Hood College marked the start of its 124th academic year with its annual Convocation ceremony yesterday in the Hodson Outdoor Theater on campus.

President Andrea E. Chapdelaine, Ph.D., welcomed new and returning students to campus; Debbie Ricker, Ph.D., new provost and vice president for academic affairs, recognized outstanding student achievements; Karen Hoffman, Ph.D., associate professor of philosophy and chair of the department of philosophy and religious studies, delivered the keynote address; and Joy Miller Beveridge ’82 shared greetings from alumni and her fond memories of her time as a student.

This year’s group of new students includes 221 new first-year students and 103 new transfer students. Members of the Class of 2020 come from 15 states, the District of Columbia and three foreign countries. There are 259 new graduate students. Hood’s total student population is 2,106.

The graduate school will begin two new programs this fall, a Master of Science in bioinformatics and a doctoral program that includes a Doctorate of Organizational Leadership and a Doctorate of Business Administration.

During the summer, first-year students read Paige Rawl’s book “Positive: A Memoir” for small-group discussions about the themes, issues and conflicts raised in the book. Specially trained Hood faculty, staff and students co-facilitate these discussions. Rawl will visit campus Oct. 19 for a public lecture and book signing.