Welcome, new Cougs! Convocation is a special event—the official beginning of your academic journey here at WSU Pullman.

At University Convocation, presented by BECU, faculty and staff will welcome you to the Cougar Family, introduce you to academic and community leaders, and help you get off to a good start in your first semester.

2023 Keynote Speakers

At the 2023 University Convocation, a professor and a sophomore student speaker will give their inside tips and advice on how to get a great start and make the most of your college experience while at WSU.

FACULTY KEYNOTE

Dr. Sophia Tegart

Dr. Sophia Tegart is Assistant Professor of Flute at Washington State University where she was awarded the 2020 College of Arts and Sciences Early Career Achievement Award and the 2023 President’s Distinguished Teaching Award. She teaches flute, music history, chamber music, and Women in Music in and regularly gives presentations about diversifying the teaching repertoire in music. An advocate of music by women composers and composers of the Pacific Rim, she has released 6 albums highlighting their music over the past 4 years. As a Yamaha Performing Artist, Tegart has performed throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. She is a member of the Pan Pacific Ensemble, a wind quintet dedicated to the advancement of music by composers from the Pacific Rim. Recently, the ensemble received the prestigious American Prize in Professional Chamber Music and was a featured performer on Chamber Music America’s Showcase Concert. Tegart also founded and serves as the Artistic Director of Fridays at the Clock, an outdoor summer music series here at Washington State University.

 

2023 SOPHOMORE SPEAKER

Alex Madsen

Hello, my name is Alex Madsen, a second-year student at Washington State University. I am a Public Relations major with an emphasis in Health and Risk Communication. I am from Great Falls, Montana, and chose Pullman to branch out and have the opportunity to meet new people and find new experiences. I enjoy how big the Pullman campus is compared to the town, I feel it grants students so many opportunities for involvement within the university. WSU Pullman allowed me to be able to get involved in multiple ways during my first year as a Coug, including KUGR College Radio Station, Cable 8 and the Wazzu Sports Network, and Campus Friends, an international program.  I was also able to work for Housing and Resident Life as a Residential Advisor during my spring semester. I enjoyed the many people I had the opportunity to meet during these different activities,  all while working to make a difference in the Cougar Community. I look forward to doing it all again and experiencing even more in this 2023-24 school year.