Fall Classes Begin Aug. 25
Indiana University of Pennsylvania welcomes students for the 2025–26 academic year with a number of events in August, including the university’s sesquicentennial (150th) anniversary celebration carnival—which is free and open to the community—on August 23 from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m.
A number of students are already on campus for special programs and camps, including student athletes from the football team, residence life student staff members, students in the Crimson Scholars Circle enrolled in the Early Immersion Experience, and members of the IUP Marching Band.
The first day of classes for the fall 2025 semester is August 25.
Move-In
Approximately 800 new students are expected to move into housing on the Indiana campus on August 16, and 650 more new students are expected on August 17. More than 2,800 new and continuing students will be living in residence halls on the Indiana campus, with an additional 76 students living in the Punxsutawney campus’s Living-Learning Center.
Continuing students are scheduled to move into IUP residence halls on August 23 and 24.
For the fourth year, move-in for new students includes a one-stop check-in process. This program invites all new students—those who will be in campus housing and those who are commuter students—to start the move-in process at the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex at individually scheduled times between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. on August 16 and between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on August 17.
This check-in event provides in-person resources for students and families in one location, making it easier for students to complete any administrative needs before physically moving into their rooms. Navigators—staff members who provide individual support to students through IUP’s Student Success Infrastructure—will also be part of the check-in event to greet and help students and families, as will many employees and continuing students.
“We continue to have an outstanding response from families and students to our one-stop check-in,” Associate Vice President for Student Life Valerie Baroni said. “Students and families told us that they really appreciated the opportunity to be in contact with the offices they needed to help them right from the start. Having the Navigators—who have already been in contact with students during the summer months—on site and serving as part of the cadre of volunteers for the event has been a great way to help families feel more at ease during the process,” she said.
The one-stop check-in provides students with an individualized itinerary at the welcome table, listing any offices the student needs to stop at before checking in to housing. Staff members from all of those offices will be present at the event. If students have completed all of the new-student steps before move-in, they can check in to their housing or stop by tables for additional information.
“In addition to streamlining the process by having offices in person to help new students, it provides an opportunity for students and families to ask questions and meet members of campus offices,” Baroni said.
Members of IUP’s ROTC group and other members of the university community are the initial greeters for the check-in. Additional offices and staff represented at the KCAC include Orientation, Housing, Dining, Health Service, Student Billing, Military and Veterans Resource Center, and Financial Aid.
Other informational tables at the event include representatives from STATIC, the student activity and programming group; IUP Alumni and Constituent Engagement; the IUP Information Technology (IT) Helpdesk; Parking Services; the I-Card Office; Indiana County Tourist Bureau; and the Community Guidance Center. Students are welcome to stop back at the Kovalchick Complex throughout the weekend during check-in hours for any assistance they may need from the offices represented there.
Welcome Week
New student Welcome Week August 18 to 24 offers events that are a mixture of academic meetings, informational programming, and opportunities for students to become acquainted with one another and with the campus and community, including a University Welcome event for students on August 18 at 3:30 p.m. at the IUP Performing Arts Complex in Fisher Auditorium, followed by a community dinner in the Oak Grove from 4:30 to 7:00 p.m. (in the case of inclement weather, the dinner will be held in the KCAC).
On August 21, students are invited to take part in the Talon Walk from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. in downtown Indiana’s IRMC Park at the intersection of Seventh and Philadelphia streets. New IUP students will be invited to walk to IRMC Park, explore the businesses downtown, especially the businesses that are members of Talon Ticket, the student-led student discount program, and interact with community leaders and members. It also offers an opportunity for business owners and community members to meet IUP’s new students.
The Talon Walk is a collaboration between the IUP Division of Student Affairs, the Indiana County Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Indiana Inc., the Indiana County Tourist Bureau, the University College, and the IUP Office of Strategic Partnerships. Downtown Indiana will be providing music since it is an already scheduled “Third Thursday” Downtown Indiana community event.
Scheduled Welcome Week events continue through August 23 with a Crimson Carnival Block Party from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the Kovalchick Complex and the 150th anniversary carnival event at the Kovalchick Complex parking lot starting at 5:00 p.m. and ending with fireworks at 9:00 p.m.
150th Anniversary
There is no admission charge for the 150th anniversary carnival, which will feature food trucks, carnival performers, a Ferris wheel, a giant fun slide, and 150th anniversary “swag,” ending with a fireworks show at 9:00 p.m. Carnival rides are free, with food and beverages available for purchase.
As part of the celebration, IUP student organizations were invited to operate carnival games as fundraisers for their groups. A total of 14 student organizations will be part of the carnival celebration: the IUP Ambassadors (student-alumni association), American Medical Association, Andale (Spanish Club), Best Buddies (students who are paired with Indiana County residents who have intellectual or developmental disabilities), Catholic Student Association, LaSo (Latino Student Organization), Pan-African Student Association, Residence Hall Association, Student Giving Committee, Taiwanese Student Association, United Greek Council, Women In STEM, Women’s Ice Hockey Team, and Women’s Rugby Team.
Watch the video IUP 150: A Legacy of Learning—a warm-up for our sesquicentennial celebration and full year of events.
IUP President Michael Driscoll will offer brief welcoming remarks for the carnival and will announce the winner of the anniversary T-shirt design of IUP’s 150th Anniversary. T-shirts will be available for purchase during the evening and at the Co-Op Store.
“We wanted the Sesquicentennial to be a celebration, focused on our students, employees, and community,” Anniversary cochairs Jennifer Dunsmore and Molly Russell said. Dunsmore is IUP’s assistant vice president for University Advancement; Russell is executive director of Marketing.
“The 150th Celebration is all about bringing people together, and the carnival is the perfect way to kick off the year. We can’t wait to celebrate IUP’s history, connect with our community, and make memories that will carry us into the next 150 years,” they said.
The carnival celebration also includes a “Friends and Family” concert by the IUP Marching Band in Miller Stadium at 5:45 p.m. It will be the first performance by the band under interim director William Sugg, who joined the IUP community earlier this month. This performance is free and open to the community.
Opening of the Academic Year
IUP’s traditional Opening of the Academic Year program is August 22 at 9:00 a.m. in the IUP Performing Arts Center’s Fisher Auditorium.
It will feature remarks by President Driscoll; Alexis Bardos, president of IUP’s Student Government Association; Association of Pennsylvania State Colleges and University Faculty (APSCUF) IUP Chapter President Dennis Frketich, assistant professor in the Department of Hospitality and Employment Relations; IUP Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Lara Luetkehans; and AFSCME IUP Chapter President Bobbie Zapor, IUP Libraries. Faculty Emeritus David Piper will be a special guest presenter for the event.
The program will be livestreamed on the IUP YouTube channel.