The Opening Assembly returned to Moody Coliseum on Monday morning, bringing together students, faculty, staff, and alumni to mark the beginning of the new academic year. The ceremony featured a reading of Paul’s sermon on Mars Hill, music by the Big Purple Marching Band, and an address by Texas Supreme Court Justice Jeff Boyd, a 1983 ACU graduate. University President Dr. Phil Schubert officially declared the school year open, while the traditional parade of flags represented 46 state flags, 51 countries, and, for the first time, the Navajo and Cherokee Nations.