This year's New Student Convocation will take place on Thursday, September 13, 2018 at 6:00 p.m. on the Oviatt Library Lawn and the featured keynote speaker will be Nicole Maines and her father Wayne Maines. Nicole is a trans girl who was featured in the HBO documentary "The Trans List" and is the subject of the book Becoming Nicole by author Amy Ellis Nutt.
Continuing Students are also welcome to join the fun. Be sure to arrive at the Oviatt Lawn prior to 6:00 p.m. Once new freshman and transfer student guests are seated, the remaining chairs will be available for all other guests. Seating in the immediate area (Oviatt Lawn) may be limited; however, all guests are also welcome to watch from the Sierra Quad Lawn.
Reception following New Student Convocation: The Convocation Program will end at approximately 7:15 p.m. and will be immediately followed with a reception on the Oviatt Library South Portico. Refreshments and entertainment will be provided, and all are welcome to attend.
Information for Faculty, Staff, and Administrators: Read more and RSVP here
Reception following New Student Convocation: The Convocation Program will end at approximately 7:15 p.m. and will be immediately followed with a reception on the Oviatt Library South Portico. Refreshments and entertainment will be provided, and all are welcome to attend.
This program is distinguished by its past keynote speakers and by its recognition by the campus receiving the CSUN Team Award in 2008 which noted the campus-wide collaboration and involvement required to plan and to execute the event annually.
| YEAR | KEYNOTE SPEAKER | FRESHMAN COMMON READING BOOK |
| 2007 | Robert F. Kennedy Jr. | The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien |
| 2008 | Barbara Ehrenreich | Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich |
| 2009 | Steve Lopez | The Soloist by Steve Lopez |
| 2010 | Holly Robinson-Peete | The Curious incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon |
| 2011 | Jeannette Walls | The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls |
| 2012 | Chitra Divakaruni | One Amazing Thing by Chitra Divakaruni |
| 2013 | Edward Humes | Garbology by Edward Humes |
| 2014 | Drew Magary | The Postmortal by Drew Magary |
| 2015 | David Levithan | Every Day by David Levithan |
| 2016 | Jon Ronson | So You've Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson |
| 2017 | Bree Newsome | Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates |
| 2018 | Nicole Maines & Wayne Maines | Becoming Nicole by Amy Ellis Nutt |
2017 Freshman Convocation
Thursday, Sep. 14, 2017
6 p.m. - Oviatt Library lawn
Keynote Speaker - Bree Newsome
Video Link: 2017 Freshman Convocation
*this video is not captioned, but will be very soon and we apologize for this inconvenience*
2016 Freshman Convocation
Thursday, Sep. 15, 2016
6 p.m. - Oviatt Library lawn
Keynote Speaker - Jon Ronson
Author of So You've Been Publicly Shamed - the Freshman Common Reading for 2016
Video Link: 2016 Freshman Convocation
2015 Freshman Convocation
Thursday, Sep. 10, 2015
6 p.m. - Oviatt Library lawn
Keynote Speaker - David Levithan
Author of Every Day - the Freshman Common Reading for 2015
Video Link: 2015 Freshman Convocation
2014 Freshman Convocation
Thursday, Sep. 4, 2014
6 p.m. - Oviatt Library lawn
Keynote Speaker - Drew Magary
Author of The Postmortal - the Freshman Common Reading for 2014
Video Link: 2014 Freshman Convocation
2013 Freshman Convocation
Thursday, Sep. 12, 2013
6 p.m. - Oviatt Library lawn
Keynote Speaker - Edward Humes
Author of Garbology - the Freshman Common Reading for 2013
Video link: 2013 Freshman Convocation
2012 Freshman Convocation
Thursday, Sep. 6, 2012
6 p.m. - Oviatt Library lawn
Keynote Speaker - Chitra Divakaruni
Author of One Amazing Thing - the Freshman Common Reading for 2012
Video link: 2012 Freshman Convocation
2011 Freshman Convocation
Thursday, Sep. 8, 2011
6:00pm - Oviatt Library lawn
Keynote Speaker - Jeannette Walls
Author of The Glass Castle – the Freshman Common Reading for 2011-2012
Video link: 2011 Freshman Convocation
2010 Freshman Convocation
Thursday, Sep. 2, 2010
6:00pm - Oviatt Library lawn
Keynote Speaker - Holly Robinson Peete
Actress, Author, Activist & Philanthropist
Video: 2010 Freshman Convocation
2009 Freshman Convocation
Thursday, Sep. 3, 2009
6 p.m. - Oviatt Library lawn
Keynote Speaker - Steve Lopez
Author of The Soloist - the Freshman Common Reading for 2009-2010
Video link: 2009 Freshman Convocation
2008 Freshman Convocation
Thursday, Sep. 4, 2008
6 p.m. - Oviatt Library lawn
Keynote Speaker - Barbara Ehrenreich
Author of Nickel and Dimed
Video link: 2008 Freshman Convocation
Hail to the Matadors
By Richard Kaufman
Hail to all the Matadors
And to our school so dear.
As we move along the road of life,
let us keep from doubt or fear,
For the knowledge which we find here,
for all who urge us on.
The spirit of the red and white
Will brighten every dawn.
Where the sun is shining
And where truth leaves an open door,
to honor Strong and Courage Tall
We hail our Matador!
You may listen or download the MP3 file below:
To download the MP3 to your computer, right click on the following link, CSUN Alma Mater Music, and choose "save link as" to save to your computer.
If you cannot see the audio player above, you may need to download it. If you are using Internet Explorer please visit Microsoft. If you are using Firefox or Apple Safari, please visit Quicktime.
It's official: the 2018-2019 Freshman Common Reading will be Becoming Nicole: The Transformation of an American Family by Amy Ellis Nutt. Becoming Nicole is a true story about Nicole Maines, a transgender girl, and her family.
