Grand Valley State University officially welcomed new students Aug. 28 at the 2015 Convocation ceremony to mark the beginning of the new 2015-2016 school year.

The ceremony, located in the Fieldhouse on GVSU’s Allendale Campus, featured President Thomas J. Haas, who delivered his opening address welcoming new students and reminding them to “dream big at Grand Valley.” Additionally, Haas presented an honorary degree to inventor and entrepreneur Dean Kamen.

“Your mind and your ideas will find fertile ground here,” Haas said. “We’re counting on you to pursue your individual success with the knowledge that true success means your communities, our organizations and families will be better because of your presence.”

Kamen is the president of DEKA Research and Development Corp., founder of FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) and inventor of the Segway. He told students that while he never earned a college degree, he understands the value of higher education.

“What makes the university isn’t the textbooks, they’re all the same,” Kamen said. “What makes the university is faculty, the quality and the access to faculty. I would urge every student here to go and take as much advantage of the faculty as you possibly can.”

Although he has given many commencement addresses, Kamen said this was the first time he was invited to give a speech at the start of a university’s academic year. In addition, he challenged students to never give up and to find problems that they are passionate about to solve.

Gayle Davis, provost and executive vice president for academic and student affairs, said she shared a commonality with one-third of the new students present: they were the first in their families to attend college.

“What you would be surprised to learn that the president and I, as well as a large proportion of our other faculty and staff, sat in exactly your places,” Davis said. “It was a new world to us and our uncertainty was just as high as yours is now, but here we are living proof that there is a bright path ahead for you here.”

Maddie Cleghorn, student senate president, said in order for students to make their experience meaningful at GVSU they should take a chance on themselves, trust in their accomplishments and take advantage of resources to do more. She said taking a chance could mean anything from speaking with an adviser or joining a student organization.

“Your Laker experience is a story that has never been told before,” Cleghorn said, “and it’s one you began writing the day you stepped on campus.”

Additional speakers at the ceremony were Samhita Rhodes, associate professor in engineering, Karen Gipson, chair of the University Academic Senate and Megan Sall, alumni representative and Board of Trustee member.

To view the entire ceremony visit, www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHtgIQSfhn8.