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Second Round of New Student Orientation One of 'Excitement' for Lindsey Wilson University Freshmen

Members of Class of 2029 look forward to making history during Lindsey Wilson's inaugural year as a university.

by Duane Bonifer

COLUMBIA, Ky. (07/12/2025) — Lindsey Wilson University's first official event for the Class of 2029 was an "exciting" time of "excitement."

At least those were the two most common words used by members of the Class of 2029 to describe their history-making event.

More than 350 incoming students and family members were on the university's campus July 10-11 for the second installment of New Student Orientation. Two New Student Orientation days were held in early June, but that was when the school was still Lindsey Wilson College.

As Josiah McCall of La Grange, Kentucky, said, attending one of the first New Student Orientation sessions under the new Lindsey Wilson University banner made things a little special.

"It's definitely exciting," said McCall, an Oldham County High School graduate who attended the July 11 New Student Orientation with his mother, Niki, and plans to play baseball and study education and history. "It gives you a bigger sense of things. Overall, it makes you feel a little important, knowing you are the first freshmen at the university."

Campbellsville, Kentucky, residents and recent Taylor County High School graduates Lilly Hocks and Kileigh Begley, who attended the July 11 session, also said it was exciting to be part of the first freshman class in university history.

"It's pretty cool," said Hicks, who along with Begley plans to major in biology.

"Exciting" and "cool" were also two adjectives used by a pair of Adair County High School graduates to describe the anticipation of their first fall semester at Lindsey Wilson University -- Dillon Wilson and Kaden Wasson, two Columbia residents who attended the July 11 session and both plan to major in business administration.

"It's really cool," said Wilson. "We didn't expect it to change over this year, but I think that change is going to make it a lot easier for a lot of people."

New name, same mission

At both welcome sessions, held in V.P. Henry Auditorium, Assistant Dean of Students Abe Cross told incoming students and guests that although Lindsey Wilson made the leap from college to university on July 1, the school's mission of "focusing on every student, every day" has remained unchanged.

"We're still focused on serving students first and putting their needs at the center of what we do," Cross said at the July 10 session.

Those words resonated with Stephanie Young, who attended the July 10 session with her son Alex Young of Lancaster, Kentucky.

"I was glad to hear that even though it's a university it's still focused on students," said Stephanie Young. "The small-knit, family atmosphere of Lindsey Wilson is what we were looking for."

Alex Young, who plans to play soccer and study biology, said he felt a little pressure to perform well because he will be among the university's first class of freshmen, but he said he is also "very excited to be coming into a new university" when fall classes begin in August.

In addition to hearing from administrators such as Cross, students and guests finalized schedules and paperwork, socialized and took part in icebreakers, and toured residence halls to round out their shopping lists for college.

Adair County graduates Gracie Gist, Marque Hicks and Jade Waggener, all of Columbia, said they were excited as well about their hometown school becoming a university.

"I think it's an exciting new step for everything," said Hicks, who plans to major in biology and cheer.

Green County High School graduate Jayden Marr committed to play basketball at Lindsey Wilson before the school announced in April that it would become a university in July. He said that news added to the excitement of starting classes in the fall.

"I didn't know anything about the school change," said Marr, who attended the July 10 session with his mother, Christy. "It was exciting to see."

Drew Ludwig of Frankfort, Kentucky, saw Lindsey Wilson's big news in April on Instagram. Ludwig, a Frankfort High School graduate who plans to play baseball and major in business, attended the July 10 session with his mother, Kelly.

"I saw it on Instagram, and I was like, 'Wow, that's cool.' I think it's special," he said.

Making history twice

Kaylen Newton of Taylorsville, Kentucky, will make history twice during her freshman year. In addition to being a member of the Class of 2029, Newton will play for the first Lindsey Wilson women's flag football team, which will make its debut in the spring.

"I think being a university is very exciting because it's opened Lindsey Wilson University to a lot of opportunities," said Newton, who attended the July 10 session with her mother, Amy Semones, and also plans to play softball and major in communication with a focus on marketing.

Fellow softball commit Aubrey Miller of Louisville, Kentucky, was another Blue Raider excited to wear the one of the first Lindsey Wilson University jerseys.

"It's exciting, it's something new. It's an adventure," said Miller, who attended the July 10 session with her mother, Caitlin, and grandmother, Joanna Sawalich.

Anna Alexander of Glasgow, Kentucky, and Cece Hiatt of Maysville, Kentucky, were among the Lindsey Wilson students who used New Student Orientation to coordinate their residence hall room.

Alexander, who attended the July 11 session with her parents, Cindy '99 and Jason, and plans to major in education, will live with Hiatt in Phillips Hall, which is where Cindy also lived during her freshman year at Lindsey Wilson.

Hiatt said it was exciting to be part of history.

"When I think about it, it's cool because not many people can say they were part of something like this," said Hiatt, who attended the July 11 session with her parents, Joseph and Melinda, and plans to major in biology.

Lindsey Wilson University is a vibrant liberal arts university in Columbia, Kentucky. Founded in 1903 and affiliated with The United Methodist Church, the mission of Lindsey Wilson is to serve the educational needs of students by providing a living-learning environment within an atmosphere of active caring and Christian concern where every student, every day, learns and grows and feels like a real human being. Lindsey Wilson offers 28 undergraduate majors, five graduate programs and a doctoral program. The university's 29 intercollegiate varsity athletic teams have won more than 120 team and individual national championships.

Media Attachments

Lindsey Wilson University New Student Orientation leaders Raylee Yadon ’27 of Danville, Kentucky, left pink T-shirt, and Holly Blaydes ’26, center pink T-shirt kneeling, gather with their students Friday, July 11, in the Doris and Bob Holloway Health & Wellness Center.

Lindsey Wilson University admissions counselor Mattie Coomer ’24, left, helps Cadence Wermers ’29 of Pace, Florida, finalize her Lindsey Wilson paperwork Friday, July 11, in the Doris and Bob Holloway Health & Wellness Center.

Marcus Reynolds ’29 of Watertown, Tennessee, left, poses for a picture with Lindsey Wilson University men’s basketball coach Chris Starks during the Friday, July 11, New Student Orientation in the Doris and Bob Holloway Health & Wellness Center.

Lindsey Wilson University New Student Orientation leaders Tezon Mitchell ’27 of Greensburg, Kentucky, and Connor Wilhoit ’26 of Campbellsville, Kentucky, celebrate two successful New Student Orientation sessions, which was attended by more than 350 incoming students and family members July 10-11.

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