Robins School establishes Declaration Ceremony for incoming students

The Robins School of Business hosted its first Declaration Ceremony for incoming majors and minors on Monday, February 24. Dean Mickey Quiñones welcomed students to the Robins School with a mission: to get to know every other student in the class before graduation. 

“By choosing to join the Robins School, you have said that you’re not content to just learn about the world, but to actually change it,” Dean Quiñones said.

He emphasized the importance of connecting with one another, and becoming a more welcoming community. 

“How people experience the Robins School means how they experience us. These walls don’t talk, it’s us. How we treat each other matters,” Dean Quiñones said. “Since this is now your home, let’s make it more welcoming. Holding the door open for others, saying good morning, letting others know that the seat next to you is open.”

He invited the students to spend a little time introducing themselves to someone they hadn’t met before, and being open to making new friendships and connections in their time here.

“Bill Nye once said ‘Everyone you will ever meet knows something that you don’t.’ You don’t know who in this room knows something that will complement the very thing you’ve been trying to work on,” Dean Quiñones said.

Then, he invited students to join in saying together the Robins School Declaration: 

We are Robins.

We act with integrity;

Hold ourselves to the highest ethical standards;

Strive for excellence;

Are constructive, collaborative, supportive and inclusive;

Use our business skills to positively impact our organizations, community and society;

We are Robins.

The students came together for a group photo, which will hang in the Robins School after their graduation.

More than 200 students declared either a major or a minor in the Robins School this semester. Students have until August before their junior year to declare. For more about applying for and joining the Robins School, and Dean Quiñones’s leadership philosophy, visit our Message from the Dean page.