Alumnus and current President Juan Olivarez ’71, will help students during move in

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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – This week, Aquinas College will welcome students to campus with the help of Aquinas alumnus and College President Dr. Juan Olivarez. Dr. Olivarez will be joined by more than 75 Aquinas volunteers who will also be on hand to help students move into residence halls on the morning of Thursday, August 21.

“I’m looking forward to helping our students move in and begin adjusting to campus life,” said Dr. Olivarez, who will help move students into St. Joseph Hall where he resided while attending Aquinas. “This is a great opportunity for myself and Aquinas faculty and staff to get to know the incoming freshmen. We all look forward to sharing our memories with the new students and their families.”

WHAT: Aquinas Move In Day
WHEN: Thursday, August 21, 8 a.m. to Noon
WHERE: Aquinas College, 1607 Robinson Rd SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506

All incoming freshmen will arrive on Aquinas College’s campus and begin moving in at 8 a.m. on August 21. Move in is part of a three day orientation that introduces new students to Aquinas College. As a part of orientation, on Friday, August 22, freshmen will participate in the 21st annual Project Unite, where students, orientation leaders, and Aquinas faculty and staff volunteer at 19 local organizations. This year Aquinas students, faculty and staff will donate about 450 hours during Project Unite which amounts to a value of approximately $20,000 in donated time during just this afternoon event.

Service to community is a significant part of the Aquinas experience, and students are encouraged to become engaged with the West Michigan community throughout their time at Aquinas. Last year alone, Aquinas students participated in more than 107,000 service hours which amounts to a value of approximately $2.3 million in donated time.

There are nearly 500 new students (freshmen and transfers) arriving on campus this week. The incoming freshmen class of 2018 presents a strong academic profile, holding an average 3.5 GPA and 24 ACT. As part of Aquinas’ global recruitment efforts, the College is pleased to welcome students from all over the world to campus. They are coming to Aquinas from Puerto Rico, Canada, Germany, El Salvador, India, Saudi Arabia and the Ukraine, to name a few.