SAU Homecoming Weekend: Finally Time to Come Back Home

Home SAU Homecoming Weekend News Release

Hundreds of alumni will return to campus for Homecoming Weekend Sept. 16-18, marking a long-awaited return to celebrating their alma mater.

Between the initial COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and the accompanying case surges, this year seems to finally be the year of normalcy. Anticipating a mostly-COVID-free fall has made the build-up to Homecoming even more exciting, so efforts to put on an event-packed weekend have matched the fervor.

"We've been planning this year's Homecoming since spring," said Wendy Pondell '05, '22 MOL, Director of Alumni Engagement. "We know many of our alumni have missed being on campus these past two years, so we want to deliver an exciting weekend for them."
Alumni have also pitched in to host and plan reunions, of which there are more this year than ever.

"We honestly have the best alumni," Pondell said. "Each year we have new groups of alums who belong to various reunion years, and each year without fail we have people step up and volunteer to help plan. It's just amazing!"

And, there's always room for new reasons to party. That's where affinity reunions come in.

Affinity reunions are made for groups of alums who participated in a specific corner of college life such as an athletic team or major. A couple of alums who played baseball together, Todd Becker '90 and John Klein '89, organized a Baseball Reunion this year. Former Fighting Bee ballplayers have a day that starts with a golf tournament, then campus tours to see our amazing athletic facilities, and ends by taking batting practice and a scrimmage at Modern Woodmen Park.

Any affinity alumni group is welcome and encouraged to help plan their own reunion; just contact Pondell to start planning for next year!