Hood College Expects 401 New Students This Fall

The first day of classes is Monday, August 19th.Frederick, Md (KM) Hood College in Frederick says it will welcome 401 new students this fall who will be part of the graduating class of 2028. The school says these students represent 24 states and Washington DC, and nine different countries. They are also 150 athletic recruits, including 25 members of the new Blazer women’s ice hockey program.Among the incoming students, Hood says there are 14 students using the Hood Advantage Program in which the college fully covers the costs of tuition for high achieving Maryland students from low income households. There are also four students selected for the Chair of the Board Scholarships. That’s a scholarship that provides full-tuition awards to students considered the most academically exceptional during a given class.Hood is also welcoming 200 new graduate students from 15 different countries. 34 are returning Hood alumni, and 87 are enrolled in online programs such as education, business, thanatology and cybersecurity.Move-in day will take place on Thursday, August 15th starting at 10:00 AMOn Saturday, August 17th, is the Dinking Ceremony at the Hodson Outdoor Theater at 10:00 AM. That’s where current students place a piece of headwear called a “dink”: on the new students which signifies their entry into Hood. The new student wears this headwear during special event such as Commencement and Baccalaureate, The dinks come in four colors which are unique to current cohort. The class of 2028 will wear a blue dink.Convocation will be held on Sunday, August 18th at 5:00 PM at the Coffman Chapel. which formally begins the academic year. Students are  invited to participate and wear their traditional dinks. Speakers will be the Vice President for Enrollment Management, Bill Brown; Hood College Interim President Debbie Ricker, Ph.D;  Student Government Association President Katie Stang, Class of ’25; and Interim Provost  Paige Edgar, Ph.D.Classes for the fall semester begin on Monday, August 19th.By Kevin McManus