MISENHEIMER — Pfeiffer University's 300 incoming freshmen and transfer students began moving into the school's 11 residence halls this morning, the school's annual Move-In Day.

Among a daylong slate of campus activities in addition to lugging in their belongings, they'll attend an opening dedication at 4 p.m. in the school chapel and dinner with orientation groups at 5:30 p.m. in the dining hall.

Those new faces from across the country will be joined by 225 more residential students — of about 450 returning students — who will move into the residence halls Sunday.

Classes start Tuesday and among those teaching will be 12 new faculty members.

"This is consistently an electrifying time for our students and their families as well as the Pfeiffer community," said President Dr. Chuck Ambrose. "Pfeiffer students, especially freshmen, will be making many life adjustments in the immediate future. We are fortunate to have so many dedicated student leaders, staff and faculty to help them on their journey during this transition."

In addition to the new students, Pfeiffer has new programs this year, including a master's degree in marriage and family therapy.

The university is also showcasing completed and ongoing renovation projects, such as the $3 million restoration of the 43-year-old Stokes Student Center.

And a $400,000 makeover of Cline Hall will help in its transformation to a place where residents are part of a community that encourages service, social justice and civic engagement through hall-specific service-related activities, outreach within the university and the surrounding community, and participation in socially conscious porch parties and pod casts.

Pfeiffer also plans to further develop its Charlotte campus to meet growing demand for its graduate and adult studies programs, which have experienced enrollment growth of 60 percent in the past six years.

"As we look ahead to 2007-08 there are some amazing occurrences scheduled to take place and those will be tremendous for us," Ambrose said. "This academic year promises to be, perhaps, the most exciting as the university continues to prepare servant leaders for our community and the world."