FSU Welcomes Class of 2026, Move-in and Pinning Ceremony Set for August 6 & 7
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (August 4, 2022) – Fayetteville State University (FSU) will welcome first-year and new transfer students with Operation Smooth Move on Saturday, August 6, 2022. This is the official check-in day for new students and is sponsored by the Division of Student Affairs and the Office of Housing & Residence Life. Students will be able to move into the dorms by appointment from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. following clearance of COVID-19 protocols through Student Health Services. Classes at FSU start August 11.
“We are excited to welcome students to our beautiful campus as we begin an exciting new academic year,” said Chancellor Darrell T. Allison. “Fayetteville State University provides excellent academic programs and co-curricular activities to enhance the professional and personal development of our students. We can’t wait to see all the amazing things they will accomplish.”
Chancellor Allison will personally welcome new students as they move into Renaissance Hall beginning at approximately 10:30 a.m. He will be available for questions beginning at noon, after which he and members of his cabinet will visit students as they settle into their rooms and get better acquainted with their new home.
On Sunday, August 7 at 11 a.m., in J.W. Seabrook Auditorium, students will participate in the annual Pinning Ceremony, a long-held and storied Bronco tradition. FSU alumnus Elliot O. Jackson, J.D., a judicial law clerk for the United States District Court at the Middle District of Florida, will be the guest speaker.
A native of Charlotte, North Carolina, Jackson graduated cum laude from FSU in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in forensic science. While at Fayetteville State, Jackson served in several leadership positions, including freshman class president, Student Government Association vice president, and two terms as FSU Student Government Association president (2016-2018). Jackson was also selected as senior vice president of the University of North Carolina Association of Student Governments. He was one of the first students from Fayetteville State University to serve as an ambassador for the White House Initiative for Historically Black Colleges and Universities. While at FSU, Jackson was initiated into the Epsilon Beta Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.
“I am honored to return to my alma mater as the keynote speaker for the 2022 Freshman Pinning Ceremony,” Jackson said. “The opportunity to return to ‘thee Old White and Blue’ reminds me of a phrase that I used during my last SGA campaign when I encouraged students to vote for me, whether it was their first show or final rodeo. Stated differently, I sought support from all students – freshman through senior, commuter, and distance learner. Accordingly, it means the world to me to welcome the newest additions to the Bronco Family.”
After graduating from FSU, Jackson earned a Juris Doctor degree from the Florida A&M University College of Law. During that time, he worked as a summer associate for several prominent law firms, including Holland & Knight LLP and McDonald Toole Wiggins, P.A. He also gained practical experience by assisting in drafting a petition for writ of certiorari to the U.S. Supreme Court concerning equal pay for women.
Jackson later earned a second law degree, a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in fashion law, from Fordham University School of Law. He is the first and only African American man in the United States to date to hold this degree. His performance at Fordham led to his selection as a recipient of the Judy and Dennis Kenny Fashion Law LLM Award, given to the highest performing student(s) in the program. Jackson began his legal career as an attorney working as a federal judicial law clerk for the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. He also published legal scholarship on various topics, including HBCUs and dress code discrimination.
All media are invited to cover these events. For more information, please call (910) 631-8078