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Alumni A World Community

Homecoming Changes

HomecomingAlumni and others enjoyed the Homecoming Luncheon in 2015.


Grand Reunion

Plans are ramping up for two of the biggest on-campus events planned for next year. January 29–30 is Homecoming and Parents Weekend, and October 7–9, 2016, is the Grand Reunion.

The separate event dates reflect alumni feedback from the 2014 Alumni Pulse Survey, says Alumni and Parent Relations Director Bryan Jones ’99.

Besides such venerable event favorites as the Student Talent Show, Falcon basketball, and the Mainstage theatre production, Homecoming weekend will feature new events such as a communitywide tailgate event before the talent show, and an all- SPU postgame party. The ever-popular Homecoming Luncheon with President Dan Martin will again showcase alumni award recipients and bring news about a thriving university soon to celebrate its 125th year.

The Grand Reunion, scheduled for October 7–8, 2016, is expected to be the biggest alumni gathering in SPU history. Its primary focus is on reunions, including interest group reunions, academic program reunions, and class reunions for the years ’71, ’76, ’81, ’86, ’91, ’96, ’01, ’06, and ’11. Highlights of the Grand Reunion weekend include an all-alumni family-friendly mainstage event, an all-alumni reunion gathering, and the delectable Taste of SPU.

Alumni Pulse Survey respondents expressed their preference for even more opportunities for alumni to connect with one another and with SPU in meaningful ways.

Because alumni have forged strong relationships with their peers and with their professors, the Alumni and Parent Relations Office realized those reunion gatherings could better be facilitated apart from a weekend that also included the wide range of performances, competitions, and entertainment options offered on a traditional homecoming weekend.

“There will still be plenty of things to do over both weekends,” says Bryan. “Each will have its distinct flavor, but what they have in common is a shared appreciation and love for our alma mater.”

For more information, watch SPU’s alumni website.