Instead, Kate Engemann, director of recruitment at William Woods University said this special event "symbolizes entrance into the community of William Woods."

For incoming students, it marks the beginning of their college experience.

"The families break their ties and the students stay on campus," Engemann said. The ceremony brings mixed emotions for parents and students alike.

Cynthia Swafford, a parent of an incoming freshman said she's "excited, proud, but scared to death. He's our first one to go away to college."

As students enter William Woods, they are breaking away from home and meeting fellow classmates.  For some it's a slow start, while others are anxious to dive right in.

Michael Stradford, an incoming student at William Woods said he's "kind of nervous, but anxious all the same. I'm getting away from home finally."

One incoming student, Molly Feldt said starting college for the first time isn't a big deal for her.

"There's a lot of kids but I'm used to it because I went to a really big high school so there's less than half in my class now," she said. 

William Woods University's class of 2010 is made up of 325 students. It's the largest class the university has ever had with an increase of 20 percent from the previous school year.

The university's admissions department says the increase in students is due to its' successful recruting team.  The university has a total of 3500 students.