In the first day of class I partner new students with senior students and I have everyone ask eachother questions like where they are from, what interested them in the course/school, what do they want to do when they are done, and something people don't know about them. After they have done that I have the pairs get up and present eachother to the class rather then having the students present themselves to the class. This breaks the ice and keeps all the students engaged and creating relationships from the begining.