Within the matter of a few seconds, a reawakened campus was caught in the full, non-stop inevitability that a new semester, a new academic year, was just around the corner.

During that moment this week, a group of workers hauled extra mattresses into Nye Hall ... as Journalism Professor Donica Mensing pedaled her bike up Virginia Street, headed to a morning of meetings at the Donald W. Reynolds School of Journalism ... as a small group of perhaps a dozen of the more than 400 NevadaFIT students with papers and pens and backpacks scurried purposefully across a crosswalk toward newly opened Peavine Hall ... as tuba players from the band huddled in the welcome shade of the trees near Juniper Hall, their playing filling the hot August air with the hopeful, spirited murmur that arrives on college campuses courtesy of marching bands like the University's each fall ... while far off on a sun-splashed corner of Wolf Pack Park, defensive standout Bryan Lane, moving with the balanced grace of a ballet dancer and with the concentration of a fine craftsman, sweat glistening like precious beads of silver from his chin, took extra repetitions from a ball launcher after the day's practice had formally concluded.

"It's that time of the year again," President Marc Johnson said. "Our campus is always alive, and is always vibrant. But the few days before the fall semester begins are unique." Johnson, who grew up on a farm in Kansas, was asked if the beginning of a new semester is, in a sense, a time of renewal for a college campus. He smiled. "Yes. It is a time of renewal, of possibility. As the faculty returns to campus and the residential communities fill with students, it's a very special time."

Added Faculty Senate Chair David Sanders, who has been a professor at the University since 1990: "It is a time of year when I come to the realization that I did not accomplish all of my summer goals, but the arrival of the students back on campus brings incredible excitement about a new academic year."

So it is for the University. The coming hours, days and weeks of the new academic year offer much in the way of activities and events. Add to the mix a simple fact that the University will, yet again, be at record enrollment.

Busy probably doesn't even begin to fully describe it. Here is a listing of some of the activities and events marking the beginning of the new academic year.

Move-In Day: On Thursday, beginning at 9 a.m., the University's more than 3,100 residence hall students will formally move in. They will join the NevadaFIT participants, marching band members, residence hall leaders and some athletes who had previously moved into the campus' undergraduate residence halls. A helpful safety and move-in road/parking primer is provided at: www.unr.edu/nevada-today/news/2015/traffic-alert-for-move-in

New Student Opening Ceremony: On Friday, starting at approximately 9:45 a.m. at Lawlor Events Center, the University will welcome the Class of 2019. Faculty participation is encouraged and academic attire for faculty is requested. Faculty will begin lining up at 9:30 a.m. Johnson will deliver a welcome, while Bob Felten, a longtime professor in the Reynolds School of Journalism and one of the campus' finest instructors, will deliver the keynote address. Johnson said he will welcome the Class of 2019 by thanking them for making such a "wise" choice by attending the University.

Campus Conversations: Sanders, a Foundation Professor of Civil Engineering, noted that during his 25 years at the University, "I have seen many changes at our University since coming here, and believe this period of time is critical to our University's future as we work together to create a vibrant campus." In order to encourage the faculty and staff to be engaged with the University, Faculty Senate will sponsor three "Campus Conversations" this semester, featuring Johnson, Provost Kevin Carman and Sanders serving as moderator. They will be held from 4-5 p.m. on Sept. 21, Oct. 21 and Nov. 30, in the Joe Crowley Student Union Great Room. The Sept. 21 event will focus on online education, while Oct. 21 will address growth and the Nov. 30 event will feature junior faculty and faculty mentoring. For more information, go to: www.unr.edu/facultysenate/

State of the University: Johnson will present the annual "State of the University" address at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 29, in the Glick Ballrooms of the Joe Crowley Student Union.

And, of course, there is one other key date of note.

Instruction for the fall semester begins on Monday, Aug. 24.