Welcome UIC19, all 3,450 of you!

Chancellor Michael Amiridis, Sparky and the Class of 2019. Photos: UIC Photo Services

A sea of red filled the floor of the UIC Pavilion as UIC welcomed the class of 2019 and their families at convocation Sunday.

About 4,500 people — including 2,000 new students — were greeted, exhorted and encouraged by Chancellor Michael Amiridis, Provost Eric Gislason, Undergraduate Student Government president Mercedez Jones and men’s basketball head coach Steve McClain.

Faculty speaker Michael Popowits, a lecturer in accounting, drew on his background in improv. Students followed his instructions to act like those sitting nearby were “people you always wanted to meet,” and rose to exchange hearty hugs and handshakes.

After convocation, the crowd moved to the commons area for a picnic with food, music and games.

As of Aug. 20 there were about 3,450 registered freshmen, the highest in several years, and about 1,600 transfer students, according to the Office of Undergraduate Affairs.