UPIKE celebrates 10 years of ‘The Climb’ to welcome incoming freshmen

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Video summary

On Friday, August 24th, the University of Pikeville marked a significant milestone by hosting its tenth anniversary celebration of "The Climb," a cherished tradition welcoming incoming freshmen to the campus. The event took place at the iconic 99 steps, where new students gathered at the base of the hill to walk to the top, symbolizing the start of their academic journey and their transition into university life. This ritual serves as a powerful metaphor for the four-year path ahead, with the expectation that these same students will one day descend the steps upon graduating, having completed their degree and grown through their experiences at UPIKE. The tradition has deep roots, originally inspired by a conversation between Dr. Web and Dr. Meyer about how students in the past would arrive by train and physically climb the hill to reach their classes. Today, the event continues to foster a strong sense of community and excitement among the new class, who are described as electric and highly engaged during summer orientation. Faculty and staff members not only participated in the climb but also used the occasion to reassure students that they are joining a supportive family rather than just leaving behind their own families. The university emphasizes its commitment to caring for every student, ensuring they feel supported throughout their transition and beyond. As the school year prepares to begin on Monday morning, the atmosphere is charged with anticipation for the upcoming classes and the future achievements of the freshmen. While there was a brief humorous interruption regarding phone connectivity issues, which led to a promotional message for Appalachian Wireless offering deals on smartphones and tablets, the core focus remained on student success and institutional pride. The event concluded with an invitation for attendees to experience the unique energy of the climb in person, reinforcing the message that being present is essential to truly feeling the spirit of the university and its dedication to helping students become proud graduates.

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On Friday, August 24th, the University of Pikeville hosted the 10th anniversary of the climb at the 99 steps. Incoming freshmen gathered at the bottom of the hill to walk to the top, symbolizing the beginning of their academic journey at Upupike. After four years, those same freshmen will be descending the steps to graduate. >> This is fantastic. This is my third year at the University of Pikeville, and [laughter] this is one of the traditions I look most forward to. Started out 10 years ago. Dr. Web talked about he and Dr. Meyer were having a conversation in the office one day about how can we really bring that tradition back where they used to get off the train and come up the hill to class. Here we are 10 years later bringing our freshman class to the hill looking forward for an amazing year. I have had the pleasure to meet a lot of them at orientation over the summer. The class is electric. They're so excited and so engaged to be here. The faculty and staff at UPI are looking forward to welcoming them to classes on Monday morning. Got phone problems? Yeah, I thought so. [music] So before school starts, stop by your local Appalachin Wireless retail location for great deals on the latest smartphones, tablets, and smart watches. Where there's more reasons to switch and more ways to save because we are Appalachin [music] Wireless. Greer says she has met with many of the freshmen during summer orientation and sees the potential in each of them. Staff at Upupike want to make it known they are there to help these students every step of the way. >> We have faculty and staff here tonight that walked the climb with us. They're here on the plaza to let the students know that they may be leaving their family, but they're joining the family. And that's what we pride ourselves on is every student matters and we care for every student. So, the transition's happening. They're going to be ready to go and four years from now, they're going to be proud graduates of the University of I think being here, you can only get so much on camera. I think you need to be here. You need to feel the energy tonight. And go Bears. Reporting for Mountaintop News, I'm Nick Colum.