Westminster Opens Its Doors to McDaniel’s Newest Green Terrors

Westminster Opens Its Doors to McDaniel's Newest Green Terrors

August 22, 2026 - On Saturday morning, nearly 500 of McDaniel College's newest students left "the Hill" and walked into historic downtown Westminster

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By Kevin Dayhoff

WESTMINSTER, Md. August 22, 2026 - On Saturday morning, nearly 500 of McDaniel College's newest students left "the Hill" and walked into historic downtown Westminster, where a community waited to welcome them to their new hometown.

The occasion was the eighth annual Westminster Welcome, a tradition that connects McDaniel College's newest students with the city beyond the campus gates.

Led by McDaniel College President Julia Jasken, her husband, David Jasken, and leadership from the college and the city; the students made their way through the historic Ward Memorial Arch and down toward Main Street.

Their destination was the Westminster Branch of the Carroll County Public Library, where they were officially greeted by representatives of the college, and the City of Westminster, including Westminster Mayor Dr. Mona Becker, and Councilmembers Tom Beyard, Kevin Dayhoff, and Dan Hoff, representing Council President Tony Chiavacci, and Councilmember Greg Pecoraro.

The annual walk is designed to do more than give the newest Green Terrors a chance to stretch their legs. It introduces them to the community that will surround them throughout their college years, a historic downtown filled with locally owned businesses, restaurants, community organizations and public spaces.

And Westminster was ready to meet them. The City encouraged downtown businesses to welcome the students along the route and invited participating businesses to remain open during the event so the newcomers could explore Main Street.

Each student also received a $10 voucher from the City of Westminster, which could be spent at participating downtown businesses through September 27, 2026. The City described the vouchers as an invitation for students to discover the many things that make downtown Westminster unique.

After brief remarks at the library, the students were dismissed from the library lawn and encouraged to spend several hours exploring the downtown business district before making their way back to campus.

A Community Connections Fair was also held along Locust Lane, near the library, giving students an opportunity to meet representatives of local nonprofit organizations and learn about ways they can become involved in the larger Westminster community.

For the Class of 2030, Saturday's walk was one of several traditions marking the beginning of their McDaniel experience. Nearly 500 first-year and transfer students are joining the college this fall, according to McDaniel College. They were selected from more than 5,800 applications and represent 20 states, Washington, D.C., and eight countries.

The incoming class represents 257 high schools and 13 community colleges. Among them are 48 students from Carroll County, including 15 inaugural Carroll County Scholars.

The students arrived on campus beginning Thursday, August 20, for move-in and orientation. On Friday, first-year students participated in another McDaniel tradition, ringing the historic Old Main bell in Memorial Plaza following the college's official Introduction Convocation.

Then, on Saturday morning, they crossed another threshold — leaving the Hill and entering the city. The Westminster Welcome has become an important early connection between the college and the community.

For local merchants, the event provides an opportunity to meet hundreds of potential new customers. For community organizations, it provides an opportunity to introduce students to volunteer opportunities and civic life.

And for the students, it offers a first opportunity to begin discovering the community they will call home during their college years. There is also something wonderfully symbolic about the route.

McDaniel College sits above Westminster; its campus physically separated from downtown by the hill and the historic arch. On Saturday, that separation briefly disappeared. Hundreds of students walked together through the arch and down into the city, accompanied by their college president and welcomed by municipal leaders, business owners and community members.

It was, in many ways, a formal introduction. McDaniel welcomed the students to the Hill. Westminster welcomed them to the community. Classes at McDaniel begin Monday, August 24, 2026.

By then, the newest Green Terrors will be settling into classrooms, residence halls, athletic programs, student organizations and the routines of college life.

But before the first class began, Westminster offered them something equally important: A friendly invitation to come down from the Hill, walk Main Street, meet their neighbors and discover the community just beyond campus.

For the eighth consecutive year, Westminster's message to McDaniel's newest students was simple and sincere: Welcome to Westminster.