Welcome Week
August 17-20, 2023
Welcome Week has an energy all its own, and it will mark the beginning of your journey as a PBA student. During this week-long event, you’ll take part in all kinds of activities and events, meet fellow students, begin fostering relationships with faculty and have a lot of fun while your parents enjoy their own Welcome Week Programming. Welcome Week begins with check-in where students are assigned to a “fish” group which is comprised of other first-year students and two upperclassmen who serve as your group’s Fish Leaders. This is the group you’ll be with all week, taking part in fun activities, athletic events and social gatherings.
Schedule of Events
| 9 a.m.-5 p.m. | Sailfish Start & Move-In Get settled into your new home-away-from-home! Be sure to stop by the Sailfish Start tent outside your hall to check-in and for important information. Students will receive an email from Residence Life by early-July to sign up for a specific move-in timeslot. |
Residence Halls |
| 9 a.m.-5 p.m. | Onboarding Gather essentials (like your PBA ID card), chat with Financial Aid, finalize your student account and billing, enjoy a photo opp with your family, and more! |
Warren Library |
| 11:30 a.m.- 1 p.m. | Lunch on Your Own Students may use their meal plan. Meals for family members available for purchase at the door. |
Campus Dining Locations |
| 5-7 p.m. | Dinner on Your Own Students may use their meal plan. Meals for family members available for purchase at the door. |
Campus Dining Locations |
| 7:30-9:30 p.m. | Movie Night Enjoy a chill night under the stars with a movie, snacks and fellow new Sailfish. |
Baxter Green |
| 9 a.m.-3 p.m. | Sailfish Start & Move-In Get settled into your new home-away-from-home! Be sure to stop by the Sailfish Start tent outside your hall to check-in and for important information. Students will receive an email from Residence Life by early-July to sign up for a specific move-in timeslot. |
Residence Halls |
| 9 a.m.-3 p.m. | Onboarding Gather essentials (like your PBA ID card), chat with Financial Aid, finalize your student account and billing, enjoy a photo opp with your family, and more! |
Warren Library |
| 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. | Lunch on Your Own Students may use their meal plan. Meals for family members available for purchase at the door. |
Campus Dining Locations |
| 3-4 p.m. | Donuts with Your Dean Meet fellow students and professors from your major and enjoy delicious donuts from a local favorite: The Salty Donut! Click here to find out where your major/school is meeting. |
Assigned Classrooms |
| 4-5 p.m. | Varsity Athlete Parent Meeting (Parents) Parents of incoming varsity athletes are invited to a session with members of the Sailfish Athletics staff. |
MacArthur 1291-1292 |
| 4-5 p.m. | Honors Orientation Students entering the Supper Honors Program are invited to connect with Dr. Tom St. Antoine, the program’s director. Parents are welcome to join! |
Weyenberg Center |
| 4-5 p.m. | International Student Orientation Meet with the International Student Services to walk through important information regarding visas, acclimating to PBA, and more. |
Borbe 206 |
| 4-5 p.m. | Commuter Connect & Onboarding Incoming commuters: We want you to get connected to the PBA community. Stop by to check-in, gather PBA essentials, and receive a free Chick-fil-A meal on us! |
Greene Complex Portico |
| 5-6:30 p.m. | Dinner on Your Own Students may use their meal plan. Meals for family members available for purchase at the door. |
Campus Dining Locations |
| 6:45-7 p.m. | Your Class Photo Gather with your fellow new Sailfish to commemorate the start of your PBA story with a fun class photo. |
Baxter Green |
| 7-7:30 p.m. | Find Your Fish Groups Connect with your Fish Group before we enter the Opening Rally together. |
Baxter Green & Greene Complex |
| 7:30-8:30 p.m. | Opening Program & Rally A high-energy rally to kick-off the Welcome Week festivities. Hear from our President, meet the Steering Committee, and more! |
Rubin Arena |
