At Olivet Nazarene University, summer months on campus can be fairly quiet with most students gone for the break. However, there’s one week that the faculty, staff and administration look forward to every year — new student orientation.
On June 18-19, the Office of Admissions hosted more than 1600 guests for the annual two-day Orientation event, which provides information programming, times of connection, and access to campus buildings and resources so that new students (and their families) can acclimate to a new era of young adult life. The event was beautiful — both in terms of perfect summer weather and expectant energy on campus.
Orientation 2026 was a result of campus-wide collaboration to invite incoming freshman and transfer students, and their families, to explore what life at Olivet will look like in the fall. This year, 522 new students attended Orientation.
“Orientation is the perfect opportunity to connect in-person with future, classmates, roommates, teammates and life-long friends,” said Teresa Mathews, director of guest experience in the Office of Admissions. “It is our hope that students and families are informed, equipped, and inspired as they anticipate all of the opportunities that await them at Olivet!”
Over the two-day event, attendees were introduced to elements of academic and social life through a range of engaging presentations from University leadership, alumni and current students. Faculty and staff members were available to connect with new students about ways to get involved in extracurricular campus activities, music ensembles and athletic teams. Incoming students also signed up for housing, planned their academic course load for the fall semester and met their professors, residential life staff, student ambassadors, and other members of the Olivet community.
Plus, there were plenty of opportunities for both new students and their family members to socialize and make connections, including a late-night social event and a “campus partner 
fair” on the lawn in front of the Weber Center, which highlighted various departments, clubs, organizations and associations. Local businesses, including La Delicia, Crumbl, Cranky Mike’s Popcorn, PJ Ice Cream and Chick-fil-A, provided food and refreshments throughout the event.
To see more photos and highlights from Orientation 2026, follow Olivet Nazarene University on Instagram & Facebook.
For more information on how to apply for admission to Olivet, or to schedule a personalized campus visit, check out Olivet.edu/Admissions.
