WSU kicked off the 2014-15 school year by officially welcoming a class of new students with the this year’s Convocation.

Convocation, which took place Friday in Beasley Coliseum, is a long-standing tradition in which faculty, students and families come together to mark the start of a new academic year.

WSU President Elson S. Floyd said Convocation marks the end of the Week of Welcome activities and “sets an academic tone for the university.”

In addition to students, the ceremony honors the efforts of WSU faculty and staff.

“Becoming a Coug means gaining a world-renowned education,” Floyd said.

Convocation began with a bagpiper who led out the traditional University Mace, symbolizing authority. The mace was carried by Craig Parks, the chair of WSU’s Faculty Senate, and followed by an honor guard comprised of ASWSU President Jared Powell and Nathan Neale, the president of the Graduate & Professional Student Association.

Regalia, colorful banners and symbolic bells ringing from Bryan Hall marked the occasion.

Among those who spoke at the ceremony was Chuck Pezeshki, a professor in the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering. Pezeshki said WSU enthusiastically supports all students in the hope that everyone will make it to graduation.

“What will be your legacy here at WSU?” he asked those in attendance.

He added that the college experience should be marked not by failures and competition but by the opportunity to “learn success.”

This year’s ceremony also welcomed a new tradition: a Sophomore Welcome speaker.

That sophomore was Jordan Frost, an organizational management major, who spoke of his own experiences as a freshman.

“The journey might seem scary, but it will be the best time of your life,” Frost said.

Echoing Floyd, WSU Provost Daniel J. Bernardo said faculty and staff members are “committed to fostering the success of every Washington State scholar.”

Floyd stressed that Convocation marked not only the start of the academic year but the inclusion of all students into the Cougar family.

He noted the smaller, more intimate atmosphere of Pullman makes students more dependent on each other.

“Together as a team we will make this the best experience possible,” he said, adding that, “Students are the heartbeat of the institution.”