First-year students congregated in Daniel-Meyer Coliseum on Sunday for the Chancellor’s Assembly for the Class of 2010. All first-year students were encouraged to attend the assembly that served as a welcome to TCU’s learning community and those who were present said they appreciated it.

“They kept it short and to the point,” said Josh Dorman, a freshman pre-business major.

Freshman computer information science major Jeremy McKeever said he agreed.

“It made me pumped for classes and glad to be a Horned Frog,” McKeever said.

Carrie Zimmerman, director of the First Year Experience, said the first-year class still has similar goals as other classes, but this year’s assembly was designed to have more faculty and staff involvement and to encourage students to become involved in their education.

Many traditions that take place at graduation were mimicked at the assembly to help the freshmen get acquainted with things that occur on campus, Zimmerman said.

“Life is full of transitions,” Zimmerman said. “This ceremony celebrates the transition into the academic community.”

Chancellor Victor Boschini gave first-year students a brief history of TCU and its students.

“We study hard, wear purple to cheer on our Horned Frogs on the athletic fields of battle and rub the nose of the Horned Frog statue before tests,” Boschini said.

He encouraged students to live, grow and learn with faculty members.

The assembly ended with a candle lighting that symbolized passing the light of knowledge from faculty to faculty, faculty to students and students to students, Boschini said.

About 1,500 students wearing purple class of 2010 shirts attended the assembly and 90 faculty and staff members wore academic regalia to welcome first-year students.