Classes began at Averett University on Wednesday, Aug. 19, with a large incoming class. A total of 350 new students joined the University this year, which includes 282 freshmen, 57 transfer students and 11 readmitted students.
In all, 918 students began their course studies Wednesday. A total of 568 students are returning from the previous year.
The 2020 incoming students hail from almost 20 states, with the most – 194 – from Virginia, followed by North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, Texas, Arkansas, Alabama, Connecticut, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Ohio and West Virginia.
While international students are not able to join the student body on campus due to closed international borders during COVID-19, a total of 22 students are learning virtually from Finland, Bahamas, Germany, Ghana, Sweden, Mexico, Norway, England, Switzerland, Canada, Argentina, Bermuda and Ethiopia.
The top five departments on campus for student interests and majors are business, physical education, aviation, nursing and biology.
Elena Lewis, a junior majoring in biomedical science from Wake Forest, N.C., said COVID-19 has brought many changes since March.
A catcher for the Averett softball team, Lewis said she and fellow students had guidelines with which to comply before returning to campus, including staggered check-in times. She was excited to be in the classroom again.
“The classroom interaction helps me engage. I am a visual learner so it helps me to see it in person,” Lewis said.
Lewis’ parents, Gary and Karin Lewis, both said shutting down campus in the spring was the right call, and they have full trust in the University to make the right decisions.
“Averett has been good about communicating with parents, and that gives us peace of mind for our daughter to attend,” Karin said. “We’re trusting with masks and social distancing to keep everyone healthy and safe. For Elena, we are thankful for her that she can be back on campus and with her friends. We choose not to live in fear. We’re trusting the University.”