| 8-9:30 p.m. | President’s Ice Cream Social (Parents) Parents dismissed during Opening Rally Parents and family members: Enjoy ice cream and mingle with members of the Parents Council and the President’s Cabinet. |
Fraser Dining Hall & Jack’s Market |
| 8:30-10 p.m. | Fish Group Olympics Compete in a series of minute-to-win-it games to win prizes and connect with fellow Sailfish. Does your Fish Group have what it takes? |
Greene Complex |
| 8-9 a.m. | Breakfast with Your Fish Group Students may use their meal plan. Meals for family members available for purchase at the door. |
Campus Dining Locations |
| 9-10 a.m. | Understanding Life at PBA (Parents & Students together) Get oriented to life as a PBA student and find out all that’s in store for you as members of the Sailfish family. |
Rubin Arena |
| 10 a.m.-noon | Workship Take part in your first Workship project and a time of worship together. Students receive chapel credit & Workship credit. |
Rubin Arena; various breakout rooms |
| 10 a.m.-noon | Becoming PBA Parents & Time of Prayer (Parents) *Final event for parents & families Join fellow parents as you hear from campus leaders and take part in a special time of prayer over your students. |
DeSantis Family Chapel |
| Noon-2 p.m. | Lunch with Your Fish Group Students may use their meal plan. |
Campus Dining Locations |
| 2-4 p.m. | Fish Group Excursion Explore iconic West Palm Beach favorites with your Fish Group. |
Various Locations |
| 4-6 p.m. | Dinner with Your Fish Group Students may use their meal plan. |
Campus Dining Locations |
| 6-10 p.m. | Rally & RAC-reation Gather in the Rubin Arena for a mini rally before we ride the buses out to the Rinker Athletic Campus to enjoy friendly competition and refreshing treats. |
Meet at Rubin Arena; ride buses to Rinker Athletic Campus together |
| 10-11 p.m. | Late Nite Bite Enjoy a late-night victory snack following the RAC-reation competition. |
Fraser Dining Hall |
| 10-11:15 a.m. | Sunday Morning Worship Come worship together with fellow students and hear a message from our Campus Ministries team. Students receive chapel credit. |
Rubin Arena |
| 11:15 a.m.-1 p.m. | Brunch with Your Fish Group Students may use their meal plan. |
Fraser Dining Hall |
| 2-4 p.m. | Footwashing Tradition Welcome Week ends with this special annual tradition that includes a time of worship and a message by our campus pastor to set the tone for the year ahead. |
Rubin Arena |
Note: Programming for parents and families begins Friday, August 18 and concludes at noon on Saturday, August 19.
Student Activities & Events
Throughout Welcome Week you’ll take part in all kinds of different activities:
- Athletic events and group activities will help you make new friends and discover the resources around you at PBA.
- Social gatherings, from Fish Group activities, to social media challenges, to a scavenger hunt around West Palm Beach, will form the foundation of your Sailfish Spirit that will last for life.
- Meetings with faculty will introduce you to the amazing, accomplished Christian scholars who will mentor and guide you.
- The Footwashing Experience will be an opportunity to feel the power and love of God’s teachings and sense the quality of our Christian academic experience.
Parent Activities & Events
Welcome Week is just as much about welcoming parents of first-year students into the PBA family as the students themselves. Parents are invited to attend activities such as the Opening Rally, President’s Ice Cream Social, Concert of Prayer and How to Write the Next Chapter. Look for us at the Parent Welcome Area in the Warren Library during Move-in days!
Have Questions?
For more information about Welcome Week, please contact The Steering Committee:
Welcome_Week@pba.edu.
For more information about Move-In, please contact the Reslife office: Reslife@pba.edu
561.803.2555
The Steering Committee
Welcome Weekend is designed for new students starting in the winter semester. You’ll meet the Steering Committee, a student leader group that will guide you on your action-packed weekend.
Let’s Get Social
Make sure to connect with PBA on Twitter (@PBAUniversity), Facebook (Palm Beach Atlantic University) and Instagram (@pbauniversity) for campus news, events, maps and more.