SOUTHFIELD—Lawrence Technological University will mark the start of the 2021-22 academic year with its annual Convocation for first-year students and their families on Saturday, Aug. 28.

LTU President Virinder Moudgil will be honored with the Global Citizen Award—an award he established in 2014 to recognize individuals who have shown great character and leadership in addressing global issues and promoting international understanding. The first recipient was the late U.S. Sen. Carl Levin.

Moudgil—who announced his retirement effective at the end of 2021—is being recognized for his work in building international understanding and establishing and strengthening LTU's global ties. Moudgil has been building LTU's international relationships with numerous trips overseas, establishing partnerships with institutions of higher learning all over the world.

Convocation also includes presentations to first-year students from LTU students, faculty, and administrators on how to make the most of their college experience.

The Convocation ceremony begins at 11 a.m. at LTU's Blue Devils Stadium, on the corner of Ten Mile Road, Evergreen Road, and the Lodge Freeway. All first year students are required to attend, and their families are welcome as well. The day's celebrations will continue at 7 p.m., with LTU's football home opener at Blue Devils Stadium—the first night game since LTU reintroduced a football program in 2018.

For the Fall 2021 semester, LTU has returned to a pre-pandemic schedule of in-person, on-campus learning, although as was true before COVID-19, many programs are also available online. The University is requiring all students living on campus, as well as all student-athletes, to present proof of vaccination against the coronavirus.

Lawrence Technological University, http://www.ltu.edu, is a private university founded in 1932 that offers nearly 100 programs through the doctoral level in its Colleges of Architecture and Design, Arts and Sciences, Business and Information Technology, and Engineering. PayScale lists Lawrence Tech among the nation's top 11 percent of universities for the salaries of its graduates, and U.S. News and World Report lists it in the top tier of best Midwestern universities. Students benefit from small class sizes and a real-world, hands-on, "theory and practice" education with an emphasis on leadership. Activities on Lawrence Tech's 107-acre campus include more than 100 student organizations and NAIA varsity sports.

In the photo above, a good crowd watches LTU's 2019 Homecoming game.