The 120th school year will officially begin with the traditional Opening Assembly in Moody Coliseum on Monday. This year, the annual flag ceremony will feature more than 100 flags representing the countries, U.S. states and territories of students and faculty.

This year’s featured speaker will be Mike Cope, who is the director of ministry outreach at Pepperdine University. For 18 years, he preached at Highland Church of Christ in Abilene.

“Mike is one of the most gifted orators that I have heard in my life,” said Dr. Ryan Richardson, vice president for student life. “I’m deeply excited about our students being able to hear from him because we have traditions that we do each year as part of Opening Assembly, and he is going to latch on to those traditions and continue to amplify the work of God in this place.”

For the second year in a row, the Navajo Nation will be represented in the flag ceremony, said Craig Fisher, associate vice president for advancement and alumni. He said organizers are in the process of obtaining a flag to represent a student from the Choctaw Nation this year. If they are unable to find one, he said the university will acknowledge that student and the Choctaw Nation another way.

Another tradition the Opening Assembly will continue to follow is the devotional, a practice that has marked the start of every academic year since the university’s founding in 1906. The hymn All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name will be the first song sung, and Paul’s sermon on Mars Hill will be read. For many students, this assembly will be the first time they hear the Big Purple Band and Grand Chorus perform and sing The Lord Bless You and Keep You, another long-time tradition.

“I am most excited about students, faculty and staff being reminded that this is a place they belong,” Richardson said. “We acknowledge the place you call home, the place where you were born and raised, and that place has space here in Abilene.”