STARTING FRESH IN THE FALL For the fifth time since Harding's establishment in 1924, a new president welcomed the freshman class into the fall semester. After Dr. David Burks' retirement, Dr. Bruce Mclarty began his role June 1. Two months later, 1,261 freshmen and transfer students joined the Harding campus for the fall semester. Many of these students participated in Impact, a three-day orientation led by Harding upperclassmen, who welcomed the incoming class with games and events the weekend before the beginning of classes. Seniors Lily Armstrong and Jared Dryden worked as co-directors for Impact. They spent the whole summer planning Impact, and once it started, they worked behind the scenes to make sure everything went smoothly. "We tried to make many opportunities for people to meet each other in different size settings," Armstrong said. "We wanted the freshmen to get to know each other and start to build relationships." Mclarty was deeply involved in Impact. Armstrong mentioned that Mclarty's involvement impressed the freshmen and made them feel welcome. Mclarty was intentional about spending time with the new students and demonstrating that he was their friend as well as their president. He hosted a cookout in his backyard, where he introduced himself and gave every single freshman a pair of Harding sunglasses. "[Mclarty] was trying very hard to meet the freshman class and emphasized that this was their freshman year together," Armstrong said. " He made a great effort in reaching out to them and to be at all the events." Freshman Nathan Carmichael participated in many Impact events, meeting new freshmen and energy group leaders daily. For Carmichael, Mclarty's admission that he was as new as the freshmen was reassuring. It made the new students feel like they knew the school president. "It's special to realize that Dr. Mclarty is learning as I am learning, and that whenever I am struggling, he is probably struggling with new things as much as I am," Carmichael said. " It's kind of a connection." Senior Reid Belew, an energy group leader for Impact, said that Mclarty's ability to relate to people was rooted in his ministry background. Mclarty had strong communication skills and used them in person and through social media to establish his dedication to the school and involvement with the students. "His social media presence is going really well," Belew said. "His greatest strength is probably being able to relate to people ... I think he strives to be seen like someone who is with usinstead of someone who is leading us, even though, at the end, he is. His enthusiasm is what drives him." Mclarty knew the challenges of being in a new position. He had passed through several initiation stages, from college freshman, to new pastor, to new professor, to new president. For Mclarty, Impact was a fresh start and a chance to make personal connections with new students on campus. Virginia "Vivi" Vitalone
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