Coker University officially opened the 2025–2026 academic year with its annual Opening Convocation on Monday, August 18, in the DeLoach Center. The ceremony brought together new and returning students, faculty, and staff to celebrate the start of a new year filled with opportunities for learning, growth, and connection.
Provost Dr. Susan Henderson set the tone for the afternoon by reminding students that convocation is about “coming together” as a community with a shared academic purpose. She encouraged them to embrace curiosity, new ideas, and new challenges as they begin the year.
Students were also welcomed by Darlene Small, director of the John Foster III Center for Belonging and Community, who emphasized that “at Coker, we are all one.” She shared the Center’s commitment to ensuring every student feels respected, supported, and included as they find their place on campus.
Student Government Association President Carson Coker, Class of 2026, offered advice and encouragement drawn from his own experiences. “College is ultimately what you make it,” he told the audience. “Put yourself out there, try new things, go to school events, and meet new people. Take this time of your life and cherish it because I promise it flies by.”
This year’s Convocation Address was delivered by Professor Natalia Schradle, associate professor of dance, director of the Coker Repertory Dance Company, and Coker’s 2025 recipient of the South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities (SCICU) Excellence in Teaching Award. In her address, Professor Schradle highlighted the importance of trying new opportunities, both inside and outside the classroom. She reminded students that success often comes from simply showing up. “You’ve already taken the hardest step,” she said. “You can do this. You can succeed.”
A special moment of the ceremony was the Coker Covenant and Pinning Ceremony, where new students pledged their commitment to the university’s COBRAS values—Caring, Open, Bold, Remarkable, Adaptable, and Strikers. Each student received a Coker pin as a symbol of their official place in the community and their promise to live out these shared values.
President Dr. Natalie Harder formally declared the 2025–2026 academic year in session, encouraging students to take full advantage of the choices and experiences ahead of them. “Here you will be able to make choices that chart your future life, determine your future friends, define your future career, and most importantly ensure that you leave this world better than you found it.”
The ceremony closed with the singing of the Alma Mater, a tradition that connects generations of Coker students and alumni.
