(For more on the move-in, see the news stories elsewhere in the Local News section.)

Parents of incoming Anderson University students seemed to arrive in waves this week as they pulled up to dorms with cars and vans loaded with computers, clothes and food.

Moms and dads smiled with relief when AU staffers wearing light blue shirts rushed over to help carry boxes and suitcases into the student rooms.

As they departed, parents gave encouraging words: Do well. Study hard. This is your future.

After those teary-eyed parents arrive back home, students will be told during this weekend’s orientation: Root, Grow and Bloom.

To do so, Dean Branson, director of student programs, and his department created a great way to emphasize this year’s theme.

For the first time, freshmen will go into the community Saturday to help clean and beautify the city where they will spend the next four years. Look for them at Animal Care and Control, Wilson Boys & Girls Club and at least eight other sites.

We commend Branson and his crew for finding a beneficial way to integrate freshmen into the community.

“We want the students to think about what it means to be a part of a community that is engaged in learning for a lifetime,” said Branson.

The project will help students answer important questions: Why am I at college? Where will four years of education lead? What can I learn now about my role after graduation?

And this service project can reach deep into the community.

With an enrollment of 2,800, the university is projecting an increase of between 12 percent and 15 percent for first-time freshmen. This is exciting news for the campus and for the city. Students come from 47 states and 30 countries.

We hope the community service project for freshmen becomes a tradition, not only for annual orientation but also for students after they graduate.