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911���� undergraduate enrollment will hit a new high this semester with the arrival of more than 7,400 incoming students, thousands of whom packed into EagleBank Arena on Friday for New Student Convocation.

The incoming class includes about 4,300 new freshmen and more than 3,100 transfer students—a school record for transfers—including 950 transitioning from the  partnership with Northern Virginia Community College. The ADVANCE total also is a record. 

Almost one-third of newly enrolled first-year students were admitted through the university’s direct admissions program. Overall enrollment figures are not yet official but undergraduate enrollment is expected to top 29,600.

911���� President Gregory Washington, in full regalia and joined onstage by Provost Marion Underwood, deans, and other university leaders, welcomed the students and acquainted them with the university’s seven core values so the newest Patriots could better understand their new home. 

Topping the core values list is “our students come first” and “innovation is our tradition.” Both are particularly salient points this year because of how artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping higher education. To best prepare students for post-graduation success, they must have the ability to maximize new technology and adapt to future advancements.

“I have a motto: If you want to be big, you have to be big in the big things,” Washington said. “For example, we're going to show you how to lean into AI and use it wisely.”

Keynote speaker and Vice President and Chief AI Officer Amarda Shehu advised students to embrace innovation that can improve the human condition while at the same time retaining the curiosity of a beginner and not overrelying on technology to “spare you the discomfort of being bad at something. Because the years of being bad at something are the years you become good at it.” 

Shehu steered students to  and the course  “AI for All.”

“It's happening so fast that many universities have not had time to think through their response,” Shehu said. “Many of them are still studying the question. Well, not here. You're in a very different kind of institution. Here at Mason, we decided a few years back when we just got a glimpse of the possible that we will do something harder. Not panic, not freak out, not lock things down, but provide access to the technology and teach you how to leverage it.” 

, senior associate provost for undergraduate education, encouraged students to pursue deep connections with their classmates. That was a theme that many students mentioned at convocation in spoken testimonials about their involvement and growth at the university.

“Don't miss that chance. Put yourself out there,” Renshaw said. “But I want to go a step further and say also, somewhere in this crowd is someone so fundamentally different from you, you might not even be able to imagine having a conversation with them right now. I am here to tell you that they are your people, too. Push yourself to find them and engage with them. Those might be some of the most meaningful experiences you have while you're here.”

, student body president and a senior , recalled his uncertainty as a nonresidential student three years ago. He reminded his new constituents that they will be surrounded by classmates who also are trying to find new opportunities and connections. He suggested visiting , a resource for nonresidential students and many other groups.

“No matter who you are, you're going to have a place here,” Crouch said. “But it's on you to find your path…. The greatest things you're going to learn here are about yourself.”

Washington told students that 911���� will prepare them for success better than any institution in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and in the Washington, D.C., area, referencing career surveys from recent graduates and the university’s No. 1 state ranking for value, salary outcomes, and upward mobility.

He also emphasized the university’s commitment to inclusion, citing the “best of the best” designation from the Campus Pride Index and the university’s standing in the top 10% of U.S. colleges and universities for free speech.

“The university not just values, but embraces, people from all walks of life and from all backgrounds and perspectives,” Washington said. “That's incredibly important to us. 

“Look, we're the most diverse public institution in the Commonwealth of Virginia. But I guess I don't have to tell you that. Just take a look around. You are representative of that most diverse class.”

Convocation is part of the Preamble, a series of events for all new incoming students, which is part of , with events continuing through mid-September.