Tarleton State University\u2019s annual WOW Week returns Aug. 19-30, offering a fresh slate of campus events for new and returning students. With dozens of activities, WOW Week offers something for all students, building community and shared Purple Pride. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere is nothing quite like the energy and excitement that takes over campus during Week of Welcome,\u201d said Dr. Diana Ortega, Vice President for Student Engagement and Success. \u201cWOW Week marks the beginning of endless possibilities, and we encourage every student to dive in, try something new and let themselves be inspired by the vibrant community all around them. At Tarleton State, you\u2019re not just a student; you\u2019re part of a family that\u2019s here to help you succeed, grow and make your mark.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The week begins on the first day of the fall semester with informational events, photo opportunities and more. Texans can learn about student organizations and find their place on campus through involvement fairs, cookouts and other social events. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first Purple Thursday of the year will welcome two new dining options to campus. Panera Bread and Baskin-Robbins will host a joint ribbon cutting at 10:30 a.m. Aug. 20 at the Washington Street parking garage, joining Buffalo Wild Wings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
WOW Week also features soccer, volleyball and football events, including exhibitions, matches and live music. The week zero concert, headlined by Blake Whiten and Casey Donahew, is set for Friday, Aug. 28. On Saturday, Aug. 29, students and fans can gather for the first Texan Alley tailgate of the semester before the Texans open the 2026 season against Prairie View A&M University at Memorial Stadium. The matchup will determine the inaugural winner of the Chancellor\u2019s Cup, presented by the Chancellor\u2019s Century Council. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition to festivities on the Stephenville campus, several WOW Week events will be held for students in Fort Worth, Waco and Bryan, including first day of school pictures, games and more opportunities to connect on their respective campuses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For a complete WOW Week schedule and live updates, visit tarleton.edu\/weekofwelcome\/<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Tarleton State University\u2019s annual WOW Week returns Aug. 19-30, offering a fresh slate of campus events for new and returning students. With dozens of activities, WOW Week offers something for …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1084,"featured_media":55494,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","wds_primary_category":421,"footnotes":""},"categories":[422,424,425,421],"tags":[442,454,456,457,458,459],"class_list":["post-55493","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-morestories","category-arts-events","category-campus-community","category-featuredstories","tag-community-events","tag-rellis","tag-stephenville","tag-tarleton-state-fort-worth","tag-tarleton-state-online","tag-tarleton-state-waco"],"acf":{"image":false},"author_meta":{"display_name":"jdouglas","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/author\/jdouglas\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/65\/2026\/08\/Tarleton-Ring-Statue-Fall-300x200.jpeg","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["_morestories<\/a>","Arts & Events<\/a>","Campus & Community<\/a>","Featured Stories<\/a>"],"unlinked":["_morestories<\/span>","Arts & Events<\/span>","Campus & Community<\/span>","Featured Stories<\/span>"]},"tags":{"linked":["Community Events<\/a>","RELLIS<\/a>","Stephenville<\/a>","Tarleton State Fort Worth<\/a>","Tarleton State Online<\/a>","Tarleton State Waco<\/a>"],"unlinked":["Community Events<\/span>","RELLIS<\/span>","Stephenville<\/span>","Tarleton State Fort Worth<\/span>","Tarleton State Online<\/span>","Tarleton State Waco<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":0,"relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 6 hours ago","modified":"Updated 6 days ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on August 17, 2026","modified":"Updated on August 11, 2026"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on August 17, 2026 10:00 am","modified":"Updated on August 11, 2026 8:31 am"},"featured_img_caption":"","series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55493","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1084"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55493"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55493\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55495,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55493\/revisions\/55495"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55494"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55493"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55493"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55493"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}