For freshman and transfer students, the Academic Convocation tomorrow is a chance to formally be introduced to NIU.

Faculty and staff, including President John Peters and Provost Ray Alden, will welcome new students, along with Brian Hemphil, vice president for Student Affairs, and Brent Keller, the Student Association President.

The featured event will be presentations by student and faculty teams, said Denise Rode, co-chair of the Academic Convocation Committee.

“I’ve seen the presentations and they’re exciting,” she said.

The NIU marching band, as well as choirs and dancers, will also be at the event, which is themed, “Embrace the Community, Honor the Tradition.”

It’s an important time because it’s the first time the entire class of 2012 will be together, Rode said.

“It’s an NIU tradition that we’d like to see our freshmen attend,” she said.

The first Academic Convocation was held in 1996, and three years ago, the event was turned into more of a major event, Rode said.

It will take place at 11 a.m. at the Convocation Center.

Following the Academic Convocation, freshmen will attend Friday Fest, an organizational expo that will be similar to a fair, with food, entertainment and more than 100 different campus groups, Rode said. Fraternities and sororities, campus ministries, recreational groups, service organizations and political groups, among others, will all take part in Friday Fest.

“It’s a real cross-section of what’s available for students to become involved in,” Rode said.