Manassas Campus Kicks Off Summer Semester With Special Welcome to Students

This summer, as students began classes at the Manassas Campus, they received an unexpectedly “new” kind of warm welcome to campus. Upon entering Circle Drive, proceeding down the sidewalk path or unloading near Howsmon and Colgan halls, students were met by a colorful array of flags, repeating the greeting “Welcome. We’re glad you are here!”

The salutation was presented in English and seven other native languages or dialects representative of the seven largest international student populations at the Manassas Campus. These greetings will be permanently displayed, welcoming those who are native or learnt speakers of: Spanish, Arabic, Mandarin, Korean, Urdu, Vietnamese and Amharic. The flags represent one of many ways NOVA openly welcomes and values our diversity as an institution, appreciating the unique qualities each of these international communities has to offer.

The welcome flags, along with the introduction of several new building marker flags, are part of an effort to beautify the campus and provide directional guidance for new students and visitors. Led by Campus & Community Relations Coordinator Karen Todd, the project was coordinated with faculty, staff and students to accurately translate each phrase for the languages that were identified.

As the Manassas international student community grows, we hope to welcome more additions to our “Greetings to the Nations” in the future.

Submitted by:
Karen Todd, MA Campus & Community Relations, KTodd@nvcc.edu