community and School Relations, said the tradition of "send-off" celebrations began in the Rio Grande Valley several years ago. The concept was so successful that in recent years it has been adopted by Texas Exes chapters in Dallas and other Texas cities.
