On Deck August 2026

From the Desk of Vice Chancellor Brandon Frye

Colleagues and Friends of Student Affairs:

Here we go friends…. Welcome to the Fall 2026 semester!

Just like that the summer has ended and by the time this message goes out, we will have just moved more than 5,000 students into our residential community and hosted our annual Raid the Rec, Pirate Palooza, and New Student Welcome/Class Photo events. However, before I get ahead of myself, I do want to note the following about the summer.

During June and July, we enjoyed 10 multi-day orientation sessions for new first-year Pirates and their families, which was a great success. We hosted over 7,500 new students and families throughout the ten two-day orientation sessions. I want to thank all staff members and campus partners who participated in orientation this year.  Your support for this successful program was much appreciated!

Now back to our opening weekend events. These signature programs help build a sense of community and belonging which will help pave the way for new students to successfully transition from high school to college. Our students are encouraged to visit The Pirate Experience to learn about our 400+ student organizations, as well as events and activities taking place on campus. The Pirate Experience is open to all students, but also for ECU faculty and staff too.

Thanks for all that you have done this summer to help with being ready for the Fall 2026 semester, and a big thanks to all who helped move in our first-year students and welcome them home.

Go Pirates!